Changes to wardrobe, makeup can make you look lighter, younger

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Looking younger and thinner may be a goal of ours as we age, but expensive nutritionists, personal trainers, and even plastic surgeons aren't always the answer.

If you want to look like you've lost ten pounds and ten years off your age, you can do it, just by changing the colors you wear.

Michelle Ferguson is in the middle of a career change and feels her style is uninspired.

"I would like to feel more polished and put together and know that the pieces in my closet work with what I have going on - my natural coloring and shape - and not against that," said Ferguson.

She hired Deborah Noel, owner and consultant of It's Your Image, to help her with this revamp.

"Eighty percent of our image, the way we project ourselves is within our control, and color is the least costly way to make a difference in the way we look, age, how we carry our weight," said Noel.

The wrong colors can overpower us or cause us to look shallow, tired, and even heavier than we actually are. Ferguson's "before" look does just that, according to Noel.

"The jacket that Michelle has on is the wrong shade of purple," Noel observed. "The style of the jacket is short and chunky, and it makes her look short and chunky."

In regards to her makeup, Noel adds, "It emphasizes too much of the red tones in her skin. Too pink."

Noel goes through a color analysis with Ferguson, choosing her natural color scheme based on her skin tone. Then, she's onto the next part.

"We look at other body colors like her red color that comes from the inside of her lips. We do the same with eye colors and hair colors to complete the natural body scheme, and then we find the colors that compliment those natural body colors," explained Noel.

After Noel chooses Ferguson's "yes" colors, they go through her wardrobe and makeup tips with a specific goal in mind.

"We want the eye to be focused up on the conversation triangle," says Noel.

"It is that triangle that we create between the two points of our eyes and our mouth," she adds.

Ferguson's "after" is in the copper family, flattering her skin tone. The jacket elongates, and the makeup neutralizes the pink in her skin.

"I feel amazing. It's such a transformation," says Ferguson.

She continues, "It's so personalized. It's my coloring. It's what works best on my shape, and that feels really good."

Noel says knowing our colors puts us in control of our wardrobe, can save us money on unnecessary pieces, and boosts our confidence. A color consultation is two-and-a-half hours long and costs $300.

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