Colour Analyst Reacts to Gillian Anderson's Hair Colour Evolution

[@eliali6484]

I think she is a Soft Summer with neutral undertone. That's why some of the red color suits her so well, but not the orange red (I had the same struggle with the henna on my hair). I love her with white hair and muted blue color clothes on the recent pictures - it's so her!

[@ChristineScaman]

That's a good call, I could definitely see what you see and agree about some red tones but not orange red. Gillian has a moderate kind of drama and the white hair is a clean look, though she wears softness to a point as well too. Great insight, thank you!

[@wendyhouses]

As far as colour seasons, Gillian looks like a Soft Autumn to me, but she appears to be fluctuating mostly between True Autumn and Bright Spring in her choice of hair and clothing colours. I agree #8 is one of her best, which looks the closest to her original colour in #1 in my opinion. I think she would look wonderful wearing more soft, muted colours like French blue or moss green rather than bright tomato red.

[@ChristineScaman]

A Soft Season is a high possibility, I agree. I'm guessing that one of the biggest concepts that folks are not aware of is how our own colours become colourful when we wear them they bring out so much energy in one another. It's a hard concept to describe with words...put a Soft blue under a Soft Season face and it becomes beautifully, perfectly blue, with no need to be more blue. Same with red, green, it's as if they become even more of what they are, and so do we. #8 was good for the colour of the highlight but the upper half colour was darkish. #14 was good for a lighter base colour, wish the highlight were less blonde and more warm brown or soft gingery.

[@lindamcallister4115]

@@ChristineScaman Happy New Year Christine ! and thank you again for such insightful videos.I agree with the above comment , for what it's worth, ( mine) :), that Gillian looks like a Soft Autumn. You quiet comments, go gently and casually given, are packed with insight and so very helpful. These sort/style of videos can wonderfully be applied to ourselves. When I saw Gillian in black, I reacted in horror, thinking as a SA myself is that what I look like when I ( gasp on rare occaisions) wear Black! I think I need to again purge my closet. OMG what a dreadful look. Gillian is so uniquely beautiful is the Soft warm colours , I think she needs to find a stylist who will stick to those colours. imho. :) Anyway thanks again for being you, and such a gift to us all.

[@lindamcallister4115]

oh so sorry for the awful typos. My nails are too long and interfere with correct spelling! :)

[@ChristineScaman]

Lovely to see you here :) I do think Gillian is a Soft of some sort, either type seems better than Winter. Thank you for mentioning that this style of video can be applied to ourselves, I appreciate it. Having someone in mind who reacts to colour as we do can be quite helpful in the moment and also for shopping decisions, like an imaginary mannequin standing there in front of us.

[@loosilu]

I can see why you would say Gillian is a Soft Autumn. That being said, she often wears shades of blue, and while they might not be the best shades, they look stunning on her. However, I don't think I've seen her in muted colors!

[@lnnenls439]

I Love Gillian in her x-file red hair, such like in picture 4. Though I have seen nicer pictures of her in that kind of bright red hair. I think she looks better in blond hair (as for example in picture no 6 and 13) then in brown hair (like in picture no 5 and 8. But no 5 looks worse). I like her in the colors she wears on the clothes in picture s 10 and 13. I see her as a clear spring

[@ChristineScaman]

I agree with you that brown isn't as interesting, depending on the brown, of course. I like dark blonde with a few ginger tones, kind of a blended colour look rather than any single colour, and around medium dark. Hard to say about Season, but if she were not a Bright Spring, I could imagine her Season having some similarities in colour dimensions :)

[@sheri6089]

I think my favorite hair colors on her (unfortunately one color so somewhat flat tho') were the ones (there were a couple, I think) where she had colored it soft red-but NOT metallic. They were also not too light and she didn't seem to veer too much from "natural" (for Hollywood) makeup.

[@ChristineScaman]

Yes, I thought the same. Some colours were very good but I didn't see a colour that felt like her perfect or ultimate shade.

[@serenitysolace953]

I loved this one Christine - really interesting! I'd love to see one on Katy Perry with all her crazy and unnatural hair colours over the years.

[@ChristineScaman]

A great idea, thank you!

[@sheri6089]

Self knowledge and self acceptance - so ultimately important! Self love....not so much. I so love hearing this from someone in this current culture and not from hundreds of years ago. It is so very right on (and dare I say, wise).

