HOW TO EMBRACE YOUR PERSONAL COLOR PALETTE AFTER YOUR COLOR ANALYSIS
July 14, 2025
By: Renee Pawloski
So, you've just left your TCI personal color analysis appointment—congratulations! You now know the neutrals and colors that best compliment your unique combination of skin, hair, and eye color. Whether you’ve discovered you’re a True Autumn, a Soft Summer, or a Dark Winter, this is the beginning of a transformative journey embracing your natural color harmony in how you present yourself to the world.
But what comes next? How do you actually use your beautiful new True Colour International palette in your daily life? How can you incorporate your new colors without feeling overwhelmed or like you need to replace everything in your wardrobe?
Here’s a step-by-step guide to help integrate your personal colors with ease and confidence.
1. Start with STUDYING YOUR Swatch Book
Your palette swatch book is your new best friend. Keep it with you and swatch everything around you—especially when shopping. The more you use it, the better you will become at spotting harmony or disharmony. Taking your swatchbook to a second hand store that sorts items according to color can offer an opportunity to see dozens of versions of a color all at once and can be a great exercise in training your brain to start thinking in the color terms of hue value and chroma when comparing the different versions.
Using your swatchbook isn’t always about matching items exactly, it is about using it as a tool to help you identify colors that harmonize with the three dimensions of your natural coloring. Think of it as a compass, not a strict rulebook. First look to see if there is a close match in your fandeck. If you can’t find one, check the color against your color combination strip to see if it appears to harmonize with those 15 colors. You know you are on the right track if it appears to share the same hue, value and chroma as the colors in your fandeck.
2. SHOP Your Closet with YOUR NEW COLOR KNOWLEDGE
Now that you have seen colors with your own eyes that harmonize with your coloring during your color draping, and those that don’t flatter you, begin by assessing and organizing your existing wardrobe:
Put pieces that match your palette front and center in your closet. Often clients discover that some of their favorite items are already aligned with their colors.
Set aside items that clash or feel “off.” Don’t dismiss these items right away, but notice how you feel wearing them versus the colors in your newly discovered palette. In time, you may find yourself reaching for these items not in harmony with your palette less and less.
Hang on to favorites. Love your favorite blouse but dismayed to have discovered fuchsia isn’t in your palette? Wear it! Your color palette is a tool, not a rule. Use accessories or layer items in colors from your palette to help add some harmony to a favorite item not aligned with your palette. Example: Throw on a pair of gold hoops with your fuchsia blouse to add warmth if you are warm or warm-neutral undertoned.
You’re not purging or acting in haste—you’re prioritizing with a measured approach!
3. Focus on Building OUT YOUR Wardrobe with INTENTION
Every palette includes a range of flattering neutrals and accent colors. Use your neutrals as the workhorses of your wardrobe—your go-to shades for pants, jackets, suits and leather goods. Invest in quality pieces in your neutrals to create a foundation that mixes effortlessly with the accent colors in your palette. Use your “colors” for tops, blouses, jewelry, accessories, makeup & eyeglasses. If diving into “color” feels intimidating, or the colors in your palette are colors that are new to you, try starting with one or two of the colors that speak to you. Start with a top as a low-cost investment to dip your toe in the water, or shop at a second hand store to test drive a few pieces at lower price points. Choose one of the colors that made your eyes sparkle during the analysis.
Examples:
A Green Eyed Soft Autumn might build around warm taupes, cream/bone, and soft camels for their neutrals and try a top in a soft pine green, a soft olive or a warm plum mauve
A Blue Eyed Bright Winter might lean into charcoal, white, navy, and true black for their neutrals and try a top in a bright cobalt blue, a bright teal or a bright blue-purple
4. Update Your Makeup Bag
Choosing makeup from your palette is one of the quickest and most impactful ways to bring your palette to life and color harmony to your look.
Consider adding the following:
Lipsticks from your palette’s “reds” section - you may want to try two or three shades in varying values to give yourself a range of color. Experiment with different application methods to get different looks out of the same product - use with or without a lip liner, apply a gloss over the color, or apply with a brush versus slicking it on straight from the tube
Blushes from your palette’s “reds” section that mimic your natural flush
Neutral eyeshadows from your palette’s neutrals that enhance your eye color without overpowering
Accent colors from your palette for a more colorful eyeshadow or liner
Many clients notice they look more refreshed and radiant with just a few subtle makeup switches.
5. Be Kind to Yourself—It’s a Process
As I tell my clients at their analysis appointments, learning to look at colors and evalutating them with regard to hue, value & chroma is not difficult, it just takes practice. Adopting your color palette isn’t a one-day overhaul. It's a journey of discovering what truly enhances you and letting go of things that don’t serve you anymore.
Celebrate the wins along the way:
A compliment on a new blouse
Noticing your eyes take center stage in colors with the right hue, value & chroma
Feeling more confident and put-together
Final Thoughts
When in doubt, reach out. If you are struggling applying your palette to your life, your color analyst is a resource even after your appointment. If you’re unsure how to coordinate your colors, shop for a special event, or need advice on makeup, don’t hesitate to ask specific questions or reach out for support. Some analysts offer follow-up consultations, closet audits, or personalized shopping help.
Color is a powerful tool—it tells your story before you say a word. Now that you know your personal palette, you’re equipped to harness the power of color to make more confident, intentional choices in how you present yourself to the world.
And trust me, once you start living in your best colors, and seeing the power of personal color harmony you won’t want to go back!
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