Customer Reviews

Colour Me Younger

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I paid $22 and waited for two months for this book to be delivered, and I was so disappointed when I read it. First, the book is short on substance. In many instances, the author raises a subject and then tells the reader to consult a professional. If I wanted to consult a professional, I wouldn't have purchased the book. Second, the author discusses three characteristics of color, and then she separated what are two polarities of each characteristic and treats it as if it were unrelated to the polarities of the others characteristics. I had great trouble trying to decided whether I was a light or a soft, when I realized that, in a manner similar to color itself, my coloring can be characterized by depth, clarity AND undertone. My coloring is light, warm and soft, but the author does not help me with my colors because she assigns color on the basis of one characteristic only. Third, I purchased the book hoping to find more information on body shape, personal style and color. Didn't find that information in any great depth, either. The one section of the book that I found most helpful was that on appropriate hair styles for various face shapes. This is, in my estimation, the least helpful of the color and style books I have read.

This book is full of great, clear, colorful pictures of real women. If you like books on style, this one is a fun, fast read. It uses the updated Color Me Beautiful system of Light, Clear, Deep, Soft, Warm, etc.

There are sections on hairstyles and color, accessories, clothing personality, and of course, color. The pages and pictures are of high quality. The pictures are of real women, over the age of 35, so it makes it a lot easier to visualize how a particular style would apply to oneself. This is the best Color Me Beautiful type book I own. (I buy just about every new book on color and style, too). I am definitely buying copies of this book for my mother and sister-in-laws when the holidays roll around!

Okay. This book is better than "Reinvent Yourself with Color Me Beautiful." But it's not as good as "Color Me Confident," which is not as good as "Color Me Beautiful's Looking Your Best."

The concept is good - many women don't think to wear lighter and softer colors when they get older; or take into consideration that ALL of us get thicker around the middle as our hormones change; or realize that grey hair can be wonderfully chic with a modern cut, but horribly aging if it's just hanging there, limp and style-free or, worse, up in a little old lady bun.

The follow-though isn't always up to par, though. Some things I find bothersome:

The author seems a little confused about what constitutes "bright" eyes and what constitutes "soft" eyes.

For instance, she uses the example of Barbra Streisand on page 11. Barbra is, and always has been, a "Soft." Her eyes used to be brightER, but compare her to a young Elizabeth Taylor (the most obvious "Clear" in history) and the eyes don't seem so bright. Plus, her skin is neutral (not porcelain as it would have to be for her to be a "Clear") and her hair has always had lots of natural highlights (a sure sign of a "Soft").

On page 46, she uses a lady with soft hazel eyes as an example of a "Clear." From a distance she looks okay. The aqua and Chinese blue look terrific with her fair skin. Then you look closer and her eyes look kind of overwhelmed. It looks to me like she dyed her hair too dark and they went into a trance and thought, "Contrast. Therefore she is a 'Clear'." But then check out her photo on page 98. She's in a clear warm red, which is too strong and too warm for her. So all you see is dyed hair and bags under her blue-lined soft eyes and a white line around her fuchsia-painted lips. Her eyes are almost the same color as the "Soft Autumn" lady next to her (who looks wonderful, by the way), just a cooler shade of hazel. I think she's a "Soft Summer."

Yes, Twiggy has "soft" coloring, but the softness is secondary - the most obvious aspect of her coloring is the "lightness." She's a "Light."

The "Cool" hair color list is incomplete, implying that all Cool Summers are blonde or grey and all Cool Winters have black hair. Ash browns of all shades should also be in the list. Winters can have medium to dark ash brown hair, as well as black, and still be "Cool" if they have cool brown eyes and their skin is also cool. Cool Summers can have light to medium ash brown hair. I notice this as a Cool Summer with medium ash brown hair. You'd think the Queen (also a Cool Summer) would speak out about this. ;o)

The "contouring" makeup on page 74. Oy. Contouring really only works for black and white photography. Anything else, just looks like a dirty face. It doesn't slim your nose, it just makes it more noticeable. I mean, if someone has brown stuff down the sides of their nose, you're going to wonder why and when you finally realize they're trying to make their nose look smaller, it's going to strike you that they have a big nose and they're trying to hide it, and isn't that silly of them? And shading under your chin doesn't "minimize the appearance of a double chin." It just makes it more obvious that you're trying to hide a double chin.

When you know your season, you can have a pretty good idea ahead of time what is likely to happen with your coloring as you age. We all soften some. And we cool down. Here's what I see:

Deep:

Deep Winters frequently become Cool Winters.

Deep Autumns get softer, but are still Deep Autumn.

Light:

Light Springs soften and become more like Light Summers.

Light Summers stay Light Summers.

Cool:

Cool Winters stay Cool Winters (although most of them start out as Deep Winters in the first place).

Cool Summers stay Cool Summers.

Warm:

Warm Springs move toward Light Spring

Warm Autumns frequently become Soft Autumn.

Clear:

Clear Winters either stay Clear or move in the direction of Cool Summer when their eyes lighten.

Clear Springs move toward Light Spring when their hair greys.

Soft:

Soft Summer usually stays Soft, but might move more toward the Cool Summer.

Soft Autumn moves toward the Soft Summer.

Now that I've written a tome on "Color Me Younger," I will say that the very best book to read and follow for looking better as you get older is "Staging Your Comeback" by Christopher Hopkins. Although he also tries "contouring," he's considerably more adept at it.