[@ChristineScaman]

Thank you :) As intimidating as it can be to go against popular culture, particularly if it's popular in the US perhaps, once we tell the truth about our feelings, other voices chime in to recognize our reaction, even if they have their own version. Sayings like Be Authentic. come along that feel refreshingly real and do move us forward. Then one day, they seem to turn a corner and impose a certain guilt that we're not meeting this new standard. Maybe it's because too many answers were expected from this one place, while any one of us would only find a specific or very personal meaning in the words.

[@hideoussails1783]

The problem with old photographs is sometimes they're yellowed

[@ChristineScaman]

So true and the older they are, the more it may affect the picture.

[@daniyyel1317]

I just absolutely love #2, her natural colouring and hair are just phenomenal x

[@ChristineScaman]

I so agree. The woman is so beautiful and she has some unique tones in her own hair colour. The soft quality and variety of the colours in the skin, hair, and eyes combined with her remarkable bone structure is captivating.

[@lisaanderson7433]

I agree that she looks better with the darker hair but not the one tone like you mentioned. She has amazing bone structure and is so beautiful. It’s unfortunate they play with women’s looks/hair color more so with actresses than men. I agree , she just gets lost and becomes everyone else when dyed certain colors. Interesting analysis! As always, love your videos.

[@ChristineScaman]

I'm with you, I find her colouring in the medium-dark range, medium warmth too, probably part of how she can change identity in her various roles so well. Too much dark or cool are not ideal, and both together is a challenge. Same as too much light or warm are too much, and more so when it's both.

[@sandimcdougall2909]

Again another amazing video. Thank you Christine. We learn so much from you.

[@ChristineScaman]

You are so welcome! It means a lot to know that viewers can learn from this format.

[@kathysarmiento4652]

I liked Look #9. I like that she keeps changing her look!

[@rainluna9765]

9:04 red hair like Gillian's hair in that picture is a common natural colour for people in England.

[@ChristineScaman]

Interesting. We have a lot of Irish and Scottish ancestry where I live and the many versions of red hair are amazing, and more so with the skin tone and eye colour combinations.

[@rainluna9765]

@@ChristineScaman Yes, sounds like many red hair people where you live. It's not as rare as people think.

[@BasedTexans]

I liked the red hair the most at the beginning. I think everyone likes the X-FILES Gillian. I wish we could have seen her in a copper ombre.

[@ChristineScaman]

A natural colour, sandy light brown ombre'd to coppery sand, yes, could be gorgeous.

[@anetapodstawa5686]

This Video was very interesting because I would love to dye my hair red, as a soft summer ( I know, I know lol) But to be honest, I prefer Gillian in the x files and red hair. Maybe because she has this classic facial features and I love her in classic fashion styles as well. Her jaw and facial features are sharp and I love the contrasted looks on her more than the muted ones

[@ChristineScaman]

Good point, our own preferences play a role in what we see as attractive in colour and style. We only see Gillian on screens and as you say, what we see are 'looks', meaning a persona she creates in the image or role, where every part of the look is planned. Nothing wrong with that in everyday life, though it may not come together as seamlessly as on screens. Young people also tend to wear higher contrast better, in the same way that they wear most departures from their natural colours more easily, meaning these are better years to try looks than later on. Some SSu might have several shades of ginger or soft wine that look lovely (Gillian), while others might be best with their own colour (Duchess Kate), and others with touches of caramel blonde (Angelina). Hair colour is like lipstick, the same 'best' will vary within a Season, with the difference that we have quite a few lipsticks that can look wonderful and only a small number of believable and beautiful hair colours, depending of course on our desired outcome for appearance. For many people, believable and beautiful are not important, and that's fine. Good to know ourselves :)

[@andream9977]

What about a color analysis of Freddie Mercury? He has worn so many different outfits!! He’s one of my idols and I love his playfulness

[@ChristineScaman]

One of my heroes as well. However bright or costume, he always wore clothing so well. I'd be happy to look through some images and see what we could apply to our own appearances. Almost certain he'd be a Winter of some sort.

[@andream9977]

@@ChristineScaman that would be so cool!

