Kim Bolsover Colour Analysis

16/09/2025

Do you need natural light for colour consultations?
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Q1: "Dear Kim, I will use my clothes shop for colour consultions. But the space within the shop that is private and perfect doesn't have natural light. I know these days there are great lighting systems that replicate full spectrum natural light. Would this be adequate or does it need to be the real McCoy?" Reburga

Q2: "Dear Kim, I am having a workshop / posh shed / sunhouse built and was wondering about lighting. I noticed you have the natural daylight bulbs in the wholesale catalogue. The posh shed will be 16" long x 8"depth with a pent roof so no obvious place to put lighting. I did have two very old American daylight diffused lights that I clipped onto the mirror. One has broken and replacing them is not really possible (very old)! All I have considered so far is a moveable double-striplight with 2-3 daylight bulbs in. I would appreciate suggestions." Petunia

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Dear Reburga and Petunia,

I have never used daylight bulbs.

Many years ago when I first started in this wonderful image business, I learned that daylight bulbs had been invented purely for glass cabinet displays. They were never intended to replicate true daylight for, say, personal image purposes.

That's why we had to come up with ways around this.

There was a time when I would only do colour analyses during daylight hours which, during a typical UK winter, would often only yield a few hours each day.

And consequently I used to refuse bookings in the evenings – what a waste of time and energy – if you'll pardon the pun!

Thankfully I soon met my first image mentor who totally blew the lid on this when he told me,

"Unless our colour and style customers live in the desert, they have to go shopping for clothes in department stores, shops, and boutiques where the lighting bears no resemblance whatsoever to daylight. It is our job to show them how to shop for clothes in any light source, and at any hour of the day or night."

Ah, blessed relief!

This made so much sense to me and took away all the daft anxiety I'd been feeling.

I put mirrors in every room in my home. After deciding on my client's best drapes, I would take her on a tour of the house, looking in mirrors in different light sources. We would also take a hand mirror outside to check for any differences.

I found this made more sense to the client because it gave her a real experience of checking colours in conditions more similar to shopping, and we all had much more fun moving around.

But this isn't about me…

So if working in natural light (or as near as damn it) is important to the way you work, then…

Things have changed now so you may find a plethora of alternative light bulbs out there.

Crafters of all kinds need good lighting for close-up work so craft suppliers may be a good place to start.

If you find anything that proves to be really good for you, let me know and I can pass this on to other image consultants too!

14/09/2025

If you would like to know...

>> How to run consultations and workshops in colour, body bits, accessories, personal style, and more?
>> How to promote yourself, find your first clients, and keep them coming back for more?
>> How to easily analyse eye colour, hair colour, seasons, body shape, style personality, colour psychology?
>> How to do colour analysis WITHOUT a drape in sight?

Then this is a once-in-a-blue-moon opportunity.

Because normally I only make these amazing Colour & Style Masterclasses available to my VIP clients by special invitation.

However, to celebrate 45 years in this fabulous business, you can get them all AND save 45%! But only for the next few days...

Here's the list of all 20x masterclasses - some of my finest work, if I do say so myself.

1: Promote yourself with Cool & Warm
2: The how-to of Style workshops
3: Colour presentations to explode your business
4: The one-to-one colour consultation
5: Getting out of your own way
6: Accessories – secret weapons of the world’s top stylists
7: Colour analysis without a drape in sight
8: Body bits!
9: How to keep colour clients coming back for more
10: Find your first clients!
11: Colour – a psychological preference
12: Simplified eye colour analysis
13: Ignore proportion, line and scale at your peril
14: Body shape diagnosis without a tape measure
15: Simplified hair colour analysis
16: Style personality
17: How many seasons?
18: The one-to-one style consultation
19: The perfect consultation
20: Create a styling program for your VIPs

Every masterclass includes 45+ minutes of audio tuition, extensive notes, a step-by-step workbook, exercises, challenges, and homework to get you taking action.

You should know - There is ALWAYS homework when you work with me!

