Find Your Personal Colour in Korea

The concept of personal colours is not new, but it has in recent years risen to trend in Korea. The use of personal colours is now one of the biggest beauty trends in Korea, where people are looking for the best combination of colours that suit them. So much so that some cosmetic stores in Korea now include labels on their products indicating the colour profile that the make-up is suitable for.

If you are visiting Korea, the land of beauty and make-up, why not consider getting your personal colours analysed to find out more about the type of colours and make-up that suit you the best!

What is Personal Colour Analysis?

As its name suggest, personal colour analysis aims to help you find a palette of colours that are most suitable for you. It is not just about the colours that you like, but also how well the colours highlight your features. Good colours will make your face look brighter, make your complexion appear better, and hide your flaws, while unsuitable colours will make you look dull and amplify your pores and dark circles. To be honest, we too were rather skeptical about it until we experienced it for ourselves.

Generally, the colours can be categorised as warm colours or cool colours; and further divided into seasons. Summer and Winter colours are considered cool colours, and Spring and Autumn colours are considered warm colours. The colours can further be divided into light or dark; or bright or muted.

By the end of the session, after a series of tests, you will be able to find out which colour palettes suit you the the best, and which colours you might want to avoid. There will also be recommendations for the type of make-up and accessories that will suit you well.

What happens during the session?

During the session, the personal colour analyst will first give you an overview of the different colour types and to explain the concept of personal colours.

The analyst will do a series of test to find out more about your natural colours — from the colour of your vein, your natural skin tone, the colour of your eyes, and your natural hair colour. This will help you to better understand your natural skin colours.

The main analysis starts after that, primarily through a process called draping. During draping, large pieces of fabric will be draped across your shoulders. As each of the coloured fabric is draped across your shoulders, you will be able to clearly observe the effects of these colours on your tones. This process of draping makes it very easy for you to compare and understand how colours could affect how you look.

This is where the analyst will identify if you are better suited for warm or cool colours; bright or muted colours; and light or dark colours. In addition to colours, you will also find out which shade on the greyscale suits you best; and also if silver or gold suits you better.

Different analysts will provide different levels of details, depending on the package that you go for. But some of the additional analysis that are commonly available include identifying the hair colours that suit you best, the colour of the lenses that you could wear, suitable fashion styles, and the type of accessories that suit you best. Based on the season and tone of colours that suit you, the analyst may also recommend colour palettes for your make-up — everything from your base make-up, lip colours, to eye make-up.

The last part of the session would be a pouch analysis, where the analyst will take a look the make-up that you are currently using and advising you if they are suitable for you. They will usually also provide you with a product list with recommendations that will help you in your shopping for make-up products.

What to take note of when going for the session?

Since the session is to help you identify colours that suit your natural colour, it is advised that you go for the session without make-up on. Or if you really must, with very, very minimal make-up. Also, avoid wearing coloured contact lens when you attend the session.

Where to go for Personal Colour Analysis?

There are many places in Korea that does personal colour analysis. Here are some of the most highly recommended English-speaking analysts that you could go for:

• Vic’s Lab — One of the most established personal colour analysis services (180,000KRW, located at Hongdae)
• Color Wings — Very educational and interactive (110,000KRW, located at Mapo)
• Meime Color and Beauty — More casual and comfortable setting (120,000KRW, located at Yeoksam)
• Color Society — Stronger emphasis on make-up palettes (85,000KRW, located at Yeonnam)

Most of these sessions require you to make reservations in advance.

Note that the prices listed above are assuming 1:1 sessions and for packages that offer similar analysis; other packages are available based on your requirements.