[@tammylawson3376]

In June 2022, I cut my hair into a pixie and let the dye fade out. I've been dye free since. My hair is sort of dark and light, salt and pepper. But it's me and I LIKE it. There's some gray mixed with very light blonde, some brown mixed in. I'll be 53 on November 26. Now trying to figure out my best wardrobe colors now!! I was professionally typed "Soft Summer" back in 2019. I'm not certain. Still trying to figure it out!!

[@ChristineScaman]

Great to hear that you've tried so many hair colours and made your way back to yourself. Your natural colour now sounds beautifully multi-tonal and the perfect springboard for the next step. I hope you find much success with your clothing colours :)

[@soilgrasswaterair]

I actually have seen this quite a lot here in Scandinavia, and it’s been all natural. Just like we have lots of adults with platinum blonde hair that is so blonde it almost looks ”white”. 25:55 She’s actually in her last trimester of pregnancy here! It’s not being ”chubby” it’s pregnancy❤

[@ChristineScaman]

Yes, I've analyzed Scandi people with white blond hair and intensely blue eyes. Amazingly beautiful in their colours. She is indeed pregnant and in a Lifestage where weight gain in the face may happen normally, but my reason for the comment was that the facial shapes lack shadowing in this photograph. This may be due more to sunlight or hair colour than pregnancy or actual weight gain in the face, but the effect of a face without shadows is two-dimensional and edges may appear softer or more curved than they are.

[@tammylawson3376]

Picture #7 looks very much like some of my past photos!!

[@ChristineScaman]

Hi, everyone :) I hope this video helps you see the give-and-take of hair colour choices. A picture really does tell a story.While hair colour is particular kind of application, it's really just another colour in a final composition that makes for a great impression. Please share your favourite and least preferred colours, we'd love to hear! I found this the day after posting, an image of the hair I hope Gillian keeps: xfiles-fanclub.blogspot.com/2018/09/gillian-anderson-has-created-her-first.html. Great way to grow out dye, looks fantastic, beautiful style, her face looks healthy, strong, and gorgeous (not loving the black). If you know your Season, you'll find colour-customized makeup for your colouring in the Shop on my website at 12blueprints.com, with new colours being added (Famous stick gloss for True Autumn just last week) and several products coming back in stock (Light Summer and Bright Winter eyeshadow palettes this week).

[@lnnenls439]

She looks really nice in that grey/white hair. And the hairstyle

[@gloglos100]

Yes Her cream hair is beautiful. Thank you Christine,so informative and after struggling with all the previous mess she has a perfect cut and colour. She looks much younger.

[@DRT813]

So interesting, I learned so much! I would LOVE to see something similar about Emma Stone, because I thought she can wear a bunch of hair colours very naturally looking.

[@ChristineScaman]

Thank you, I'm so glad you enjoyed it :) I agree about Emma, she does seem to wear many colours well. She's challenging too because her hair colour changes frequently and rarely to a shade that could be natural, so we'd be juggling a lot of plates where some could be great and others not and which ones keeps shifting. I've looked at her images and I don't think I could say anything specific about her colouring. Same as Jessica Chastain, the start and end of the video would both sound like, 'could be this, could be that'. With most of the examples in the videos, or all of them, by the time I've seen 40-50 images, I have a direction or a benchmark I can compare other images back to, but for those two women, I really don't. Thinking about it a little further just now, it may be that I've never seen an image where I thought, "There, that is them wearing their most beautiful colours.", even in a single item let alone an entire clothes, hair, and makeup look.

[@DRT813]

@@ChristineScaman Thank you so much for your answer! What you said about the difficulty of pinning her down - same as Jessica Chastain - is already quite helpful to me! :)

[@tammylawson3376]

I've done Picture #5... This color brown worked on me for a bit -- I tried it first in my mid 30s, then again a couple years back. I got bored with this color. The hair WAS wearing me, made ME look tired, too.

[@tammylawson3376]

#11--- At 51-52, I had warmer blonde hair color... Started looking too bright and brassy, and I looked drained...

[@hairdresser1300]

Once a person begins to learn to see colors it's hard to look away when the colors are all wrong

[@ChristineScaman]

It's so true, it takes a little more effort to not notice it.

[@etsugradlib]

I’m for #5. Just stunning and slightly smoldering.

[@ChristineScaman]

Interesting, thank you! I love it that all the votes for a favourite colour or look were different.

[@daniellerobeque3706]

hair color always beautiful Gillian Anderson 🥰🥰❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@ChristineScaman]

I agree!! Gillian is so beautiful and more so with every year that passes.

