Frequently Asked Questions
Find quick answers about the process, your results, and how to use your colors.
Frequently Asked Questions
Find quick answers about the process, your results, and how to use your colors.
About The Consultation
How does the process work?
Getting started is easy. Simply choose the color analysis package that feels right for you, reach out with any questions, and then come ready to discover your colors!
During your in-person session, we’ll use professional draping to explore the four dimensions of your unique coloring—undertone, value, chroma, and contrast. Together, we’ll see how different colors interact with your natural features and narrow in on the palette that creates the most harmony with your skin, eyes, and hair.
The best part? You’ll actually see the difference happen in the mirror—and leave knowing not just what your best colors are, but why they work for you.
How do we create a distraction-free experience?
Your color analysis is a personalized experience that requires focus, attention, and a little time to slow down and really observe how color interacts with your features. For that reason, we ask that children not attend appointments.
Having children present can be distracting for both the client and the color consultant, making it harder to fully focus on the draping process and get the most accurate, enjoyable experience possible.
We completely understand that childcare isn’t always easy to arrange. If you have a very young child or need an exception, please reach out before your appointment and we’ll be happy to discuss your situation and see what may work.
Our goal is simply to create a relaxed, focused environment where you can enjoy the experience—and discover your best colors without distractions.
Do I need to do anything to prepare for my appointment?
Remove Makeup & Jewelry: If possible, please come completely makeup free. We do have makeup wipes available if you prefer to remove your makeup once you arrive. No tinted moisturizer, self tanner, or false lashes. Remove all jewelry from your neck, face and ears.
Wear Appropriate Clothing: Please do not wear high collared shirts, turtlenecks or jackets with hoods. It can get hot under the drapes, wear something shorter sleeved if you overheat easily.
Hair Up & Contained: Hair needs to be up and out of the face to eliminate color interference and we do not want to get it tangled in the drapes. Please pull it up in a tight bun or clip at the midsection of your head, not too high or too low. We will have clips and hair ties available.
Appropriate Eyewear: If possible, please wear non-tinted contact lenses. If you only have glasses, that is fine, we will work with them.
Prepared to Learn: Come with an open mind, ready to learn and explore your unique coloring. Ask questions, and make sure you are understanding what you experience.
Bring Your Makeup: You can bring mascara, spot concealer and lipstick to apply before the final picture {no foundation, please, so we can still see your skin tone}.
Do you offer services for men?
Color analysis isn’t just for women—and it’s not about becoming a fashion expert. It’s about knowing which colors make you look your best.
Think you automatically look great in black, navy, charcoal, and other deep, intense colors? Think again. Some men come alive in softer, lighter, warmer, or brighter shades—and wearing the wrong colors can make you look tired, washed out, or overwhelmed.
Your best colors matter everywhere: the golf course, the boardroom, family photos, networking events, date night, or simply getting dressed every morning.
Color analysis can also be a smart tool for personal and corporate branding. Choosing the right colors for golf shirts, company apparel, headshots, uniforms, and branded materials can create a more polished, cohesive look—while still allowing each person to look like themselves.
Because looking good isn’t complicated. Sometimes, it starts with wearing the right color.
Do you offer services for children?
Color analysis is most effective for children around age 13 and older, when they are beginning or moving through puberty and their coloring is becoming more established.
While your undertone generally remains consistent as you grow, other dimensions of your coloring—particularly value (lightness to depth) and chroma (brightness or softness)—can shift during adolescence. As hair, eyes, skin, and overall contrast develop, the colors that harmonize best with you can change as well.
That means a child who looks amazing in soft, light colors at age 10 may find that their best colors become deeper, brighter, or more muted as they mature.
Waiting until the teen years allows us to assess your coloring at a more stable point and identify a palette that is more likely to remain helpful as you move into adulthood.
Color analysis isn't about putting a child in a box—it's about discovering the colors that naturally enhance who they are as they grow.
About The Consultation
How does the process work?
Select your package, complete a few quick questions, and attend your in-person session. During the appointment, we’ll review your coloring and match your best color palette to your features.
What should I expect during my appointment?
Your in-person session is designed to provide clear guidance on the colors that suit you best. You’ll receive personalized support and recommendations tailored to your natural features throughout the consultation.
