Well, I can’t just let yesterday go by with no comment!  What an interesting, enlightening afternoon.  I wish you all could have been there . . . you would have loved it!  In case you missed yesterday’s post, I went to have my “colors done.”  No, not my hair 🙂 ; this was all about the colors you choose for clothes and makeup.  I loved it!  I thought you might like to hear about it!  Appropriate MUSICA, click here xoxo  No dancing.  Stay, staaay.

  You may have heard of this before; there was something very much like it, very popular back in the 1980’s, called “Color Me Beautiful.”  Lots of you mentioned it in your comments yesterday.

The theory was, in case you’re new to this, that because of the tint of the fat layer under our skin, there are certain colors that will look best on each of us. If you wear “your unique colors,” they say, you’ll “look healthy, younger, and well rested; gain a sense of excitement and self confidence; avoid wasting time and money buying the wrong clothes.”

Colors are categorized by seasons, which then categorizes YOU; depending on your skin color you might be a “Spring,” or a “Summer,” “Winter,” or an “Autumn” — you’ll look better in either cool colors or warm, depending on whether your skin has yellow undertones or blue.  And there’s a way to find the exact colors and hues that will work for you.  That’s what we signed up to do yesterday, to have our colors done.

I have to say, I was doubtful about this, I did it years ago and didn’t get very far with it, but two of my best friends were going . . . we were all going together, and so if all else failed, I knew we’d have fun!

Plus I have lived almost a whole lifetime without lipstick.  I’ve never been able to find one that didn’t turn my lips blue!  Not a good look unless I want to start painting my nails black. I figured if I came out of this with a lipstick that looked good on me, that alone would be worth the price of admission.  When I did my colors with a Color Me Beautiful representative (years ago, I’m sure they’re better now); it felt a little more like a fad.  The color counselor really didn’t know what I was . . . either a Spring or an Autumn she thought; and she didn’t give me any color swatches to take home; I was supposed to “remember” what colors to look for when I shopped. All I got out of that first try was that I should wear orange, which I always thought was a color best reserved for Halloween. What I really liked were pastels, light baby blue, pink, lime green and black and white stripes.  Looking for love in all the wrong places, because that’s what I bought and that’s what lives lived in my closet.

What I love about life is that a person never has to stop learning.  For example, I used to hate blue cheese!  When I was in my teens, I was a waitress for Bob’s Big Boy on Sherman Way, in Reseda, California.  I had to clean out bins where blue cheese had lived at room temperature for the entire day, which ended my having any interest in ever actually tasting it.  I spent my whole life dodging blue cheese — but about five years ago, something changed and I fell in love with creamy delicious blue cheese and now I could eat it every day.  I dip raw carrots in it, scooping up the lumps of soft cheese; spread it on a half of a tomato; glob it on to chicken wings; dip garlic bread in it.  I wob it.  Life just gets better all the time!  I’m happy to discover that one does not have to bore oneself silly with the constant never-changing sameness of what one “thinks” one likes!

But I forget this all the time; I get stuck in my ways.  Until something like yesterday, reminds me!  SO, anyway,  we all piled into the car and went over to Wendy’s house because she has this small, one-person, HOUSE OF COLOUR business here on Martha’s Vineyard, which has gained a kind of reputation for FUN — all through word-of-mouth; everyone is doing it!  We heard about it from Lowely who RAVED about it; she heard it from Margot who said it changed her life forever; so we had to go!

Wendy met us at the door, we did introductions, dropped our coats and hats on a bench in the hall and followed her up two stories to her top floor studio, stopping on the landing to admire the amazing beaded purse collection she had framed and hanging there.  When we opened the door to her studio filled with color, we found she’d made us deviled eggs and bowls of fresh strawberries; she had dark chocolate, herb teas, little bowls of nuts and ginger cookies which she placed around the room on side tables never far from any of us.  She understood the needs of her clients. ♥ 

There was a mirror with a chair in front of it, for the victim is what I was thinking, and two chairs on either side for the victims-to-be. We “let” Annie go first.  No lights on in the room, all natural light from the tall windows behind the mirror. We’d been told beforehand not to wear any make up.  We were very beautiful and lovely.

Here’s a little glimpse into the room.  Wendy pulled back Annie’s hair, hooked it with a scrunchy and began to try these colored scarves on her, draping them under her face like bibs.  As she did, she talked to us about how much she loved her job; she was SO full of passion and excitement, she felt like she was making people happy; it wasn’t even work to her; how could she not be passionate about that!