[@daniellerobeque3706]

@@ChristineScaman ho ! Yes and so magnific and sweet, i want to see it

[@user-rg4ef3kw7r]

I have similar skin color and have same problem with red hair I look 🤢 and can’t go to dark then I get shallow my eyebrows are light ☺️ and I have grey blue eyes. I am always put in autumn or spring when using Ai … I always thought I was an autumn…now I’m lost 😅

[@ChristineScaman]

I'm not familiar with AI technology but maybe you just have a bit of Autumn. Not all Autumns wear red tones in hair well, but for everyone, factoring hair colour into the analysis can be misleading (which is why we cover it). Once your skin is in harmony, eyes and hair will be as well. Perhaps you have some Summer, which resonates with Spring because of the lightness, and resonates with Autumn because they share softness.

[@user-rg4ef3kw7r]

@@ChristineScaman interesting, I wonder if I am a soft autumn and can borrow some colors from soft summer…I really like spring and like to wear spring colors..but I get all yellow in my face🤣 we’ll sooner or later I think I will have a consultation 🙂

[@laurenwild9051]

You should give Sarah Harris the British Vogue editor a look! She has beautiful grey hair and looks amazing!

[@ChristineScaman]

Very glamorous! Now that would be one interesting person to do colour analysis with.

[@the_golden_gecko]

Seeing the ginger hair reminds me of the x files

[@ChristineScaman]

Yes! And I think there was some red in it in The Fall.

[@loosilu]

In #9, Gillian was heavily pregnant, which is why she has more weight in her face. Nose shapes do change in pregnancy for some women!

[@ChristineScaman]

Fair point, and it may take time for the facial proportions to return to their previous relationships.

[@methebee]

Gillian is my fave

[@ChristineScaman]

She really is brilliant, the way she adapts her roles. I found her amazing in The Fall, though aware I was watching Gillian who just happened to suit the character so perfectly, and in The Crown, I felt I was watching the character rather than the actor.

[@tammylawson3376]

Picture #4 looks like me around ages 36-38... I hated it on me. My daughter liked it, but I said I'll never do THAT again!!!

[@tammylawson3376]

Third picture looks like me, too!! (I'm almost 53 now)

[@Taichientaoyin]

She looks green sometimes. I look green with certain colours too. I am olive skin.

[@tammylawson3376]

#10-- I liked the lighter blonde on myself...I met my third and current husband when this color... The color became TOO light on me and hard to maintain.... At 50-51, I was leery of it looking FAKE on me....

[@Caroline-kf5oo]

You mention the blonde hair being too close to skin tone, with no contrast between skin/hair. However, would't the natural grey hair also not provide any contrast - i dont understand the difference? (btw LOVE your videos, thank you!)

[@ChristineScaman]

Brilliant point. There are other kinds of contrast than light-dark. If you think of contrast as the size of the difference, any difference, contrast could be about colour. Women of gray hair don't have gray skin, though the colours might be closer in position on a light-dark scale. I find silver hair can make skin look smooth and youthful and the colours of skin and eyes more prominent once the colour of hair becomes a neutral colour. As well, there's no comment about colour or appearance that applies to everyone. Some women, especially in lighter Seasons or with a little Spring, can have silver hair and skin quite similar in colours and darkness levels, perhaps Helen Mirren as an example, and yet the hair and skin are separate enough. Dye the colour of skin is like clothing in the colour of skin, it can be hard to visually separate the face and person. I added a link to silver hair in the comment I pinned to the top of the Comments, love that. Do you?

[@Caroline-kf5oo]

yes, love the new photos! she looks so powerful. Thanks for your response. You have such a way with words and i am learning so much from this series of videos.

[@tammylawson3376]

The first photo looks like ME till age 30!!!

[@tammylawson3376]

Picture #6 was like me in my mid 40s...

[@maryhanger4519]

I did agree with you.

[@ChristineScaman]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts :)

[@tammylawson3376]

I like Picture #14... This looks like me around my early 30s.

[@sentientx5510]

Look 7 and many 3

[@brennakohlhase4194]

She looks much like Sargent’s Madame in the black dress

[@ChristineScaman]

She does! Amazing.

[@heatherlavigne100]

I'd love to see a video about Anya taylor joy's hair! She's a chameleon.

