wartamoro.com, Black ages your face by five to ten years," says Evgenia Preimane, my color analysis consultant. "It looks overwhelming on you. And for jewelry, silver supports your features.
I glance down at my gold wedding band, stacked with my gold sapphire engagement ring, and laugh. Awkwardly.
I later learn that my hair color should be cool-toned (having recently paid for a warm, honey-blonde balayage), and that beige and brown tones 'wash me out' (tell that to my favorite caramel shacket).
What have you signed up for?
What is color analysis and why is it suddenly everywhere?
Color analysis - or 'getting your colors done' - has exploded on Instagram and TikTok , with consultants draping clients in swatches of fabric and filming dramatic 'reveals'.
The idea is simple: everyone has a set of colors that naturally suit their skin tone, hair and eyes. These are divided into four main 'seasons' — spring, summer, autumn and winter — and further broken down into subcategories like 'True Summer' or 'Soft Autumn'.
True Summer, I soon learn, means my best shades are 'cool, light, muted, and soft'. Apparently, I look my best in dusty pink, smokey blue, cool mint and aquamarine. Not black. Not orange. Not gold. Basically, half of what I own.
Evgenia tells me I have a 'low-medium contrast,' which means tonal looks, where one color forms the base and similar colors are layered, look 'particularly refined' on me. I should avoid stark contrasts like black and white, and neon is a no-go.
Checking your skin's undertone is more complex than asking 'are your veins blue, green or a mix of both,' she adds, claiming this online hack is simply 'not true.'
"You get it from your parents and it never changes," Evgenia tells. wartamoro.com . "So when you do the color analysis, it's a once in a lifetime investment."
Color analysis is nothing new, with a colleague telling me her mom used to carry small color swatches in her handbag for shopping trips during the 90s. But social media has led to a resurgence among a new generation who want to buy less, but better.
Which brings me to why I signed up
My wardrobe is literally buckling under the weight of so many clothes, and we won't talk about the overspill rail currently taking over my spare bedroom. Yet, I am that cliché woman with "nothing to wear".
Too-small clothes hang next to too-big maternity wear, alongside piles of uninspiring breastfeeding-friendly tops bought in a 3am haze and pre-baby miniskirts that are impossibly impractical with a toddler. Nothing matches, ever. And I've taken to wearing a tiny selection of safe outfits on repeat (Sweaty Betty leggings on parenting days, the same three shirts and wide-leg trousers on office days).
So, I've turned to color analysis. Not because I think it will solve everything, but because I need a system to help me edit this chaos.
For the first time in two years, I am not growing or feeding a tiny human. I'd like a big clear out and to purchase a handful of new bits that make me look and feel good. But, thanks to going part-time and the cost of childcare , I no longer have the disposable income to make the retail mistakes of the past. There's also nothing like nurturing the next generation to make your environmental continence kick in...
The process: part science, part... vibes?
The session begins with natural light, minimal makeup, hair pulled back with a Handmaid's Tale-style bonnet, and a mirror. It is, in a word, humbling.
Evgenia (who, to her credit, is both blunt and warm – like a stylish aunt who's always right) holds up different colored drapes under my chin and observes the effects. I'm soon used to her delivering savage insults and gushing compliments in one breath.
I know you have a kid, you have a newborn, and there's a lot going on in your life, but the orange color doesn't add anything good to your appearance," she says, swapping it for a turquoise shade. "But this makes you look so fresh!
And what is she basing these opinions on?
I'm watching your skin texture, the area under your eyes, your jawline, your lip color," she explains. "There may be some dark spots appearing all of a sudden, or redness appearing. Or your eyes may become very dull.
I thought I was going to come away with easy-to-follow rules, like 'wear blue, don't wear red'. But it turns out it's all about the depth of the blue, the tone of the red. Evgenia says things like 'you see how this green has a strong blue undertone and this one has a strong yellow undertone?' and I nod politely, secretly baffled.
She also makes a few declarations that I flatly disagree with; apparently I look chic in Premier Inn-style purple and a rather depressing greige. But occasionally, when a color really works? Magic. I see it with my own eyes – suddenly I look more awake, even a bit glowy in raspberry.
"You've got beautiful skin," she tells me, more than once. She also raves about how good I look in cool baby pink, gasps at my 'stunning' eyes against green, and uses the word 'elegant' when I try on a grey-blue that I've always thought was boring. Despite being fundamentally judged on my looks, the process ends up being surprisingly affirming.
Evgenia also reassures me it's not about ruling things out – even black. "You're not banned from wearing any colours," she reminds me. "If you love it and feel confident, you'll look good."
But she suggests I might want to consider wearing my favorite autumnal shades on my lower body (i.e. not by my face) or to break them up with an accessory like a scarf to truly optimize the look.
Is color analysis worth it?
Evgenia charges £300 for 2.5 hours of color analysis, which includes hair and makeup advice where your perfect red lipstick is revealed. For full transparency, I enjoyed a complimentary press session and know the upfront cost would have deterred me.
"I can understand that £300 may sound too much, but when you just sum up the cost of all the clothes, the 80% of your clothes that you are not wearing... just the average cost for a top in Zara is £30," says Evgenia.
Although there were a few What is she talking about? During my condensed one-hour masterclass, I have found Evgenia's advice helpful in the six weeks since.
I've realized, for instance, that I never feel good in my coral Oliver Bonas dress, despite it looking gorgeous on the hanger, because it simply isn't my color. And that if I'm short on time while shopping with an impatient 14-month-old, there is little point trying on a mustard yellow dress, no matter the cut. Instead, I head straight for shades that I know will work and go from there.
I've bought a few, limited items to improve my existing wardrobe while I sell a giant pile on Vinted: some vest-tops in Evgenia-approved colors, a cool-pink striped dress from Primark, and a grey-lilac puff-sleeve blouse from M&S (something I previously wouldn't have looked at twice, but has genuinely received so many compliments).
Yes, a professional color analysis session is expensive, but if you can afford it, it does provide a framework to help you regain your fashion confidence.
I no longer feel like I'm dressing in the dark. Now I just wish I had the budget to bring my wardrobe into fabulous, True Summer technicolour.
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