How do you determine my best colors?
We begin by identifying your undertone, then determine your home color palette, and finally refine your look with your personalized signature colors.
Do you offer services for men or children?
Color analysis is perfect for anyone seeking clear guidance on the colors that suit them best. Contact us if you have questions about a specific consultation or need.
About Your Color Results
What comes with the consultation?
Each appointment includes a color review, a seasonal palette swatch, a simple wardrobe email guide as well as a hair/makeup guide.
What is a Palette Swatch?
A Palette Swatch is a handy reference tool that lets you compare clothing colors while shopping or putting outfits together at home. It also includes makeup color suggestions tailored to you.
All Color Analysis Services include a digital swatch.
Personal Color Analysis will include the full-size Velvet Swatch. The Wallet Card is available for additional purchase.
Express Draping will include the Wallet Card. The full-size Velvet Swatch is available for additional purchase.
When will I get my results?
Results are revealed at the end of the in-person session.
About Makeup
After your appointment, you will receive a personalized makeup guide via email. Your Palette Swatch
will also provide helpful cues for choosing flattering makeup shades.
Can color analysis help with makeup choices?
Your best colors don’t stop at your wardrobe. Color analysis can also help you understand which makeup shades harmonize with your natural coloring—from foundation and blush to lipstick, eyeshadow, and even the right metals for your jewelry.
Instead of wondering why one “perfect” nude lipstick looks amazing on your friend but completely disappears on you, your personalized palette gives you a starting point for understanding which undertones, depths, and levels of softness or brightness work best for you.
The goal isn’t to limit your choices or tell you what makeup you can’t wear. It’s about giving you the knowledge to shop smarter, choose more confidently, and understand why certain shades make your natural features come alive.
When your colors work with you, makeup becomes an enhancement—not a disguise.
Will I get foundation recommendations?
Yes—but not specific brand or formula recommendations. Your color analysis will help you understand which foundation undertone best complements your natural coloring.
During your analysis, we’ll determine whether your skin harmonizes best with warmer, cooler, or more neutral undertones. This gives you a valuable starting point when shopping for foundation, helping you narrow down shades that are more likely to blend seamlessly with your natural coloring.
While I won’t recommend a specific brand, product, or formula, you’ll leave knowing what undertone to look for—making those countless foundation shade options a whole lot less overwhelming.
Think of it as your foundation color compass: I’ll help you understand what direction to look, and you can choose the formula and finish that works best for you.
About Your Color Results
What comes with the consultation?
Each appointment includes a color review, a seasonal palette swatch, a simple wardrobe email guide as well as a hair/makeup guide.
What is a Palette Swatch?
A Palette Swatch is a handy reference tool that lets you compare clothing colors while shopping or putting outfits together at home. It also includes makeup color suggestions tailored to you.
All Color Analysis Services include a digital swatch:
Personal Color Analysis will include the full-size Velvet Swatch. The Wallet Card is available for additional purchase.
Express Draping will include the Wallet Card. The full-size Velvet Swatch is available for additional purchase.
When will I get my results?
Results are revealed at the end of the in-person session.
About Hair
Will gray hair change my season?
Going gray doesn’t mean you need to start over with your colors. Your palette doesn’t change simply because your hair does.
Your color palette is determined primarily by your skin’s undertone, while also considering the overall harmony of your coloring—including your hair, eyes, value, chroma, and contrast. As your hair naturally transitions to gray or white, it will generally harmonize with the coloring you already have.
And gray isn’t just gray! There are warm grays and cool grays, warm whites and cool whites, and everything in between. Your natural gray will have its own characteristics that continue to work within your overall coloring.
In fact, the colors that looked beautiful on you before you went gray can often continue to look beautiful afterward. You may simply notice that some shades feel different as your overall contrast changes.
Your hair may change, but your natural coloring is still your natural coloring—and your palette is designed to work with you through those changes.
What if I dye my hair?
Thinking about changing your hair color? Your color analysis can give you a much better starting point than simply bringing a photo of your favorite celebrity to the salon.
During your appointment, we can use a ring of real human-hair samples to explore different shades and see which colors harmonize best with your natural coloring. From warm to cool, light to deep, soft to vibrant, we can look at options that complement your palette rather than compete with it.
