Have you ever been drawn to a particular hair color, hair style, makeup look or outfit that a celebrity or someone you saw had and you then proceeded to replicate?
Before you run off to your hair colorist, hair stylist or nearest shopping mall ask yourself, "Will this hair color/hair style/makeup look/outfit project the ultimate me?"
It is very likely that what is attracting you to that specific look is the coloring and style is aligned to the person wearing it. That results in them projecting, beautifully, their best and most authentic energy. However, you are TWO unique individuals who likely have different colorings, styles, and image goals.
To illustrate, I am a fan of Sarah Jessica Parker's character, Carrie Bradshaw, on Sex and the City and have been a fan for years. Before I became an image consultant and knew what my optimal color and style was, I went to a hair colorist and had Sarah Jessica Parker's blonde highlights and base hair color replicated on my own hair. When I look back at pictures of myself when I had that hair coloring, I now realize I looked dull, older and unbalanced. Quite frankly, the hair color was too overwhelming for me - you couldn't see me behind my hair!
Now that I am an Image Consultant who specializes in color (particularly hair color), I know that my coloring is not even close to Sarah Jessica Parker's and that is why her hair color did not and will never work for me. To this day I still watch episodes of Sex and the City and am drawn to Carrie's hair coloring, but remind myself of the disaster when the hair coloring was applied to me.
It is extremely common for my image and hair color clients to show me pictures of celebrities and ask what I think of a particular look, hair color etc. on them. If it is not a particular look or color that is suited to them, I always share the above personal hair color experience.
The next time you see a hair color, hair style, makeup look or outfit that you are drawn to, ask yourself why you are drawn to it? Will it give off your best energy? Perhaps remind yourself of my Sarah Jessica Parker hair color disaster above.
If you don't know your optimal color palette or style options, I encourage you to sit back and think these through. You may want to reference my '5 Steps To Cure A Style Rut Forever' post for some steps and ideas to reveal your optimal color and style OR engage an image consultant and/or hair colorist/stylist who specializes in color analysis.
There is no time like the present to give off your best energy and inspire someone else to do the same when they see you.
I hope this article inspires you to wear your authenticity!
Carol Brailey is an Image Consultant based in Toronto, Canada. More of her color and style blogs can be found at carolbrailey.com and virtualcoloranalysis.com. Carol is a member of the Studio Fontana team located in the Fashion District of downtown Toronto.