Have you ever thought about how lucky we are that the world we live in is one made up of so many different colors? And all these colors symbolize so many different kinds of things — like signals, feelings and thoughts. Among the oldest concepts of color in history is its use for visual enhancement, but beyond that is its fascinating effects on the mind.
I’m sure, by now, that most of us have seen those viral color analysis sessions on social media and made a mental note to try it in Korea or Japan. Imagine my pleasant surprise when Cebu’s first color analysis studio, True Hue Cebu, opened a few weeks ago. Instead of having to fly out to do it, I got to experience it from the comfort of home — and here’s what happened.
Stepping into the crisp white studio, I was met by certified color consultant, Cara Durano, who had studied the course and got certified by experts in Japan. During the personal color consultation session, she took the time to discuss the color theory concept and personal image with me. It honestly felt like I was going through a crash course on the theory and how I could apply it to my personal image instead of just the draping, which was great because I ended up learning a lot.
The whole session took around two hours and was divided into five parts — Color Theory 101, skin tone test, draping, makeup analysis and image consulting. By the end of the session, I had learned that I had a neutral-leaning-warm hue, light value and medium saturation. My season was light spring, with summer as my second season. All of this basically meant that my best colors were light, warm and clear. Warmer colors gave me a healthier complexion while dusty colors made me ashy.
During the draping part, I could see what certain colors did to my complexion right before my very eyes. It was interesting to realize why I had never liked the way certain colors looked on me — like brown, somehow I could never pull off that color. Beyond just the clothing color palette and season, the comprehensive session even covered jewelry color and finish, makeup (blush, foundation and lipstick) color and finish, nail polish shades, hair color and even wardrobe combinations.
Overall, the color consultation was more enriching than I had imagined a color analysis session to be. I was inspired by Cara herself and the journey of how she became a personal color consultant.
“After I had my daughter, there were a lot of internal struggles I had to go through. When I healed from that and reached a point where I was content, I started to look at myself externally and wanted to translate what I was feeling inside on the outside,” Cara said as she explained that during her journey into beauty, she also had a color consultation done in Korea but was left still feeling confused after the session.
Thus, she had designed her sessions to equip clients with as much information as possible so that they could apply what they learned to enhance their appearance through everyday decisions like makeup, hair color and wardrobe choices. By finding your true hues, you could be your true you.
Color has presence. Color has power. It can attract, enhance, elicit and express. It can change people’s perceptions and leave an impression. It’s so embedded in our nature that the usual questions people tend to ask when getting to know someone is: “What is your favorite color?”
Mine is a light teal or aqua. Thank goodness it’s in the light spring palette.