You probably have some preconceptions about Color Me Beautiful. They are probably quite accurate. Yes, they have spelt it wrong. Yes, some woman is going to drape you in coloured fabrics and tell you if you are a Winter or a Spring. But there is method to the madness and if you want to improve your overall image and style, then you might consider taking a course.

The main idea behind Color Me Beautiful is that we all have different skin tones, hair and eye colours and the combination of the three is what makes different clothes and make-up look good or bad on us. The first thing a course will teach is how to determine your own particular season. You will learn about what colours you should wear, what neutrals to team them with and what shades to avoid. (You can get a jump on the rest of the class with some basic information from www.colormebeautiful.com.)

Does your hair have golden or red tones? Do you have medium to dark eyes? Is your hair dark or medium dark?	Autumn	You are suited to warm greens, gold and rust.
Is your hair solid silver or dark without golden highlights? Do you have dark eyes?	Winter	You are suited to red, royal blue and teal green
Does your hair have golden or red tones? Do you have clear, light to medium eyes? Is your hair medium to light?	Spring	You are suited to teal, salmon and periwinkle
If you are none of the above, then you are:	Summer	You are suited to pink, mauve and slate blue

There are variations within these categories - for example you might be a Spring who can horn in on some of Winter's colours. Your lecturer will explain these nuances to you as the class progresses. Your allotted season will also determine your makeup routine and you will learn step-by-step make-up application and how to put your make-up colours together.

A course will also teach you about styling - the types and shapes of clothing that suit you most. You will learn how to determine your body type and the clothes that will flatter it. Depending on the class you take, you could also get the full Trinny and Susannah treatment and learn how to wear the latest fashion trends in a way that will suit you and also how to clear your wardrobe of the items that are dragging you down. Naturally, your lecturer won't be as cruel as the weird sisters - she won't, for example, bring you to the front of the class and poke at you while laughing derisively at your home perm. However, she may gently suggest that its time to put the leg warmers to bed.

Of course, you don't have to limit yourself to a Color Me Beautiful ™ class. There are plenty of courses about that can help you with style and beauty. As well as colour analysis, you can also learn about skincare, hairstyles and most importantly, scarf tying.

So if people keep asking you if you are sick/a performer from Fossetts/wearing that for a bet, then your life could probably accommodate a style class. 

By :Aoife Rogers