Frequently Asked Questions

- A detailed colour comparison process (or, draping) to identify Season (or, group of natural colouring) from a menu of 12 possibilities
- A palette of 65 colour swatches exclusive to the Season
- A demonstration of how to use the palette to recognize harmonious colours (and which colours to bypass)
- Cosmetic colour demonstration and application
- Answers for most flattering hair colour options
- Information regarding any other aspect of colour in appearance, such as eyeglass frames or wedding dress white
- An 18-20 page document that outlines the most attractive colours and explains how to wear them for each individual’s colouring, as well as describing the expression of the Season for all members of the group; the document includes sections on cosmetic and hair colours, choosing the right jewelry, colour applications for men, and for curiosity only, a segment on personality traits often found in the Season
- The first step of a journey of self-discovery about who you are, and how to use clothing and makeup to tell the world about the real you. This is the “life-changing experience” that people describe from Personal Colour Analysis (PCA).

Please note that I cannot always predict which Seasons I will see when I travel or teach. Should I be out of stock for your Season palette, I will have it shipped to you at my expense at the soonest possible time. The waiting period is between 2-4 weeks and I will offer other options that will be useful in the meantime.

Scheduling is flexible and includes weekends and holidays.

The location is Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island (PEI), Canada. Please contact me by email (christine@12blueprints.com) to discuss availability or visit the Book A Consultation page.

The cost for the comprehensive 3.5 to 4 hour session is:

>>$550.00 CDN for women; with 15% PE HST tax, $82.50, the total is $632.50.

>>$450.00 CDN for men and persons 14 years and under; with 15% PE HST tax, $67.50, the total is $517.50.

Forms of payment:

1. Cash, either CN or US. While US currency is accepted, I am unable to provide change. Please be aware of the current exchange rate and bring the exact amount.

2. EMT or Interac transfer is the preferred method within Canada, at any time before the appointment or within a day after. If this will be your form of payment, please mention it during our pre-PCA conversations so that the correct email for sending payments may be shared.

3. PayPal prior to the session or within a day after. Please do Send Money to 12blueprints@gmail.com. You may prefer to complete online payments using your private wifi or data plan the day before the session or within a day after.

4. Visa or MasterCard at the time of the session, using a Square on an iPad (see www.squareup.com). This system works well much of the time, although an alternative option is a good idea.

Cancellation: Should the appointment be cancelled, there is no fee regardless of when the cancellation occurs. The sooner you can let me know, the better. Should the appt. be rescheduled, the price at the time of cancellation will be applied for re-booking for 6 months. After that time, the current fee is applied to the new appointment.

3 types of consultations are available:

1. Being a colour model for a colour analyst training course:
These are focussed on the student's learning primarily. You learn your Season (or group of natural colouring) and are welcome to participate in the analysis process. The conversation is more theoretical/technical than practical, though we do answer your technical questions.
There is no cost to the model. Your full-size palette may be purchased if you wish for 57.50 (inc HST), which is a 70% discount from the retail price. You can find more information on the website under Colour Analysis > Be a draping model.

2. The full analysis process:
A personalized session, which includes the colour palette and Season Guide documents. Cosmetic and hair colour consultations are not included.
Two sessions can be done in the same day, beginning at 830AM to have the best light, ending around 2PM. Cost is CN450.00 (or 517.50 with PE 15% HST).

3. The full analysis process, including the colour palette, Season Guide documents, and cosmetic and hair colour consultations:
The session takes 4-4.5 hours with one session per day beginning at 9AM.
Cost is CN550.00 (or 632.50 with PE 15% HST).
More information may be found under the Colour Analysis tab > Book a consultation.

For clients and colour models:

Dress in layers. The studio may be cool or you may find the drapes warm.

Avoid clothing with hoods.

Do not wear makeup, including eyebrows sunscreens. Moisturizer is fine to keep skin feeling comfortable.

Avoid earrings if possible.

If you wear glasses and have several pairs, choose the least colourful frames, with the clearest lenses. Contact lenses are ideal if you have the option.

