MINNETONKA, Minn. — Do you have a favorite color to wear?
A social media trend has promoted a time-worn way to test what colors will look best on you. KARE 11 Sunrise reporter Michelle Baik went to a professional to test it out:
Turns out, there's a "science" to all this — at least, according to color consultants like Katie Tenney at the House of Colour, a brand that has franchises all over the world including in Minnetonka.
"That pigmentation, that fatty tissue changes when air is enhanced with the right colors," Tenney said. "It's almost like you put a little makeup on or like you're glowing. That will happen when you're in your right colors."
Color analysis has recently gone viral on social media for its transformative powers. But the school of thought dividing colors into four seasons has been preached for decades.
The House of Colour describes it this way — spring colors are light and bright. Summers are soft and smoky. The autumn palette includes warm and earthy colors. Winter is anything icy and high contrast.
To answer what season I am, I visited Tenney at her home studio. First step was to remove all makeup to reveal my true skin tone.
"We want to see blemishes and inconsistencies because when you wear your best colors, it's like they go away," Tenney said.
Find your undertone
We began with two versions of each color.
"Here you can call in sick," Tenney said for one color, draped around me. She swapped it out with another: "Here it's like, 'Oh my gosh, did you go to the spa,' and even your teeth get whiter."
Draping two other colors around me, Tenney says there's more definition on my face.
The difference in the two color variations is the undertone — one more yellow and the other more blue.
If your skin's undertones are blue-based and you wear yellow-based colors, you'll turn a little jaundicey, Tenney said. If your skin is yellow-based and you wear blue-based colors, you might turn a little ashy.
We figured out that my undertone is blue. That reveals two big wardrobe insights — white is better than cream, and silver is better than gold. People with yellow undertones would look better in cream and gold.
Narrow it down to seasons
Summer and winter seasons best fit people with blue undertones. Spring and autumn fits yellow undertones.
For me, my blue undertone means that I look best in summer- or winter-colored clothing. But we're not finished finding my colors yet.
"If you're a winter, and you're wearing summer colors, it's almost like they once were winter colors but you washed it too many times or just kind of worn out," Tenney said.
The process is similar, and I try out more colors falling into the summer or winter category. Tenney explains what she is looking for: "This looks fine, but it's not, 'Wow.' You don't make this cloth look rich and expensive. Whereas here from the top of your head down... it all fits so well, and you come into focus."
By eliminating some colors, Katie and I realize I'm a winter, which can guide what colors to buy in makeup or clothing. For us winters, electric pinks and royal blues look great.
Tenney, who's also a winter, talks about her own transformation. "I actually keep this before and after picture because it's just so powerful," she said. "My hope is that you feel empowered to wear your colors and create the perception that you want to."
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