We are delighted to hand over this month's blog post to colour me beautiful consultant, Toni Carver. Toni is talking about her own colouring and how she wears shades from her palette. 
My dominant colouring type under the colour me beautiful tonal system of analysis is ‘soft’.
I have very little contrast between my hair, my skin tone (which is cool) and my eyes are a blue/grey colour. Because I’ve chosen to highlight my hair, I’d describe my overall features as softened and toned down.
When you ‘have your colours done’, you’ll receive a wallet of coloured fabric swatches which are personalised to you. As joyous as it may be, it can also feel slightly overwhelming; especially if there are shades which you’ve not worn before. Or, they wouldn’t have been your first choice. So, like anything new, it’s about understanding how to wear your new colours, so let me explain how I wear my colours together.
If you’re a fellow ‘soft’, our celebrity friends with similar colouring would be Kylie Minogue, Kate Winslet and Jennifer Aniston. They each dress very differently due to their own styling personality but I’m sure you’ll see the similarities in their features.
The shades of colour which compliment my features the most, are colours which are described in a similar way to my features. Think dusty shades, faded by the sun, smoky and muted colours. They will be medium in depth - so not too pale and not too rich and rather mid tone.
Because there’s very little contrast between my physical features, colours worn without the same high contrast will naturally suit me better. Colours which are too contrasting tend to overpower my features and stand out too much for me. They make my dark circles far too obvious and I need to wear a LOT more makeup and a heavy lipstick to compensate which isn’t really ‘me’!
If I had to choose my most favourite colours, I’d have to choose teal, jade and turquoise, blush pink, claret, soft violet and damson.
I tend to wear colours in groups - think greens together such as jade and mint or soft violet and purple. If you have a cool skin tone like me try amethyst and soft violet which look lovely together or combine your blues like eau de nil, sky blue and sapphire together.
Wearing colour in groups is a simple and easy way for anyone to create a tonal effect which compliments ‘softs' perfectly!
I don’t tend to wear patterns that much but when I do, I make sure that I choose something in which the main colours which stand out are softer shades of colour. I find focusing on the background colour is easier as this tends to be the more dominant shade which would have the most impact when I wear it.
If you’re used to brighter or more vibrant shades of colour, the soft palette at first glance might look a bit flat or dull but I respectfully disagree!
It’s all about how to wear them. For example, blush pink with damson can look very striking and provides an instant lift to my mood. Claret and shell looks very classy too.
Alternatively, if you’re shy with your colours and getting started, I find wearing a neutral shade with a colour an easy way to get started. So try charcoal and geranium or chocolate brown with teal. Pewter, stone or taupe can look fabulous as combinations or with pinks too. Try adding a pop of colour such as a top, jewellery, scarf and definitely a lipstick colour - even if it is subtle. I find this lifts whatever I’m wearing, as it defines colour to my face.
Ultimately, it’s about YOU but I hope this inspires you to try out different combinations.
Toni operates her business in and around West Yorkshire & the Humber. You can find out more about Toni and get in touch with her here.