Blending in, Showing up, and Showing Off

[@ChristineScaman]

Hi, everyone 🙂 This is a re-upload of version 1 of this video. From comments to that version, viewers wondered about the colour of the pink pants in images 1 and 4. Yes to the person who thought the colour looked like Light Summer (I was trying to stay on the light side of BSp and on my screen, the LSu colours faded next to the jeans, but you may have been right or they were a darker Light Spring colour). Yes to the person who asked if lighting makes a difference in how colours appear (yes, and so do monitors and our various palettes, and other factors too). In the interest of not confusing anyone, I've changed the pants to a brighter colour, hoping it's more recognizable as BSp? The selection is limited but I think these work. If the other pair was better for understanding the ideas, please don't hesitate to say :) I apologize for the original comments being lost with the upload of version 2 so please feel free to post again, I love hearing your thoughts and answering your questions! Sincere thanks and appreciation for taking the time and helping me be better! ❤🌻

[@Spikypotato.]

You are so kind Christine❤😊

[@ktdbr]

@@ChristineScaman thank you Christine, I felt so validated by your re-upload (I’m the person who wondered if they were Light Summer). This is what I respect so much about you, you have a mind of an explorer, of a scientist, you never claim to be right and give others their freedom to look at things differently. This openness is one of my core values too and I strive to be like that and practice this kind of mindset. To me you’re an expert, almost like a model of an analyst from Sevres ;), and I value your opinion so much. I felt honoured that you acknowledged my remark.

[@ChristineScaman]

Thanks so much. I'm like you, this mindset was a choice. It came easily but also needed practice. We both knew we didn't want the dogmatic single way of being 'right' and realized that all the roads to 'right' are more meaningful and inclusive than some kind of 'right' declaration that's relative at best. . One of my mantras is, always move towards the most learning. I entirely agreed with and respected your call on the first pink pants. Whichever Season they may be, they didn't make the point clearly for viewers. I admire the person who steps out of the crowd and asks. The video is better for your comment.

[@ma.3934]

As a man, thank you so much for featuring men in your videos! As a bright winter I struggle a lot with the drab colors found in most men's clothing. I've often worn dark winter colors because those are perhaps the most commonly available winter colors in men's clothing, but now I realize how heavy they can look on me in large amounts. Navy and burgundy are "smart" men's colors but are very draining on me. Its been difficult to get used to wearing the "outlandish" bright colors but they actually look so normal on me! I like that you mentioned the effect on hair color, because my hair becomes a vivid jet black when I wear colors like bright acid yellow.

[@ChristineScaman]

Great observations about the influence of colours on your own appearance. Neutrals for Winters may be in the realm of white, gray, and black, but once they add a colour, the effect is as if they've been plugged them into a power source and they come to life. Never too late to reject the culture or beliefs we were born into :)

[@reettaelina]

I am bright winter woman and can relate. I have luckily used always black but deep colors feels to me easier to use than adding brights. But I love colors.

[@ChristineScaman]

In any Season, I imagine that if each person were asked their wardrobe preferences, the answers would be surprisingly different. What they have in common, and it sounds as though you belong in that group, is that understanding their colours opened a door to continue growing in a beneficial direction :)

[@sandimcdougall2909]

I loved seeing the photo of you 17 years ago as I think I was on the same path you were. You went from warm to cool just as you suggested I do. Thank you for the video and I look forward to the Neutral one that you said would be coming.

[@ChristineScaman]

Yes, we were on similar paths. From all the warm and muted makeup in the world, much more of it than there are people who wear it well, I'd guess that many people are on the same path.

[@ktdbr]

Such an interesting remark about Winter-influenced seasons’ neutrals. I didn’t know that. I always learn so much from your videos.

[@ChristineScaman]

I'm not a colour theorist and what said may not be true, but it's how it looks to me. I've looked up the reason a few times from a theory perspective but have never found an answer. An artist might know. The idea follows through into practice because those are the combinations that look 'right'.

[@smason9540]

Love the old photos. The one with all the makeup looks like you are making a huge effort, but your look now is much simpler and more powerful. Very interesting.

[@ChristineScaman]

Many thanks for your comment :) I should have kept more of the old images. I read a post recently about women over 50 not feeling (or being) seen and I wonder if this is situation is one of the reasons. Me in beige is what I think of as 'puffed in the face with flour'. Less face, impression of less person. I see the same effect with young people and the colours they wear but I think they value visibility differently than women my age. Happens with men as well although appearance plays a different role in their self-perception. Speaking only for myself, who I see in the mirror and who I am tell myself I am are connected, and presence and power (meaning effective rather than competitive) are certainly part of it. Still here, still kicking, you know?

