One of the biggest challenges many people face when setting up their wardrobes, is discovering their own style and colour.

Ideally, this can be adapted to current fashions, but unfortunately many simply opt to follow the trend and never bother with their own style and favourite colours.

To be smart and striking, you need first to feel comfortable and confident, which is more often a question of colours. There is no doubt that the colours you wear will have a powerful effect on how you feel, and crucially, how others respond to you.

There are colours that work great to support your personality. And you definitely look and feel great in such colours.

Kerry Caley is one of such people who fancy colours. She is a counselling psychologist specialising in child play therapy, trauma counselling and life coaching but also deals in interior design and colour analysis.

Interestingly, Kerry says the two topics are related, because they are all about making people’s issues, looks and their homes look better.

Individual colour assessment for people has a scientific basis

During the previous century, experts in art history claimed that famous artists tended to paint pictures in their favourite colours.

For instance Rembrandt, a Dutch painter and dark headed man, painted in blacks, dark greys, pure white, whilst the red headed Toulouse Lautrec, painted in apricots and browns.

However, Kerry says Titian and Van Gogh who painted in riots of bright yellows, reds and oranges, were both men with red hair.

From these observations regarding people’s favourite colours, the science of colour for people developed.

"There are two main undertones in all race groups of the world, a blue undertone and a yellow undertone,” explains Kerry.

For instance, she adds, when people tell you that you look good, you are likely to be wearing a colour that suits you. But if people ask whether you are ill, and you are not, it is most likely you are wearing the wrong colour.

Kerry emphasises that right colour enhances one’s looks because of the shadow it reflects to the face. It is thus the balance of the right tone of colour and your face that enhances the way you are perceived.

First impressions are critically important when you present yourself to the world. According research by Professor Albert Mehrabian, 55% of what people’s minds make up of you, occurs in the first thirty seconds of seeing you.

What you say and do afterwards, only make up 38% of what people think about you, and what you actually say counts for 7% of what people say about you.

Recently, I have come across research findings that show an increase in visual impact that in some cases goes up to 95% because of television, advertising and the internet.

So, how do we create the best impression of ourselves? It is an urban myth that all women dress to impress men. Wrong.

Women dress to impress other women because women notice far more details than a man would. Men look at the overall picture, the image, whilst women look at every minute detail, especially if you look nice.

Today’s concern with appearance is more important compared to 30 years ago. This is because we have increased mobility than our forefathers.

And the way of the modern world today is that we need to constantly sharpen our skills through training and diversifying in order to stay on in the competitive job market.

Again, the media has contributed to a social impact which has made people more judgemental of visual images and what they mean.

There is also the changing role of women, many of whom defy traditional stereotyping and are currently seen in new and challenging roles in the work place, government and society.

Image: This is an ongoing development, where people, especially women, dress to impress the society. But wearing the correct colours and styles of clothing to suit your personality are integral to developing your life long image.

In business: Dressing surveys have revealed that women, who do not dress smartly, are thought of as being less professional, less capable.

Dressing is considered from head to toes, cleanliness, make-up, general grooming. Style and colour of clothes and accessories do not need to cost a lot of money.

The new roles of women: In society, it means there is more competition in the job market, so it is smart to present yourself, your image, as though success has already come your way.

When looking for a job, or going to a function, try to think about what the expectations are for the role you will be playing, and represent yourself, by dressing accordingly.

Examine your make-up. frame your eyes. To obtain the natural shape of the eyebrows, take a straight pencil and hold it vertically up the side of your nose.

Your eyebrows should start from the outside of the pencil. They should be slightly thicker at the beginning and get narrower towards the end.

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