Avoid facials, self tanner, outdoor sports, or any other activity that might irritate or colour the skin for 2 weeks prior to the analysis session.

For clients only:

Bring your foundation. It will save time if the match is a good one. I stock several options for light to medium skin, but few for darker complexions.

Bring your mascara if you would like to take pictures, as I do not stock this product.

Bring your makeup brushes if you prefer to use them instead of mine.

Bring your makeup stash. Comparing your present and future colours on the same page shows you the differences and where to focus your new purchases. We will not address every item in your kit, but you will understand how to filter it to correctly decide what is enhancing for you.

Bring a few items of clothing, 4 to 6 being a good number, if you would like to practice using your palette with items that you already own.

Bring a phone or camera with enough storage space, if you would like a few pictures in your Season colours.

3 hours for men and persons 14 years and under.

For client consultations including cosmetic and hair colour discussion, plan for a duration of 3.5 to 4 hours.

Ideally, sessions begin at 9AM for the best light.

To maximize the benefits from your PCA, one week before the appointment, women receive a pre-PCA questionnaire by email to organize our thoughts and focus your desired outcomes. We will discuss it briefly before the draping so that you can share any other relevant concerns.

In the months with fewer daylight hours (October 1 to April 30), one student session is scheduled per day, with a beginning time of 9-9.30AM.

When daylight hours are longer, two sessions are scheduled per day, beginning at 8.30AM.

Group discounts are not available at this time.

It would be like trying to see your skin through a mask. We will colour analyze the mask, the makeup, instead of your natural and true skin tone.

If you have permanent makeup, we can work around it. The analysis will still be accurate and the result correct.

If you arrive wearing makeup, it may be removed here. Try to be early since an extra 15 minutes will be required and your skin may need time to settle.

Natural hair colour contributes no information that cannot be found more reliably in the skin.

Although all of our natural colours are always in perfect harmony, attention to hair colour during the analysis may complicate the interpretation of your colours in various ways. Here are two examples:

- You may have warm-looking hair and cool-looking skin. Some individuals may have cool skin, cool hair, and warm-looking eyes, or freckles with cool skin. Any combination is possible in any of the 12 Seasons. Of skin, eye, and hair colour, hair is by far the least reliable to know Season.
- The possibility of matching hair colour to the drapes is an easy mistake because hair is such a big colour block. It is safer to simply cover it.

Visible chemical hair colour may be as misleading to the analysis as wearing makeup.

Am I advising against hair dye? Not at all. Done right, it can be gorgeous and enhance our beauty. If you prefer to invest in this product, let’s find the best colour.

Hair colour is a huge part of successful appearance. In any length or style, hair colour is always seen at the same time as skin and eyes, cosmetics, and wardrobe, so it is essential that they be attractive together. Once the Season is known, we will have all the information needed to discuss most flattering hair colour.

Dissatisfaction with hair colour often arises from non-harmonious apparel or makeup. Once clothing and cosmetic colours are adjusted, you may find that your natural hair colour is perfect, with richer pigment, more sparkle, and an agreement with you and your attire that chemical colour cannot equal.

For privacy and security, 18 years is the minimum age for clients and models, unless accompanied by a parent.

Before 20 years of age, Season may change and another analysis may be needed. Season is generally settled by the time we are 20 years old.

Our colouring is in continuous transition throughout our lives but once we reach 20 years of age, Season remains the same. Resources are available to explain how the palette may be applied throughout the adult years.

If the night before was a late night, you may have the flu, or feel a headache coming, let’s postpone the session. Sitting under lights for 4 hours may make things worse. Short notice cancellation is perfectly fine; send me an email as soon as you know.

If you have an unexpected sunburn (more than a mild suntan) or used self-tanner in the last 3 weeks, we should delay the session by at least 2 weeks.

If you are on medication that you feel may have altered your colours, we might delay till you are well into recovery. In reality, our colouring rarely changes due to illness or medication, but to take full advantage of the session and the result, it may be best if you feel fully confident with your colours.

Yes, or offer a short list of beautiful and specific options.