"Wow Kim! I logged to the Step-by-step Academy: your work is HUGE! I’m so thrilled to listen and read everything even if it’s going to take some time… Well done Kim, and thank you! Anna, Italy

ONLY available from this page (link in first comment). Limited time offer which could disappear without notice.

12/09/2025

SAVE 45% on our professional colour analysis, personal style, and strategy courses & resources

These are first five:

1. Advanced Colour Analysis course

2. Ladies Personal Style course

3. Mindset Motivation & Marketing for Image Consultants course

4. Fabulous Colour Analysis course

5. Colour & Style Masterclasses

#4 and #5 are normally by Invitation only. They're like rocking horse doo-doo - normally only available to VIP clients as part of their bespoke 1-1 training and mentoring package so this is a huge opportunity for you to grab them now and SAVE 45%

We'll be adding more courses over the coming days, and taking some away! Don't miss out. Order now at the ONLY page where you can save 45% (link in first comment).

Payment plan available at the checkout

If you're interested in a specific training course that's not on this special page, let me know and I'll check if it's on our list.

11/09/2025

EIGHTEEN days to go before ALL colour supplies prices go up by 10%

Drapes, swatches/fans/wallets, capes, drape stands, colour wheels, and other colour supplies, all at trade prices

Place your colour supplies order before 12 noon Midday UK time Monday 29 September

Due to higher than usual demand, some products may temporarily go out of stock during the weeks ahead so order now to avoid disappointment.

Order early to avoid out-of-stock and delivery delays

18 days left to save 10%...

11/09/2025

Blumenburga sent me this colour analysis question...

Kim, I've been asked to speak about colour analysis at a ladies business talk. Where do I start? What do I include in a 20 minute presentation? Please help.

Dear Blumenburga, you're starting at the wrong end because the first question you should ask yourself is what do you want out of this?

Do you want to:
>> get your name known locally
>> get some sales
>> build your prospect list
>> do a favour for a friend
>> raise money for charity... ?

What on earth can you say in 20 minutes?

Frankly, I would refuse a 20 minute slot. you're worth a lot more than that. Demonstrate that you're a professional by setting down your parameters and tell them to ask you again when they can offer you 45 minutes or more.

Don't be boring!

If you decide to go ahead, whatever you do, don't do the usual boring image consultant talk.

I'm Blumenburga, and when you come to have your colours done I will show you your best neutrals and your best accent colours. Blah, blah, blah… Boring!

You need to develop something colourful that is extremely quick, extremely to the point, and extremely memorable.

So tell a story of a client who experienced huge changes, and I mean the changes have to be huge, awe-inspiring, and totally memorable.

If it's funny, and you are confident enough to deliver humour, all the better.

Or get them playing a game, or moving round the room.

Be different, so that they'll never forget you!

If I assume you're looking to find customers and make sales, then you need to establish your integrity, your personality, and how you will absolutely change their lives.

You'll need more than a miracle

You're going to have to borrow Hermione Granger's time-turner to achieve all that in 20 minutes.

So go for making a lasting impression, and offer to stay around afterwards to talk to people individually.

The colour content is not important.

You haven't got time for that.

Give them a taste of YOU instead because they're not coming to you for colour analysis anyway; they're coming for confidence.

Can you deliver confidence to your colour clients when they come to see you one-to-one?

Yes?

Then demonstrate that's exactly what they'll get.

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My colour analysis masterclass 'Colour presentations to explode your business' shows you exactly how to introduce potential clients to your colour analysis services by creating your very own signature presentation.

Right now, I'm Celebrating 45 Years in this fabulous business, and you can save 45% off all my Colour Analysis Masterclasses.

Normally these are only available to my VIP clients...

Limited time offer - check the link in the first comment before this disappears.

10/09/2025

Hundreds of years ago I was on a conference for image consultants and one of the speakers invited us to discover which of 4 colour personalities we were.

