01 Jan Spotlight On: Over 40- Color Queen+Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year! I imagine you won’t be surprised to know that I am not such a party til  the break of dawn type of girl, but still enjoy a fun New Years with some cocktails, earlier movie and watching the ball drop from Times Square.I am looking forward to 2016 and hope it is a great year for Health and hapinness for all of you! TYpically, my SPOTLIGHT ON: Over 40 Series is the last week of each month, but we all know how busy December gets! For the New Year, I hope to share with you new blog goals, a bit more about me personally, as you get to know me more through my blog as well, and new fashion topics.

Today I want to introduce  you to Lorna Mai, a blogger friend, from  Color Queen. I am all for color, as surprisingly I used to wear mostly black. For myself, black is too stark against pale skin, so if I do, I like to wear a color close to my face. Let’s hear what Lorna has to say about color and her blog. Later, this month I hope to share with you some of my New Year’s Blog Goals.

1.Tell the readers a bit more about yourself.

I live in the UK and run a colour business where I work with individual and groups of women, showing them how amazing they look wearing shades, tints and tones of certain colours that act in harmony with their own skin tone. I also work as a personal shopper for women of plus size.

2. Lorna, tell the readers how you named your blog. How did you become interested in the way color changes someone’s look?

I had a friend who had her colours done many years ago. She looked amazing so naturally I then wanted my colours doing. It made such a difference to the way I looked and felt I become almost obsessed by colour analysis I trained and have been running a colour business ever since. Colour Queen seemed the perfect name for the blog.

3 For those with fair skin, what colors should be avoided, why?

That would depend on whether the person has cool or warm skin. It also would depend on whether their skin tone is clear or soft, deep or light! That’s why a person with fair skin still suits her unique colours even with a natural suntan! It also explains why 2 people who look nothing a like in colouring can suit similar colour palettes!

4. How do you choose your clothes in the morning?

As the colours I wear are all from my unique colour palette, they all go together so I don’t have to worry about the colours not working. It means that getting dressed in the morning is a breeze.

5. Do you Believe color is a reflection of one’s mood? why?

It can be. How often do we wake up on the wrong side of the bed and then subconsciously wear ‘duller’ clothes?, when actually wearing brighter or more colourful clothes is the perfect cure. However having said that, it can also be a mind-set thing. In UK 70% of the clothes bought are black!

6. Is the old way of thinking that wearing all black makes a woman look slimmer, Why/Why not?

It is true that wearing all black does make you look slimmer as black recedes light. However, black also makes us look much older! It drains and dulls our skin, highlighting flaws, wrinkles and blemishes. It is possible to look slimmer wearing your correct colours. You just need to learn how to wear them.

6.You give alot of great tips on your blog for how to dress one’s figure. Can you share some tips based upon body shape? What might I look for if I am considered an Inverted triangle or more of a boyish shape?

An inverted triangle may want to wear full or a-line skirts to balance out the top heaviness. They are best to avoid bulky clothes up top. If someone has a boyish shape then adding a belt to create the illusion of a waist would work well for her. High neck tops would flatter her shape as would layers, frills or lots of detail on top.

7.You do  Seasonal Profiling. Can you tell the readers what this is?

In a nutshell, colour analysis is looking at the colours that are already in a person’s skin and identifying a spectrum of colours that work in harmony with his / her skin tone. There are 12 main palettes which can be grouped together into 4. The colours within each group tend to resemble the colours you would associate with seasons. For example, a Winter skin tone suits strong jewel tones or heavy cool colours. Likewise, if you have an Autumn skin tone, you look incredible in golds, browns and oranges.

8.You speak about warm and cool colors. Tell us more about this.

The undertone of our skin is either warm or cool. Some people have blue or pink tones in their skin. These skin tones are said to be cool and therefore look amazing in cool colours. If a person has golden, yellow or olive undertones in their skin, they need to be wearing warm colours which are in harmony with their warm skin tones.

9. Can you share some of your favorite outfits? What color combinations are you most drawn to?

I love wearing warm bright colours so am drawn to any of these colour combinations like a warm red with purple or turquoise with coral.

10. Do you follow trends? What trend did you want to style this year?

I only follow trends if it’s a trend I think will be around for several seasons. I wouldn’t buy a trend however if it really didn’t suit either my skin tone or body shape. I love flares and my fur vest and am waiting for the sales so I can purchase a pair of OTK boots I have had my eyes on!

11.For someone not used to wearing much color, how would you advise them to start?

Start small with colourful accessories as they will act as an accent. Wearing colour from the waist down like a coloured skirt is the next step. People tend to feel less self-conscious if the colour is away from their face, plus if you don’t know which colours you look good in, wearing them in this way won’t have a detrimental effect on your facial skin tone.

12. Tell the readers how you would describe your personal style”

Colourful!!

13. What’s next for Colour Queen?

In the new year I’m going to be offering online consultations!  Clients will send in photos and answer some questions and I’ll send them their own personal e-book with their unique colours in. They’ll also be given possible colour combinations and directions on how to wear them. Watch this space!!

As a follower of Elegantly Dressed and Stylish, I am active on all social media. To become informed of this series and more #OVER40fashion, follow me, Jess of Elegantly Dressed and Stylish on INSTAGRAM and Facebook.  I also have several catagories for OVER 40 fashion on PINTEREST.

Follow Lorna on Bloglovin tto visit  COLOR QUEEN

WISHING EVERYONE A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!! ~See you back in  2016 with lots of new fun with fashion, new topics, trends and more of #turningheadstuesday inspiration. JESS XOXO