I believe that natural hair colour is the most flattering for the skin colour and texture, and seamlessly harmonious with the person and wardrobe at all life stages.

However, chemical colour or highlights may be added in colours that look beautiful and add gloss, volume, and colour artistry.

If hair has been coloured for many years, the true and natural hair colour, and especially the darkness level, may have been forgotten. Our perceptions adjusted gradually to a different shade and may not have kept up with hair colour changes over time.

For your PCA, let as much of the roots grow out as possible. We will gain a more correct appreciation of the hair colours that Nature designed for you, since natural hair contains a myriad of tones and nuances.

Partner with your hair colourist to determine the technical process or formulas to adjust your colour. Bring your colour palette for the colourist to select the hair colour that will be harmonious with your apparel. We can find pictures to show the colourist, but once equipped with the palette, the documents and conversations that we share, and photographs of the pre-dye hair colour, most women are well prepared to describe their new and improved colour.

An excellent question. It is important to approach the PCA with an open mind. Be ready for things to change because they will; we can’t un-see it.

Seeing ourselves as others do is a surprise for everyone, but unless we speak a language they can understand, our appearance may not be saying what we hoped.

Allow the objectivity of the PCA process. We may be used to looking the same as we did yesterday and the day before, but confirming old beliefs is not our goal.

Before the analysis, few have ever seen their best appearance in a way they could recognize. Too many years of less-than-best choices, habit, safety, and well-meaning advice have been absorbed into our beliefs. We almost shy away from our best. Truly, you have no concerns here. We’ll get there together.

Keep a Selfie Diary of the journey. In the very near future, you may be quite amazed at your previous beliefs regarding your relationship with colour. We will replace them with information that is real and true, that everyone will be able to see.

No. The PCA process works for every person, of any age, ancestry, or colouring. People with colouring too complex to analyze do not exist.

In my opinion, 12 Seasons is the right number. There are only so many colours that human eyes can tell apart, for one thing. Also, inserting more Seasons borrows colours from existing Seasons, blurring the unique energy and visual potential of each group.

Any field of study can be as structured and specific, or free-form and artistic, as its designer planned. Colour and appearance are fully expressed when art and science cooperate.

To be confident in the result, I desire a system in which drape calibrations and analysis process are consistent and reproducible. The Season gathers together people whose colouring shares more than it differs from the scientific viewpoint of how colouring is organized.

Within any Season however, every person is an individual, with wide variety in apparent skin, eye, and hair colours, each with their own preferences and desires in appearance. Once the Season is identified, we will discuss customizing the palette to your best application of your colours, a process that you will refine many times over the years.

If ever you think your Season is not right, I drape you again, simple as that. There is no charge for the draping process, though the travel costs are yours.

In the vast majority of cases, the Season result was correct the first time, but the perception of the colours needs a small adjustment. As a client, you can contact me at any time with your concerns, most of which we can resolve by email or phone, and with pictures.

Yes, we can do the Men’s PCA (prices above in question 2). The time of the session is reduced by 45-60 minutes.

There are no right or wrong answers about wearing or declining cosmetics. This is every woman’s choice, but awareness of why the choice was made may be empowering.

If you were offered a natural blush, brow powder, and semisheer lip colour that could be applied within minutes and always looked seamless and sophisticated, would you feel the same way?

Our approach to makeup is focussed on colour, not application technique. With the right colours, application becomes simple and quick, almost turn-key, with an elegant and natural result.

I believe that great makeup means adding more of what we already are. If the colour added to the lips is already in the lips, the colour simply becomes part of the face, without standing out or apart. You should only have multiple products to serve the same purpose if you want them.

If you prefer to decline the cosmetic part of the PCA, simply tell me during our e-mail conversations. Either decision is right because it’s yours.

I encourage it. It is more interactive and we have an assistant to take notes and pictures, if you wish.

If you have any feelings of uncertainty about the PCA, then I strongly encourage it.

No audio or video recordings are permitted at any time. Still photographs are encouraged in the final stages to remember the experience, but during the analysis process, they may be distracting or take too much time away from the colour conversation.