As Wendy worked, I saw Annie’s face literally change with the colors; her skin tone cleared, dark circles went away, her blue eyes got bluer, her face got brighter; I started seeing the possibilities, and when Wendy topped off the color with make up and the perfect wonderful lipstick color for her eyes, I was SOLD.  The same thing happened with Martha!  Then, me too!  None of us went out of there the way we’d come in.  We did look younger, slimmer, prettier, happier; we had fun; we felt better.  It was SO worth it.

Wendy sent us home with our own make up colors and fabric swatches; we all helped choose the WOW colors for each other, the ones in each of our seasons that made us look the best, and made notes about them in our swatch books (which she gave us to keep in our purses for when we’re shopping).  But best of all all all, I got three gorgeous lipsticks that don’t turn my lips blue!! Including a red one!  I’ve always wanted to wear red lipstick! ♥

I was so excited when I got home I stayed up until 11 oclock trying on clothes (that’s like my 3 o’clock in the morning!). Matching the color swatches Wendy gave me, I went through my closet and pulled out anything in my colors — brick red, brown, olive green, camel and purple.  And orange.  I don’t have many clothes in these colors, but what I have looks SO MUCH BETTER than most of the things I wear that I can’t really believe it!

I’m late putting up this post today because I got sidetracked this morning; I just got back from Lowely’s — where we all just met for a clothes swap.  Lowely’s getting rid of her Autumn, Spring and Summer colors, she needs Winter. Martha can have all my Summers; I’ll be happy to take her Autumns! Sheri, who had her colors done a week ago, came in with a brand new hair color, from blond to dark chestnut brown — gorgeous!  Because now she knows she’s a summer and needs a warm color!

I think this is going to save me a LOT of money on clothes!  I always feel I don’t have anything to wear even though I have a closet full of clothes!  I also realize I won’t need so many clothes, because when it’s all in your colors, it all looks good together, and you can get by with a lot less.  One chocolate brown coat for me is worth twenty black ones.  And best of all, you don’t have to worry what to wear anymore.  It all looks good on you!  It all mixes and matches!

Wendy does this for all ages, from teenagers to ninety year olds and for men too!  The underlying color of your skin never changes, and you can look more beautiful at any age.  A little slash of these bright, color-right lipsticks really make a huge difference!  Once you’ve had your colors done, that’s it, for a lifetime, you don’t change.  She told us to remember to get our jammies, underwear, and beach towels in our colors too ~ wallpaper and sofas, and sheets too; and if you’re getting married, your bridesmaids should be dressed in your colors, so you look beautiful in all of your photos surrounded in your own colors!  Doesn’t that make good sense?

This day (we went from 10 am until 3pm), including the strawberries and chocolate, but not including the lipstick and makeup, cost each of us $150 … I figure I’ll get my money back the first time I don’t buy a powder blue sweater.  Which will be soon.

I don’t know whether these consultants are available across America . . . or even if it interests you.  But I have heard some of you say you might be visiting the Vineyard next summer . . . SO, if you do, and you’d like to get your colors done you can contact Wendy Jacobs to make an appointment.  She might even be able to steer you in the right direction if you are interested in hanging out with girlfriends, spreading some sunshine, and making money doing it by becoming a consultant yourself!   More word of mouth, girlfriend-to-girlfriend.  (No, I do not own any part of this and only met Wendy yesterday! 🙂  It was just so much fun and practical too!) Update from June 2017: you can still contact Wendy, but she has now moved to South Carolina ~ maybe closer to YOU!)

Know what else looks like fun?  Watching the Random Number Generator (i.e. Vanna) choose the winner for our birdie salt and peppers!  Actually, to tell you the truth, I’ve been dreading it.  Up until we hear the name, it could be YOU; then if it isn’t, I feel bad.  I need more birds!  I want to send them to everyone!  Anticipation is almost always more fun than reality, and this is proof!

Except for one single lucky girl by the name of . . .

Jeannie M from SC ! ! ! 

Congratulations Jeannie — she’s one of our regular girlfriends, I recognize her name!  I just sent her an email to announce her as the winner — in the subject line I wrote, “Peep peep from Susan Branch” — do you think she’ll guess it?

We always have a consolation prize . . . and this time, it’s a virtual trip to New York City, for everyone! We get on the ferry boat Monday morning, so comeonalong!  xoxo Love you!