I learned so much that day about:
a) why some wannabe image consultants will do whatever it takes to be successful
b) why some will change themselves and their behaviour to ensure they achieve their dreams
c) and why most will do sweet nothing and will never make it

Two things shocked me

1) The first thing that shocked me was that 75% of the room were all the same personality type.
2) The second thing that shocked me was that I wasn't one of them. In fact I was the only one in the room who was a Red personality type.

I'm not saying that Reds can't be image consultants because none of us are one hundred per cent just one of the four types. We're all a combination of the four. But in my case, my Red personality scores 85%. I've got about 10% Green, 4% Blue, and my so-called-innate Yellow traits hardly warrant a mention!

So you can see that I am as Red as you can get, and that means:
>> I hate detail
>> I don't find 'convivial' conversation comes easily to me
>> I don't suffer fools at all

This amazing insight into my personality made me take a long, hard look at the way I was running my business at the time.

It became obvious that what I was doing was at odds with who I really was, and that was why I wasn't doing as well as I should.

I was then able to make some real shifts in how I thought about my life and I began to do things a heck of a lot differently.

From then on, as Frank Sinatra would say, I did it my way!

>>I changed who I worked with
>>I changed what services I offered to suit me
>>And most importantly, I changed how I communicated with my prospects and clients

Did my results improve?

Yes indeedy, and I'm still here to prove it.

What about the other personality types?
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Yellows love being involved with women especially in groups while Reds work better with men or in the corporate world. Blues like to focus on one client at a time while Greens like to have a balanced mix of both 1-1 clients and small groups.

Please bear in mind here that I'm talking about extremes of each type. And extreme cases are rare. Most of us are a combination of two or more and it will be that unique combination that determines the choices you make and the results you achieve.

I used this information about myself to change:

a) my target market
b) the services I offered
c) and the way I delivered them

In fact, what I learned about myself produced a new business plan that suited me and MY personality.

So, for instance, I immediately stopped doing wardrobe weed-outs. I want to scream at the very thought of going through hundreds of skirts, tops, bottoms, and handbags!

I stopped doing personal shopping trips. I hate, loathe, and detest shopping – for anything at all - apart from food, champagne, and gin!

I realised that I had been offering services to my clients through gritted teeth. And that is no way to treat my clients. And it's far from being kind to myself.

This opened up huge possibilities for me to be who I really am, serve only the people I truly enjoy working with, and create products and services that I love to work on.

My colour analysis masterclass 'Colour – a psychological preference' explains more about the 4 different colour personalities and how I ALMOST came to the conclusion that I was in totally the wrong line of work.

This masterclass will get you thinking about how YOU could use colour psychology and personality profiling to help you understand more about yourself and your clients and offer a bespoke service.

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This is just one of 20x Masterclasses, currently available with 45% saving in my brand-new Celebrating 45 Years in Colour & Style.

Colour Analysis Masterclasses

An extensive library of 20 Masterclasses each with audio, notebook, and my famous homework!

Update and learn new colour analysis, personal style, colour psychology, and style personality skills.

Includes simplified hair and eye colour analysis, body shape and body bits, accessories, finding your first clients, promoting your services, how to run perfect 1-1 consultations and workshops, plus colour analysis without a drape in sight!

Link to SAVE 45% in this limited time offer in first comment

08/09/2025

Back in 1980, when I was bored out of my mind with an office job, I started working with a direct selling company promoting a range of make-up.

They cleverly made this range completely different by providing colour charts which split all the foundations, blushers, eye shadows, and lipsticks into either Cool or Warm shades.

I had to learn how to work out whether my customer had Cool or Warm colouring so that I could show her the relevant make-up products to help her look and feel gorgeous.

It was loads of fun showing ladies why some colours looked better than others. Every single one of them absolutely loved it.

>> They bought products they actually used
>> They looked healthy and fab and felt wonderful
>> And they kept coming back for more

Some of these customers from the early Eighties are still pestering me for more after 40+ years. I just can't seem to shake the little tinkers off! You know who you are!

This is how colour analysis started here in the UK all those years ago...

