Mask mandates are about to be lifted in many areas across the country. I have mixed feelings about this shift. Dropping our masks means we can see each other smile, but it also means scary times for people with compromised health conditions. For the sake of those folks (and myself as an older person) I will continue to mask in public indoor spaces.

I spend a lot of time looking at faces really close up as part of my job as a color analyst. (I stay masked throughout the appointment.) Since a color palette that feels deeply authentic must take into account more than the client’s coloring, I spend the first half hour of each appointment asking them lots of questions to give me clues as to their personality, interests and intentions. In spite of seeing only the top half of this stranger’s face, I try to deduce something meaningful about who they are.

Then we adjourn to the analysis table and the client drops the mask. Invariably I’m surprised.

Based on the upper half of their face, their clothes, their posture, and our conversation I might have been leaning towards a certain seasonal harmony, but when I see the mouth, nose, and shape of the jaw I may have to change my mind. The full face, moving in its own harmony, often tells another story, and is one reason why I might find that despite Autumn coloring the person is in fact a Spring. Or someone who seems to have the high contrast of a Winter could turn out to be a dark Summer. The coloring, facial structure and personality are all of a piece, and it’s why internet-generated color palettes are rarely satisfactory.

I thought this gal might be a Winter. But no. She was a Jewel-Tone Summer with a most unusual palette because of the extraordinary colors of her eyes.

Did I mention I love this work?

I’m still only seeing fully vaccinated people. If this intrigues you, give me a call.