Color Crazed

If you’ve been on social media in the past six months, you have probably seen countless videos or posts of people trying to figure out their color season. The viral phenomenon is not new by any means. Color analysis gained mainstream recognition in the 1970s. The thought process behind the trend is to create a dream wardrobe with only the best colors for a person’s individual coloring.

Personally, I have been trying to crack the code of what my most flattering colors are for most of my adult life. As someone who is a natural brunette with fair skin and light eyes, I’ve learned how soul-crushing an unflattering color can be, especially in photos. The kind that family plasters on social media without permission.

My internal back and forth finally got the best of me, and I began researching a local expert who could help me decide if a color analysis would be worth it. Enter Bianca Schiffman of B. Well Styled.

I met Bianca Schiffman on a too-warm September afternoon. She wore a gorgeous garnet sleeveless sweater top and jeans with platform sandals.

It was the perfect outfit for a day that straddles the seasons perfectly. But, more so than her effortlessly chic style, I noticed that the maroon top perfectly complements Schiffman’s features and makes her glow. I was sold.

When complimented, Schiffman replies, “Thank you! This is one of my colors,” while pulling out a fan of color swatches full of rich, saturated tones. She creates these customized fans for each client to make shopping for your palette as simple as possible.

More than a season

As a professional color analyst and stylist, Schiffman says she doesn’t abide by the seasonal color analysis currently trending on social media. She will never force her clients into a spring, summer, autumn or winter box. A true custom color analysis considers many factors—natural hair color, skin undertone and eye color. These base colors dictate the value, which is lightness or darkness, and saturation, or how vivid the colors a person can wear. 

To begin, I sat, sans makeup, at a table in front of a window, and in front of me sat trays of color swatches arranged by color family. Schiffman took one chip at a time and began comparing them to my hair, skin and eyes. As she did so, she began explaining her findings.

My skin is neutral but leans cool, my eyes are cool-toned, and my natural hair color is a deep brown. Schiffman advised that I never dye my hair blonde, and I silently lamented that I didn’t know this information in high school and college.

Bianca noted that changes in hair color, particularly for those transitioning to gray, can affect how specific colors look. 

“Hair is the biggest factor, especially when we go gray or when we switch hair colors,” she says. “But I always say, your Creator made you perfectly in harmony with your natural colors. If someone is open to change, we can explore those options.”

Conditions of Neutrality

From this information alone, Schiffman could discern my best neutral colors. Devastating news—black is not one of them. Instead, she suggested I stick to chocolate brown, navy and off-white. She said one of the most common mistakes she sees is women wearing black, assuming it’s a universally flattering color. She admits she was guilty of this before starting her own color analysis journey five years ago.

For Schiffman, finding her colors was so groundbreaking that she wanted to pay it forward.

“It shifted the way I did everything,” she says. “I was wearing a ton of black because it’s easy … but it’s not. It can tend to bring out our dark circles, our sunspots … it can make us look older.”

However, she says you can still wear black if it’s not in your official color palette as long as it’s not close to your face. Think more off-the-shoulder or V-neck necklines instead of turtlenecks.

True Colors

“The biggest mistake women make when they’re getting dressed is that their clothes are too bright or too dark,” she says. “We feel like we have to wear more makeup because we don’t like the contrast. Instead, we should just change our shirt.“

Schiffman continued to make her way down each color grouping, holding each one to my face and making a quick assessment and setting the best ones aside.

Soft blues, sea glass blue-greens, berry tones, rosy pinks and purples with blue undertones are my most favorable tones, while yellows, oranges, corals and peaches are no-go’s. She even told me what denim washes are best for me.

She also showed me my ideal metals. Thankfully, Schiffman shared that I can handle gold and silver since my skin tone is mostly neutral.

Once a client’s colors are identified, they can use them to flatter natural features and ultimately allow them to make more intentional fashion choices.

Schiffman emphasized that color analysis is not about following trends, but rather discovering a personalized palette that works year-round.

She helps a lot of working professionals who are in the public eye and stay-at-home moms who have put their families first for years. She also works with men. 

“Knowing the best colors for your features brings a renewed sense of confidence,” she says. “It’s transformative … my clients feel more seen, more youthful and less tired, more glowy. They end up getting compliments on who they are instead of their clothes.”

Kiss & Makeup

Schiffman also walks clients through their ideal makeup changes to align with their color analysis. She offers a simple, targeted approach based on each client’s color palette.

“You can get away with just one great lip color that goes with everything in your palette, instead of having ten different shades,” she says. “It simplifies everything.”

More Impact, Less Noise

Knowing your personalized color palette helps manage your closet, so it’s no longer filled with things that aren’t quite right or have never felt like “you.”

I walked away from my visit with B. Well Styled feeling like I had a solid grasp on what looked best on me. When I received my color fan a couple of weeks later, I took that into my closet and purged the items that I didn’t like on me. It has streamlined my wardrobe and made getting ready much easier.

Shopping has been more enjoyable because so much of the guesswork is no longer an issue. Though the color analysis is an investment on the front end, it ultimately saves time and money in the long run because I’m no longer wasting money on items that don’t suit me.

By aligning one’s wardrobe with a personalized color palette, Bianca’s approach aims to make fashion feel more authentic and less overwhelming. 

“It’s not just about trends or shopping for what’s popular,” she says. “It’s about finding what truly works for you, so you can feel confident and comfortable every day.”