[@ChristineScaman]

Oh, yes, great suggestion. Like Gillian, she's a certain kind of chameleon. Both have an ability to become the role. You almost forget the actor.

[@QueenJaneway]

Please do Scarlett Johansson!

[@ChristineScaman]

Scarlett is a great suggestion. I've looked at pictures a few times, hoping to find 12 where the colours she wears are beautiful on her, and 2 or 3 that show us something about colour that doesn't flatter her. Couldn't find the 12. Also couldn't find enough images to have a sense of her Season. One of those people we'd have to see in person. I appreciate the suggestion :)

[@QueenJaneway]

Okay! She is quite a "chameleon" in color, feels like she suits in both warm and cool. I hope you can find more pictures!@@ChristineScaman

[@heykumari]

Thank you. I am new to this type of analysis and find your work fascinating. Would you branch into interior design with this?

[@ChristineScaman]

Thank you, I'm glad you enjoy it. I see interior design as a related but very different field. Related in the sense of colour theory, emotional expression, and many other factors relating to our surroundings. Different in that the colour harmony within a given person is preset, the psychology and cultural meaning behind how we see ourselves and present ourselves in society are very different. Personal opinion, I prefer my surroundings evocative of a landscape rather than a mirror of my own colours and I see the use of colour area, placement, and accents in fashion and presentation as quite different from interior design, but I'm first to admit I don't know the field of interior design. I love speaking with designers who can see a room as a place, whereas I tend to see it as a person. The relationship between the two fields is so fascinating.

[@Taichientaoyin]

My eyebrows are lighter than my hair too.

[@ChristineScaman]

That happens fairly often in Winters actually. In DW, I find it softens the face in a lovely way and love when they're defined without being darkened to match the hair.

[@Taichientaoyin]

@@ChristineScaman It softens my face indeed.

[@newtovideo100]

Great video. Have you ever thought of doing Bruno Mars? He has a very colourful wardrobe, and I think he picks great colours for himself. I would love to know what you think. :)

[@ChristineScaman]

Super suggestion, thank you. He's challenging actually, will be fun to do.

[@kathysarmiento4652]

But I learned a lot by watching this video!

[@ChristineScaman]

I'm so glad that you found new information and ideas here, thank you for commenting :) I imagine that it's part of the job description to keep changing looks for many female actor (not all though, Jennifer Aniston doesn't, which is probably also part of her contracts, that recognizable hair that her audience looks for.) The wonderful thing is that it gives us a chance to see different hair colour effects on the same person. What was it about Look #9 that you loved?

[@alicjaalvena1120]

i disagree that our hair always matches the rest of our looks, im the perfect example. im a winter (was draped and indeed muted colors wash me out, warm color make me look sick and with pastels there was no harmony at all, like 2 separate entities) and my hair is between summer and autumn - ashy and a bit of gold and even some copper reflections. so i should go either cool darker brown or, when i'll strart getting a lot of gray hair, i should go vivid white to better match my skin. i thought i must be summer because of my hair, but drapes told me big no. its just that i have weird biology. my skin and eyes are definitely winter though.

[@ChristineScaman]

Your natural hair colour sounds beautiful! It's great that you have some hair colour ideas to create an appearance you love.

[@tammylawson3376]

#9-- that strawberry blonde does not work on ME!!! I did not like it on me and quickly put on another shade!! Lol

[@tammylawson3376]

#8 is too dark and draining on me...I've done this look in my early 40s.

[@tuesdaynext8909]

That photo where she's supposedly "chubby"...she's 8/9 months pregnant.

[@ChristineScaman]

Very true, she is soon to have a child. I didn't quite say she is chubby, rather that the colour of the hair may give that appearance, presenting the idea that nose shapes can be less variable through the life stages we may experience. Also, as I'm certain you saw, being in full sunlight means any shadows in the face will be lightened, as if someone lowered the contrast dial on the picture, which makes it even harder to interpret (plus colour are warmed by the yellow light, or yellow and red if it's late in the day). She had similar hair colour in Look #4, which was an evening event, and I didn't find the colour sculpted the face well, or didn't put light and shadow in the right places and darkness levels. Changes in lighting are a big reason that I couldn't say anything definitive about Season, but if we keep that in mind, we can learn so much about how colour and people.The blue of the dress in that image was beautiful, would be such a good suit or coat.