[@Teenitesy]

In your pre-color analysis, it’s tough to see your facial features, but in Dark Winter, you look SO much more three dimensional!

[@ChristineScaman]

I agree, there's a lot more person!

[@jjjjk1241]

Hi, Christine! Thank you for making yourself vulnerable. I appreciate seeing how you've changed and grown! Also thanks for sharing that TED talk. I hope others enjoy it, too! I hope it's not weird to post on here about older posts, but I'm assuming you wouldn't see responses to the podcasts from years ago if I commented there. I'm really enjoying them, and you and Jorunn are so cute with your banter! Anyway, I was listening to the one where you said you have nothing on your walls. That helped me so much! I recently had my house painted, and the pictures have not made it back onto the walls. I've been feeling guilty about it but when I really think on it, frankly, I don't want to mess with it! It'll just be stuff to dust that I can't reach! So thanks for giving me "permission" to leave my walls bare! Also about bronzer, as a Light Summer, most bronzers just make me look like I smeared barn dirt on my face. So I've been wearing two blushes, a darker or more shadowy one below the cheekbones (such as a purply mauve) and a more colorful one (like baby pink) up above. In one of the episodes, you mentioned that wearing two blushes looks good on Light Summers, and I do love it!

[@ChristineScaman]

I'm glad you enjoyed the video :) I wish I'd kept more of my early pictures, it's amazing to see that person from this distance and know what was happening on the inside compared with who she is now. You're quite right to post here about the podcast, it was fun to spend time with Jorunn and I miss that but I was under a lot of time pressure last year and had to resolve a few other things. I do have a few pictures on my walls these days (partly because the ceilings are so high that the proportions of the space were odd), only in the living area and a hallway. The other walls, still bare and staying that way. Yes to not loving stuff to dust that we have to climb to reach. The two blushes sound lovely. A touch of highlight on LSu can be so lovely and your gradient is a beautiful adaptation.

[@Houseofgamine]

I wish you had so many more subscribers, you are truly doing what you were meant to do. Your beautiful explanation of color, style, authenticity is breathtaking

[@ChristineScaman]

You're very kind, thank you. Some people find what they were meant to do from the beginning, while others (like me) work their way to it. I agree that somehow, these videos bring me a step closer :)

[@kaitlinoconnell517]

I love your videos so much. thank you!

[@ChristineScaman]

I'm so glad! Thank you for being here :)

[@cracksofamber]

Thank you for another wonderful video! It really is a journey to learn how to see colour. I enjoyed the analysis on Ryan Reynolds too, I agree that men are more limited by colourful clothing options sadly. Hard for me to work out my partner's season when I've hardly seen him in many colours 😅

[@ChristineScaman]

Glad you enjoyed it. It's really true that men are so great because they appear without hair colour and makeup but their clothing colour choices can be so limited or too costume.

[@Adhara740]

Ok I thought I was losing it for a second with the reload lol. Having your right colors does make someone appear more present.

[@ChristineScaman]

I'm sorry for the confusion and SO appreciate that viewers share their honest reactions. Folks often hold back for many reasons, but I hope they don't with me :)

[@leee1685]

You are amazing! I really appreciate your thoroughness in all your analyses, which is very insightful. I've been absolutely obessioned with color and have been studying and experimenting with it for years through art and fashion. I am also enby and really appreciate the inclusion of men and masc fashion in this! So very helpful, thank you.

[@ChristineScaman]

You're most welcome, I appreciate your kind words and that you took the time to share your thoughts :)

[@carlywelsh7919]

I absolutely love your videos, you have such a wonderful poetic way of speaking about colours ❤ I must admit some of this made perfect sense and then confused me all at the same time! I think we naturally want to find an exact match in our palette, but then I felt you were saying we shouldn’t necessarily do that as it might make us blend in? But then I got that you were saying stand back and see if it looks good with the whole palette as some colours are shared… have I got that right 😅 I loved seeing your before photos, they perfectly fit with this video and I agree that you look so beautifully yourself now

[@ChristineScaman]

