When you decided you were a Summer, did you have anyone helping you? Many of us can’t really be objective about what colors suit us best and having someone else to compare with really helps. I think there was a time when color consultants were not hard to find. Having said that, I know a number of women (and men) who were assigned a season only to find out that it wasn’t correct.

For me, the distinction between Summer and Spring is the hardest to make. How sure are you that you’re a Summer? Was the decision easy to make or did you have trouble choosing between 2? Some women are very difficult. Did you cover your hair when you did the color testing?

I would agree that I can’t think of many Summers with red in their hair. Still, when I read the book, I’m amazed at how broad the verbal descriptions of the 4 seasons are. It sounds like it includes everybody, and then there are always the exceptions. I know Winters that you could say have red in their hair, but there’s not a lot and it’s not orange or gold whatsoever.

Number 1 on my list of things I’d like to know is whether Carole Jackson is still affiliated with the website. The site is such a watered-down version of the book that I wonder if the rights have been sold. Did you actually see her name on the site? I don’t think I ever have, nor any mention of the book, nor any attempt to really teach women how the systems work.

Any help would be lovely.

Thank you,

Debby

Do you find the whole palette actually goes together well? All the colors mix and match surprisingly.
Both in clothes and in makeup, I think a woman (or man) needs to get this figured out. You can call it a season, or a strong/soft warm/cool combination, or gold/peach and rose/red. It doesn’t matter. There’s a certain amount of overlap and forgiveness, but sometimes the color is just plain wrong. Me in icy pink for instance. Very wrong. My winter brother in his pea green shirt – not so great. My children maintain that moldy green is my best color. Trust your kids to tell it like it is and not get too worried about your feelings.

So glad you find Carole’s books as great as I do! They really are your best shopping tool, and they’re just as correct today as they were then. The makeup and clothes we wear are different but the color advice is exact. It is fun to figure it out, and surprisingly difficult on some women. You absolutely do need to do it with a friend or two.
Now I didn’t care for the makeup book as much. The color swatches are smaller and the photography not quite as good, though still illustrates the point. Really, the original CMB book has all your makeup colors in it already. She hit the nail on the head so well in the original book that by the time she did makeup and men’s colors, there was no way to outdo the first version.
Do you find that you now start REALLY noticing what others are wearing? I sure do.

It was more than fun! Carole Jackson is a genius! We stayed up till 2:00 am the first night reading the book and then went shopping at a Coldwater Creek 70% off sale the next day, taking the book with us. I think it’s the first shopping trip I’ve ever been on that I didn’t end up taking something back. BTW, my friend’s a summer, and I’m a spring. I thought I was a summer until we collaborated. I highly recommend doing this with a friend who has a good eye for color. She’s probably already your best shopping buddy.

I just received Carole’s 1987 makeup book, and it’s just as good.

THANK YOU!

Great (and funny) comment. I would have thought black would show milk stains rather than hide them.
I’m sure you don’t ever look horrible. Hey, maybe you’re a winter and black is your color! I wear it myself (I’m an Autumn), just not next to my face.
The book is dated but still great. As Phyl’s comment shows, some women are very very difficult to figure out, at least for me.

@ Phyl,

Now, I’m not a color consultant, but when I try to figure out a woman’s colors, I have to take the hair right out of the equation. Maybe that’s because so many women have hair colored a shade that isn’t quite right and it’s very distracting.
I find actresses with very yellow hair, like Scarlett Johansson or Charlize Theron, Cate Blanchett, well, there’s thousands of them – really hard to sort out.
The website doesn’t hold a candle to the book, IMHO. There’s far more guidance and tips in the book, and gorgeous color charts. Your season never changes no matter what you do to your hair. I’d venture to say that your season is the same for your entire life. And, yes, there is hair color advice in the book but the first thing is to know your season.
Spring vs. summer is the one I find hardest because both have soft coloring so the undertones don’t stand out strongly. You might need to ask a friend for help or compare your skin color to a few of your friends’ ( try using the palm of your hand, it shows up well there).

…Now if you want to talk about looking good, rather than just not looking horrible… Perhaps I should buy this book!