After your appointment, I’ll also email you a personalized hair color guide with ideas and direction you can take to your stylist.
Whether you’re considering a subtle refresh, going lighter or darker, embracing your gray, or making a more dramatic change, color analysis can help you understand which hair colors are most naturally harmonious with you.
No more guessing what shade to ask for—walk into your next salon appointment with a better idea of what works for you.
All About Your Colors
What does the 15 Page Color Radiance Report Include?
• Brief introduction to color theory
• Your photos in our exclusive color tests
• Details about how our color tests work
• Determination of your basic seasonal type, and then your seasonal subtype
• Your color card and “mood colors”
• How to use your color card
• Shopping Tips
• Information on your particular seasonal type, and more!
When will I receive my results?
Results are emailed within 3 business days of us receiving your questionnaire and photos. If you don’t see your results, please check your spam folder!
What is a color card and how do I use it?
Your color card shows 35 of your season’s best colors. You’ll receive two versions of your color palette card – a digital version for your phone and a laminated version
for your purse or pocket.
Take either one shopping with you, and simply scan the clothing racks for your colors!
Now, you’ll know that you’re buying a color that’s flattering on you.
For patterned, or multi-colored clothing, we
recommend a simple rule of thumb – if the pattern has 75% or more of the colors on your card, go for it!
If you shop within your color card, you’ll eventually have a completely coordinated wardrobe! Here’s a closet filled with Calm Autumn colors.
Will my season change with a tan?
No. Your season is largely determined by the
undertones in your skin, which do not change with a tan.
About Makeup
After your appointment you will receive a personalized makeup guide via email.
Your Palette Swatch will also provide helpful cues for choosing flattering makeup shades.
Can color analysis help with makeup choices?
Your best colors don’t stop at your wardrobe. Color analysis can also help you understand which makeup shades harmonize with your natural coloring—from foundation and blush to lipstick, eyeshadow, and even the right metals for your jewelry.
Instead of wondering why one “perfect” nude lipstick looks amazing on your friend but completely disappears on you, your personalized palette gives you a starting point for understanding which undertones, depths, and levels of softness or brightness work best for you.
The goal isn’t to limit your choices or tell you what makeup you can’t wear. It’s about giving you the knowledge to shop smarter, choose more confidently, and understand why certain shades make your natural features come alive.
When your colors work with you, makeup becomes an enhancement—not a disguise.
Will I get foundation recommendations?
Yes—but not specific brand or formula recommendations. Your color analysis will help you understand which foundation undertone best complements your natural coloring.
During your analysis, we’ll determine whether your skin harmonizes best with warmer, cooler, or more neutral undertones. This gives you a valuable starting point when shopping for foundation, helping you narrow down shades that are more likely to blend seamlessly with your natural coloring.
While I won’t recommend a specific brand, product, or formula, you’ll leave knowing what undertone to look for—making those countless foundation shade options a whole lot less overwhelming.
Think of it as your foundation color compass: I’ll help you understand what direction to look, and you can choose the formula and finish that works best for you.
About Hair
Will gray hair change my season?
Going gray doesn’t mean you need to start over with your colors. Your palette doesn’t change simply because your hair does.
Your color palette is determined primarily by your skin’s undertone, while also considering the overall harmony of your coloring—including your hair, eyes, value, chroma, and contrast. As your hair naturally transitions to gray or white, it will generally harmonize with the coloring you already have.
And gray isn’t just gray! There are warm grays and cool grays, warm whites and cool whites, and everything in between. Your natural gray will have its own characteristics that continue to work within your overall coloring.
In fact, the colors that looked beautiful on you before you went gray can often continue to look beautiful afterward. You may simply notice that some shades feel different as your overall contrast changes.
Your hair may change, but your natural coloring is still your natural coloring—and your palette is designed to work with you through those changes.
What if I dye my hair?
Thinking about changing your hair color? Your color analysis can give you a much better starting point than simply bringing a photo of your favorite celebrity to the salon.
During your appointment, we can use a ring of real human-hair samples to explore different shades and see which colors harmonize best with your natural coloring. From warm to cool, light to deep, soft to vibrant, we can look at options that complement your palette rather than compete with it.