So glad you've been enjoying the videos, thank you. I agree that it seems logical to find the exact matches to the palette, but there are a few reasons why that exact match may not be the one we think. I talk about the reasons more in the recent videos about Choosing Neutrals, Parts 1 (Cool) and 2 (Warm). The palette is essential for the Season overview and seeing how the colours work together, but for any palette, you could find a similar swatch in other palettes. They're different but the balance within the palette can make them look the same (meaning switch the colour into another palette and you'd see the difference). I find this more true with neutrals because they have less pigment to begin with. At times, a neutral can be quite similar to skin or hair colour and it's hard to know if we're blending or being defined, which can be great in eyeshadow whereas with clothing, adding other colours helps distinguish the person from what they're wearing. In the thumbnail for the video, the jacket where I blend in may be Soft Autumn but there are similar versions in Dark Winter. With the striped shirt, I separate better from the clothing and appear more present.

[@darlamerrill8052]

Wow, cant get over that beautiful third 1🎉😊

[@ChristineScaman]

Thanks so much 😊 You mean the third LSp image? I so agree. It's amazing when all the colours come to the party, especially for a Spring. And then it goes up another level when a Spring person wears them.

[@deboraheb1]

Wonderful video! I really learn so much from you… many thanks

[@ChristineScaman]

So nice of you, you're most welcome!

[@marys1328]

Wow, my mind got squeezed and prodded in this one but I feel like I saw just a little better what you are seeing and saying with the blending and blending of colors! It was beautifully done and I feel like your videos are truly helping me see color better and I’m so grateful, thank you! This is a lot of food for thought and tomorrow I might be trying to swatch myself for the hundredth time to see if I can tell these subtle differences. I feel like I know my pallet but sometimes I get a lighter color on in the pallet and I feel a little washed out or drained. But how many colors would I have left if I only stuck to “medium dark/light” colors in the family? Hmm, I would really love to get the perception of the “powdery” reaction down, because sometimes I can’t tell if I’m seeing the powder look or just a smoothing and younger reaction the colors make… I love your time and talent, thank you for these videos!

[@ChristineScaman]

Glad you enjoy the videos and that each one gives you a new way of seeing colour and people. Analyzing ourselves and the people we know is the hardest of all. Your lighter colours may be just fine in the total impression of you. They may not define features as well as darker shades but they illuminate the complexion and lighten shadows, which can be a good thing.

[@terhif.1980]

Great video! I really understood what to look for now, shopping and also seeing what I have in my closet. This was really helpful!

[@ChristineScaman]

You're so welcome! I'm glad it answered your question about blending vs. matching.

[@terhif.1980]

@@ChristineScamanI can’t believe you remembered me and my question! ❤ 😊

[@ChristineScaman]

It was a terrific question and I truly appreciate that you took the time to ask :)

[@claudiaadwoamuller9152]

phenomenal video, thank you!

[@ChristineScaman]

Glad you liked it!

[@moscarid]

Love your videos

[@ChristineScaman]

Thank you, happy you're here :)

[@hlp-1798]

Thank you for all your videos. Your voice relaxes me after a stressful day! I am a true/soft summer. Do you have any tips for finding the right belts and shoes to complete our look? Also, I find that my cool rose eyeshadow palettes end up orange by early afternoon. Do other people struggle with this as well? Thank you! 😊

[@ChristineScaman]

You're most welcome for the videos, along with the added bonus of relaxation :) Colour is a supportive flow to be part of. For belts, it might depend on the outfit pumice stone, rose, soft burgundy, soft pine, Atlantic blue...any colour in the palette would work well. Summers are lighter colour groups, and I love to see lighter colours in outfits or entire outfits that are not dark, even from the palette. Belts and shoes can often be dark in stores but I'd include some of the lighter choices, as well as several actual colours since these shades can't help but be graceful and sophisticated. About the eyeshadow, I'm not sure if it's a colour or formulation issue. You could try mixing with a soft, cool gray or choosing a darker colour, which may have fewer warm tones. I haven't heard anyone describe this experience with cosmetics (they do with hair dye), although it may be an extension of a cosmetic appearing warmer on application than it did in the pan, which usually means it's too warm for the skin tones.

[@hlp-1798]

@@ChristineScaman I started using cool grays and darker taupe colors for my eyeshadow and seemed to fix the problem! Thank you so much!!

[@ChristineScaman]

Glad I could help and it was an easy fix!

[@ready4reiki]

I might have missed a major part of this. What are the garments? What are they from? Meaning are they let’s say spring with spring on top? I don’t understand. I’m obviously missing something. If it is spring with spring on top and you can’t see it doesn’t that mean it’s an identical match to the color swatch? Oh how I wish I could understand that major missing information for me. Haha please help and I will rewatch.

