My Korea Trip - Color Analysis/Color Consulting
Dear readers,
Installment 2 of my Korea trip is all about my color analysis (also called color consulting) session.
Color Analysis at peoplevittz
Service provider: Kim Bitna of peoplevittz via Beauty Day Korea
Total investment: ~USD$200 (if sharing interpreter with friend; may be more if solo appt)
Total time: 1.5-3 hours (longer if sharing appt with friend)
NB: Download and transfer money to WISE, the global money transfer app, as you will need to put a deposit using WISE upon booking; remainder can be paid in cash or via WISE at appointment.
Introduction to color analysis
If you don’t know what color analysis, read this article. Apparently the service as it exists today originated in Japan but was made popular by Koreans. You can also access it in the US, but at much higher rates (my neighbor was quoted USD$500/hr in the Seattle area).
My friend Aily Zhang found a concierge, Beauty Day Korea, on Instagram, and asked them to arrange a session for us. They work with peoplevittz, the style consultancy of Kim Bitna 김빛나. Aily had had hers done the year before, and felt that peoplevittz was more thorough and professional than the previous color consultant. Beauty Day Korea was very responsive, and worked with us to adjust the original schedule when there was a last minute conflict.
Four of us booked the “personal total brand consulting package” with Ms Kim at a cost of KRW270,000 each (~USD$200), which is a discounted price since we booked multiple appointments at once. Since Ms Kim is not fluent in English, we also paid separately for an interpreter, who charged KRW25,000/hour or ~USD$19/hour (Beauty Day Korea was running a “spring discount” for 50% off so normally it’s KRW50,000/hour). I personally did not mind the interpreter as I’m used to navigating other languages and Ms Kim’s ebullient and friendly personality came across even in Korea and her limited English, which she was happy to use.
Note that you will have to pay a deposit in order to secure the appointment, and that you should download WISE, the international money transfer app. Once you download WISE, add USD (or your native currency) to it via your bank account, and then convert to Korean won in app.
Since Ms Kim is a solo consultant, she can only see one or two clients at a time. My friends Keren and Joan started with her at 11:30am, and then Aily and I came at 2:30pm. Since Aily was in a rush for another meeting, she went first, and then I had 4-5:30pm all to myself.
Step 1: Consultation
I discussed my personal style and sent in names of celebrities whose style I admired. I wear black a lot, a la Parisienne, and one of my favorite style icons is French actress Charlotte Gainsbourg. Now, I am by no means a fashionista, but I do follow fashion and have specific tastes. My goal was to find out if I’m wearing the right colors (outside of black haha) and get recommendations on specific makeup palettes and styles of clothing. I warned Ms Kim laughingly that I was not going to give up my black attire, and she jovially agreed that she would work with my existing style.
Step 2: Skin analysis & color draping
Ms Kim draped a white cloth around my neck and put a white kerchief on my hair - this creates a better contrast for the color draping that followed. She draped a series of different palettes corresponding to the seasons and types of shades within each season:
Spring pale/warm/light
Summer whitish/pale/soft
Autumn soft/dull/deep
Winter vivid/deep/dark
She identified me as a spring light, with soft pinks, vivid reds and mustard yellow being colors that suit my skin tone. I should also wear more whites (bright and cream). I should avoid grey-ish, mint, and purple colors as they wash me out. She also recommended colors that work well for accessories, pants, and formal occasion dresses. This was the most helpful as I am hesitant when buying non-neutral colored clothing.
Step 3 Body type & clothing styles
Ms Kim measured the circumference of my torso, chest, calves, waist and thighs and the width of my shoulders to determine my body type. Apparently I am a stick shape and should wear clothes that create more of an hourglass silhouette. The pro is that because I am relatively thin, I can wear most clothing styles. However, I should avoid deep v-necks as they emphasized my pointy chin and thin face, and also avoid super skinny jeans, especially if I am wearing a body-skimming top. Basically, if I wear tight on the top, I should wear loose on the bottom, and vice versa, otherwise I just look like a stick (see below lol). This was helpful as the American style aesthetic is to go tight on top and bottom, and it is definitely not flattering to my body type.
Step 4 Makeup recommendations
I was pretty excited to buy Korean makeup as I just feel like the Korean makeup style works better on my face. Ms Kim has a wide area of both western and Korean brand makeup products, from which she chose the shades that best matched my face. I learned that I should lean towards peachy colors rather than pinks, which is what I had been using. I came away with a list of specific products that I could buy from Olive Young (Korea’s Sephora but make it better). She told me that my every day color palette is a spring warm (corals, peaches) and that I can go autumn soft for more formal occasions, which is what my makeup artist (see below) chose for my photoshoot.
Conclusion
Even though I’m pretty particular about my style and am probably more informed about fashion trends than the average person, I found the session with Ms Kim to be helpful in identifying the colors I should be wearing more of, as well as specific makeup Korean makeup products to buy, which I mostly found at Olive Young the next day. I think this service would be the most helpful for people who aren’t as into fashion/style in their every day life and want someone to tell them what to wear. Going forward, I’m definitely still wearing my signature black (which Ms Kim says I can carry off since I’m slim and have the right face shape, aka very bony lol), but will add more pinks and reds.