Color Me Confident: Change Your Look - Change Your Life!

by Veronique Henderson, Pat Henshaw

The first book from the Color Me Beautiful team-created more than 25 years ago-still continues to sell well, and the world's leading image consultancy is back with an updated look at fashion and cosmetics.



Millions of people have used this internationally recognized system to look and feel better. Think of it as feng shui for the body, a way of using color to make yourself sparkle from head to toe and glow from within. And now the Color Me Beautiful organization presents brand-new, totally contemporary strategies in an easy-to-follow and lushly illustrated volume. Guided by questionnaires, photos and palettes, and boxed pointers, anyone can do a color analysis and figure out what shades work best with her skin, hair, and eye tones. Confidence-building plans feature ideal outfits for any shape; tricks for adapting your wardrobe to different lifestyles; and ideas for developing a stylish, original approach to dress. Plus, there's makeup and accessory advice for that perfect finishing touch.

Genres: Nonfiction, Fashion, How To, Reference, Self Help

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I came upon this book at the library while browsing for sewing books and decided to check it out because I have friends who use this system and love it. Now, I have to say, I began with a bias. My natural inclination is to believe that if you like a color, you should be happy wearing it.

This is an update on the Color Me Beautiful system, which used to assign everyone into one of four color groups, named for season. Now it has been expanded to eight groups, not named after seasons. I'm willing to give this my best effort, so when on page 32 I see that all people whose hair has red tones should turn to page 58, I do just that.

Page 58 declares me to be "warm." Page 59 tells me not to wear baby pink, one of my favorite colors. Pages 60 and 61 give me a color palette that includes apricot, stone, and taupe, which all make me look/feel washed out, blah, and sad.

Pages 62 and 66 attempt to further classify me as either "warm and soft" or "warm and clear." The test is to see whether I look better in peach or pumpkin and moss or olive. I already know the answers: pumpkin and moss. This helps not at all, because one is soft, the other clear.

I'm still upset over the no baby pink rule, as pink t-shirts in summer are my happiest choices. Also, they say I should not wear black, which I do often. Also grey. Either this system is flawed or I look much worse than I think.

I decide to move on to the next section of the book. This section is about body shapes, and here I easily identify my "full hourglass" figure, which is basically a chubby hourglass. All the advice here is very similar to the What Not to Wear books, which I find to be sensible. (The books are by the British ladies, not the American duo.)

The final section - finding your style - starts with a quiz. I love style quizzes! Ten questions, six possible style categories. Five of my responses fall into one category. Yes! Consensus! This should be good! According the quiz, my style is "natural." This sounds like it might fit until I turn to page 152 and read that "Trousers worn with flat shoes are your preferred option for maximum comfort and practicality," and, "You have many interests but reading fashion magazines is not one of them."

Truth: I don't really like trousers or jeans and I love looking at fashion mags. I don't buy, but I look. Give me Vogue over Newsweek any day. They totally lose me when they suggest I wear a tunic over pants for an evening out. Pants! When I could be wearing something pretty and girlie? Never.

The quiz is fatally flawed because three of the questions are about hair, make-up, and accessories. I am minimalist about all three, but that does not mean I want to go about in earth toned loose fitting clothing day after day. Working in the garden, yes, but out to lunch? No way.

So, they got one out of three sections right for me. One was totally off, and one may or may not be correct, but I am not giving up my pink tees in favor of peach.

[Livvy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fine I guess but the whole concept feels a bit racist considering there was only one category at really fit anyone who isn't white. And I think I do not fit in the target age bracket because most examples where heavily conservative in terms of coverage and advice by age had a minimum of 30. But the very obviously 2000s-ness of the pictures was funny. Looks like sims 2.

[Dani Ta · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is not too old to read. It includes all the basic knowledge about fashion. It helps me some ideas to refresh my style and do smart shopping. The advice is very useful to understand my style, body shape, colors which suit my skin... You also can find some tips to arrange your wardrobe. It's a great book to start learning more about fashion.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful in knowing your colors, body type, face shape, and how to dress nice to suit you.

[Nur Wulan Nugrahani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good way to start when I am in decluttering mode on 💃

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Remember all that seasonal color stuff you might have heard at one time? It's still out there and relevant. This is a useful reference for anyone who would like to look their best. We have so many choices when it comes to picking the color of our clothes. This makes it a little easier for me at least.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not even close to all of the other fashion-y books out there...very basic tips and I don't know if I necessarily agree with the color selections. I like Trinny & Susannah or Stacy and Clinton 10X better. This would be a better choice for someone looking to re-invent herself, but who knows very little about fashion as this will teach her SOME of the basics.

[Hannah Shaffer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Believe it or not, my four year old daughter checked this out of the library. I thought I would look through it and ended up finding out that my personal coloring has changed in the two years. I would use this book as a guide line but not a strict law. Body shapes, face shapes, make up, and wearing black are all addressed. It’s like a book of the art of dress up.

[Deirdre · Rating 4 out of 5]

reminds me to break out the colours from before and to weed those clothes out of my wardrobe that don't flatter.

There is one top in my wardrobe that I need to find more of it's colour, every time I wear it I get compliments.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I found it had some good information and tips not just for colour but also for accentuating positive aspects of your body shape, choosing accessories, etc.

[Carole · Rating 3 out of 5]

oh, the fashionista in me really is coming out now!!!!!

[Lesa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fashion self-help

[Serena Yates · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I did originally buy and use this book to have a quick peek at my own "type", I now mostly use it to decide what clothing the female characters in my books should wear - either on-type if they are fashion-conscious, or off-type if they are a bit clueless. In either case, Colour Me Confident has proven to be a valuable source of information, ideas, and creative tips for character design in my novels.