I just happened to live a couple of miles away from the extremely clever lady who introduced colour analysis into the UK via this range of colour-coded cosmetics at exactly the moment when I was looking for something different to do with my life.

Gordon Bennett alone knows what I'd have done if she hadn't!

06/09/2025

For a limited time, SAVE 45% on colour analysis and style courses as Kim Bolsover (that's me) marks 45 years in the industry.
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I told you yesterday that we're launching an offer for some of our training courses and resources.

This is now live but we've run out of steam today so we'll make the official announcements over the next day or so.

In the meantime, I thought you might enjoy a heads-up...

For a limited time only, save 45% on our professional colour analysis, personal style, and strategy courses & resources.

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How to SAVE 45%
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Browse the savings on this page (link in first comment)
You will NOT find them anywhere else!

Click the ‘Offer Details‘ button to see the savings and payment options
The 45% discount is automatically applied and itemised
These savings are strictly limited and may end without notice

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We're starting with 45% off these 5 fabulous courses/resources:

1. Advanced Colour Analysis Course
2. Ladies Personal Style Course
3. Mindset Motivation Marketing
4. Fabulous Colour Analysis Course
5. Colour Analysis Masterclasses

#4 and #5 are Invitation-only courses and resources and are like rocking horse doo-doo - normally only available to VIP clients as part of their bespoke 1-1 training and mentoring package

++
We haven't decided yet which courses/resources to add next...

If there's a course/resource that you're really interested in, let me know. I'll check the list (I might check it twice (LOL)) and let's see what we can do.

Please note any of our courses and resources may be added or removed at any time without notice.

This is the ONLY page where you can save 45% and it's LIVE right now!

Limited time offer but there's no limit on how many courses/resources you can grab whilst these offers last.

Hope you have a great weekend.

06/09/2025

Colour matching – selecting colours for drapes and colour swatches
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I'm constantly being asked if I can advise which drape number matches 'this photo' or 'the name or description' of a colour.

Here's an example:

Q: “Kim, I am looking for a drape colour for Summer soft similar to sage, and one for Autumn soft similar to peach. Can you give me the drape number for these please?” Wizburga
A: Dear Wizburga, We are unable to help with choosing specific colours for drapes and colour swatches. Let me explain why...

So that I won't have to continue writing the same answer over and over again, I've re-vamped this article, which now includes my reply to Wizburga (link in first comment)

05/09/2025

How rising costs impact your colour analysis business

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Due to rising costs of materials, staffing, and logistics, there will be a price increase of 10% across our range of colour supplies on Monday 29 September 2025
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Rising costs are rippling throughout the entire industry right now and I'm hearing from image consultants globally who are recalculating colour supplies and consultation costs and wondering how best to serve their clients - without sacrificing quality or going deeply out of pocket.

HOW PRICING SHIFTS
can impact your business

With higher prices, it's tempting to search out cheaper colour supplies. But after more than 40 years of working with colour analysis and personal style, I can say this - quality matters.

That drape or swatch wallet needs to last, so the smartest route is treating your supplies as a business investment, not a throwaway.

So if you're building your collection of drapes and swatches, stick with products made to last, like the Improvability Colour Analysis Starter Set and my draping kits.

These are designed not only for durability but also to give your clients a gorgeous, professional experience every time.

SMART STRATEGIES
for managing costs

>> Plan purchases ahead where you can - ordering a little earlier helps avoid backorders and extra shipping costs.
>> Review your colour consultation charges if you haven't recently. Make sure your fee covers your time and the true cost of premium materials.
>> Let your clients know the value of what you use. When people see the investment in quality, they'll appreciate the results.


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The 10% colour supplies price rise is less than 4 weeks away
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Place your colour supplies order before midday UK time on Monday 29 September

Order early to avoid out-of-stock and delivery delays

Due to higher than usual demand, some products may temporarily go out of stock during the weeks ahead so I recommend you order without delay

USA customers

USA trade tariffs are adding additional delays so we recommend USA customers contact their Customs Office for clarity before ordering

04/09/2025