[@ChristineScaman]

You're asking great questions that I'm sure many people have. With the videos, I appreciate the sensation of being dropped into the middle of a big and interesting world, but no map for where to begin. Each of the videos could be a course on its own. To answer your questions, the garments (clothing examples) come from a website called URStyle. You'll find links for each of the images in the Description Box below the video. Which Season the items represent depends on which panel you're wondering about. If you mean the turquoise sweater at the beginning and the coral jeans next, the idea is that we don't know their Season. We're pretending to be shopping, we see the sweater or the jeans, and think it might work well with our Season. Then, we compare two Seasons (TSu and LSu for the sweater, LSp and BSp for the jeans) and work through whether the garment. might work well in our closet. If the swatch blends so perfectly into the garment that it looks exactly the same, that could be a good sign, but how we see colour is so influenced by surrounding colours that the more comparisons we see, the more information we have, and the better decision we'll make. If we only look at the palette swatches that we think 'match' the garment, we'd have less information and may make a less informed or confident decision about buying the item for our closet. If we look at the garment with several colours in our palette or items in our closet, we raise the odds of making a great choice. I hope this helps. Please keep asking questions!

[@fb2500]

Hi Christine ! I have a question about what effect to look for when trying on colours. I've always thought im a summer and now i'm curious about my subgroup. I've tried to drape at home with fabrics that i've found, and my question is: i have very light skin, and medium dark ash blond hair, darker grey blue eyes. When i was only looking for the colors effect on my skin; i liked the pale light colours which i felt illuminated my skin, whilst the darker ones drained it a bit. But when i look to the overall effect and try to analyse (as you often mentioned) what colours would "grow on the same tree" as me, then dusty, muted and slightly darker colours were better because my eyes and hair are deeper and it feels more harmonious. So curious of what you would advise me ! :)

[@ChristineScaman]

You've gathered a lot of good observations on your own, you seem good at noticing specific features and changes. I'm really not sure what to suggest next in terms to taking this further on your own. The bigger part of the colour analysis iceberg is under the water and this is the part that's hard to folks to recreate or interpret on their own. Like you can only get so far at the drugstore and well-meaning suggestions can sometimes send you in the wrong direction without knowing it. Your descriptions could sound right for any Summer, as you say, but I'm not able to separate them from there except to agree with your observations.

[@fb2500]

@@ChristineScaman thank you so much for your answer! In that case, would you have any recommendations of color analysts in France ? If i would want to take it further than my own observations :)

[@ChristineScaman]

Happy to help if I can. The only directories I'm familiar with are on my website (under Colour Analysis) and at Chrysalis Colour (link in Desc. box). I hope you can find a nearby resource :)

[@fb2500]

Thank you ❤

[@ebtesamel-sayed]

I have a question If: - saturated colors ( that you describe it as acrylic colors) work best on me - nudes, dusty And pastel colors wash me out. - off-white is better than white on me. - black is the worst color on me. - only medium to dark warm colors look good on me - light colors either warm or cool make me look sick and wash out my features. - the only light colors i tried that look good on me is off-white - i have high contrast features Is that can mean that I can be dark autumn?

[@ChristineScaman]

Yes, DA is a possible. Your observations are well organized and the one I wondered about was black being the worst colour. I'm not sure of your criteria for deciding when a colour looks good or not, but that's not one I hear a lot from DA clients before their analysis.They may be perceptive as you are and know that black needs some managing but they don't normally say it's worst.

[@FinnPoodle]

Hi Christine! My dog is a soft autumn type of coloring (chocolate&nougat) and I'm a true spring. How could this be combined so that both of us would look our best in a dog show? Main thing is to not distract the judges attention from the dog and make the dog look good, but the SA colors make me look so out of place... Any suggestions? Thank you so much for all of the amazing videos!!

[@ChristineScaman]

I had to think about this one and decided it might be like group events or family photographs, thinking in terms of what the Seasons have in common. Both are on the warm side and relatively light. Neutral tones also have overlaps in green grays and mid-darkness brown. My own opinion, I find yellow beautiful with warm colouring. If you went with a lighter, peachy yellow or ivory for your upper half and honey brown in the lower half, your legs wouldn't distract from the beauty of the dog's colours and you'd look like a beautiful team.

[@FinnPoodle]

Thank you, that seems like a good solution! 😊♥️