I paid $75 for the TikTok-viral personal color analysis in South Korea. The trained consultants told me I've been dressing all wrong. (2024)

But first, what exactly is a personal color analysis?

Personal color isn't a beauty tool that popped up overnight — it's been in the making for decades. In the US, it was important in the beauty industry in the 50s to 60s, according to Han Ji-su, a beauty industry professor at Sungshin Women's University, per JoongAng Daily.

Its origin comes from the four-season color theory, created by Swiss color and art theorist Johan Itten, who used the seasons to classify color.

The beauty trend became popular in the '80s, when "seasonal color analysis" categorized people into four seasons to decide what color palettes best suited them. Back then, the concept was viewed as either a crucial element of styling or a questionable deception, per The Wall Street Journal.

In the modern personal color analysis trend, the four seasons — the cool tones being winter and summer, and warm being spring and autumn — are further divided into three groups in which you can be classified based on your complexion and undertones.

Beyond identifying your season and the associated colors, a typical personal color analysis consultation will also identify the best color palette for your make-up — including foundation shade — as well as hair, and jewelry.

The studio was set up in a cool neighborhood in Seoul.

I had booked the consultation in Korean through KakaoTalk — a popular messaging app in South Korea — though Cocory's services are also available in English.

Cocory has three branches, so I picked the main branch at Mapo, which was closest to my hotel at Hongdae, the neighborhood in Seoul known for its vibrant nightlife and street performances.

I took a 30-minute bus ride to the studio, which was located on the sixth floor of an old building tucked away in a quiet street. The surrounding area was filled with smaller buildings that housed restaurants and studios.

The studio itself was clean and roomy, and color swatches were displayed everywhere. Light jazz was playing on the speakers, creating a chill vibe. I was the only one waiting, with just one other client wrapping up their own color analysis consultation.

As I arrived 10 minutes early, I was led to the consultation room, where I was given a form with a few details to fill in — my name, job title, and why I decided to come for the consultation. "To dress better," I wrote.

I was taught the basics of personal color theory.

Before I found out anything about my personal color, a trained color analyst went through the basic theory with me.

"A person's personal color is not fixed, as it depends on a person's skin tone and image, which changes over time," said the analyst, using the example of South Korean celebrity Song Hye-kyo, as she showed how the actress' style changed over the years.

She then explained how the four seasons were categorized, and how to accurately find out what colors suit me — by looking at the "apple zone," the under-eye to cheek area.

The color lecture lasted about 15 minutes before it was time to find out what my daily palette was.

Next step was finding out the color composition of my skin.

I always thought I was warm-toned. So when the analyst asked me to pick what I thought suited me best, I chose the autumn palette — warm, earthy shades of brown and orange.

To find out my undertones, she used a skin spectrometer to break down the composition of a color in terms of L, A, and B. She explained that "L" refers to lightness, "A" is the green-magenta chromatic axis, and 'B' is the blue-yellow chromatic axis.

The analyst lightly placed the device on the intersection of the lines from the corner of my eye and my lips, then pressed a button on the cube to scan. She did the scan twice — once with foundation on, and once without.

And finally, the results were out and to my surprise, she classified me as a "summer pale" tone — a palette full of cool, pastel hues — the exact opposite of what I'm usually drawn to.

The color-draping process came next and took over half an hour.

With my daily color palette sorted, it was time for the draping process carried out by a different trained consultant.

It involved draping fabrics and holding up color swatches to my face as I focused to see if the colors brightened or dulled my apple zone. For every palette or color, the consultant would identify the better option. Occasionally, he would ask me to weigh in on choices that were too similar. I felt a bit like a big-name celebrity being dressed by a stylist for the Met — I was at the center of attention, but I didn't really have much of a say.

At the end of the 35-minute session, I got to find out my seasonal palettes — hues that would suit me for special occasions — as well as make-up palettes, jewelry types, and hair colors.

My color analysis results were revealed.

My results showed that besides my daily "summer pale" palette, other tones like the "spring light," "autumn deep," and "winter vivid" were also great for special occasions like a special vacation or an important work presentation. A few options were chosen for jewelry and hair as well.

As for make-up colors, I was advised to pick "spring pale" tones — for a clean and fresh look — or "summer pale" colors — for a sophisticated image. The results also included a few lip shades that would best suit me.

The cool tones in my results pool were different from the warm shades I'm typically drawn to.

It was very enlightening, but I won’t do it again.

Before attending the session, I had actually tried a couple of times to find out my skin tone through TikTok filters, but I was never able to figure it out.

During the color analysis session, however, I could actually see the difference when my specific palette was draped over me versus one that didn't suit me — the palettes that suit me did brighten my complexion and make me look significantly more spirited.

But despite having gone through all the trouble to find out my personal colors, I realized I wasn't really looking to change what I would choose at the make-up store or a boutique.

Despite now having the wisdom of what best suits me, I'll stick to dressing the way I like best — with my favorite autumn tones.