After your appointment, I’ll also email you a personalized hair color guide with ideas and direction you can take to your stylist.
Whether you’re considering a subtle refresh, going lighter or darker, embracing your gray, or making a more dramatic change, color analysis can help you understand which hair colors are most naturally harmonious with you.
No more guessing what shade to ask for—walk into your next salon appointment with a better idea of what works for you.
About Gift Cards
How do gift cards work?
Gift cards are delivered by email and can be used toward a future service or purchase.
Do you offer physical gift cards?
No. At this time, gift cards are available by email only.
All About Makeup
Can I use my color card to choose makeup?
We got this question so many times that we partnered
with makeup artist, Leisa Kanienberg of imakeupartistry,
to create a line of Color Guru Makeup Cards.
Our goal was to create cards that simplify the makeup
buying process for you. These are “go-to” color choices
for your season type – match the color to whatever
makeup brand you prefer.
Makeup cards are included in the Plus and Premium
package, or as an optional “add-on” to the Essentials
package.
Here is a sample makeup card. Leisa is our makeup guru!
Why doesn’t the makeup card include
foundation shade recommendations?
Foundation is very specific to the individual. With so
many variables such as personal preference, coverage
type, skin type, etc. it’s impossible to provide a “one
shade fits all” for each season and subtype.
About Ordering and Shipping
Do you ship outside the U.S.?
At this time, we only ship within the United States.
Can I get a refund?
If you have a question about your order, please contact The Colour Collective directly for help.
Your Color Closet
What stores are the clothes from?
We offer a wide range of items at a variety of price
points and we are constantly working to include as
many retailers as possible. Some current examples
include, but are not limited to Madewell, LOFT, Target,
Anthropologie, J Crew, Banana Republic, Macy’s,
Nordstrom Rack, and JC Penney.
Is Your Color Closet size inclusive?
Yes! We offer items in Petite, Standard, & Plus sizes.
How do I update my account information
(payment method, billing address, etc.)?
Visit the Membership Account page at to log in and
access your account information.
How do I cancel my membership?
You can cancel your membership at any time by
visiting the Membership Account page. Please be sure
to cancel two weeks before your scheduled billing date,
to avoid being charged for the next membership cycle.
After canceling, your membership will remain active
until your next scheduled billing date.
How often are new items added?
New items are added about every two weeks.
Can I join without having a Color Guru Color
Consultation?
No, you must have a color analysis completed by Color
Guru in order to become a member. Visit the Packages
page to purchase a color consultation.
Does my membership automatically renew?
Yes. The card you enter when signing up will
automatically be charged. Monthly members will be
billed each month and annual members will be billed
annually. You can cancel at any time.
Your Color Closet
What stores are the clothes from?
We offer a wide range of items at a variety of price points and we are constantly working to include as many retailers as possible. Some current examples include, but are not limited to Madewell, LOFT, Target, Anthropologie, J Crew, Banana Republic, Macy’s, Nordstrom Rack, and JC Penney.
Is Your Color Closet size inclusive?
Yes! We offer items in Petite, Standard, & Plus sizes.
How do I update my account information (payment method, billing address, etc.)?
Visit the Membership Account page at to log in and access your account information.
How do I cancel my membership?
You can cancel your membership at any time by visiting the Membership Account page. Please be sure to cancel two weeks before your scheduled billing date, to avoid being charged for the next membership cycle. After canceling, your membership will remain active until your next scheduled billing date.
How often are new items added?
New items are added about every two weeks.
Can I join without having a Color Guru Color Consultation?
No, you must have a color analysis completed by Color Guru in order to become a member. Visit the Packages
page to purchase a color consultation.
Does my membership automatically renew?
Yes. The card you enter when signing up will
automatically be charged. Monthly members will be billed each month and annual members will be billed annually. You can cancel at any time.
Classic Autumn
Classic Cool
Classic Dark
Classic Light
Classic Soft
Classic Spring
Classic Summer
Classic Vivid
Classic Warm
Classic Winter
Cool Summer
Cool Winter
Dark Autumn
Dark Winter
Light Spring
Light Summer
Soft Autumn
Soft Summer
Vivid Spring
Vivid Winter
Warm Autumn
Warm Spring