Life in Colour - 15: The Mid Year Style Check-In

Episode Date: June 25, 2025

It’s the halfway point of the year—can you believe it? If you started 2025 saying, “This is the year I’ll finally sort my style out” or “I’m going to find my colours and feel confident in what I wear,” now is the perfect time to pause and reflect. In this episode, I guide you through a gentle but honest mid-year check-in. It’s not about guilt or should-haves—it’s about tuning into how you're really feeling about your style, your wardrobe, and your confidence. You’ll hear reflective questions like: Do you feel more like yourself in your clothes now than you did in January? Are you still defaulting to black because colour feels too hard? Is your wardrobe supporting your lifestyle—or stressing you out? And we’ll chat through practical, doable steps you can take in the second half of the year to move closer to your goals: How to make small shifts without starting from scratch The difference it makes to know your colour palette Why now is a great time to refresh, reset, and reframe how you see your style Wherever you're at—whether you’re feeling stuck, inspired, or somewhere in between—this episode is for you. Want to learn more about seasonal colour analysis? Get my free Finding Your Colours Guide @ https://www.lovingcolour.au/findyourcolours Or want to know your perfect colour palette now? Purchase a Virtual Colour Analysis with me to find out exactly which colours light you up! Go to https://www.lovingcolour.au/colouranalysis Follow along on Instagram: https://instagram.com/lovingcolour__

Welcome to Life in Color, the podcast where we dive into the real, raw and wonderfully colorful aspects of life. I'm your host Ashley and I'm here to explore the ins and outs of seasonal color analysis, navigating motherhood, thriving in your 40s and beyond, and embracing health and wellness with a healthy dose of humor. Join me as we uncover the secrets behind finding your perfect palette, share stories of the joys and challenges of being a mom. And from practical tips to heartfelt conversations, life in color is your space to laugh, learn and live life. unapologetically in all of its colorful hues. So grab your favorite drink, settle in and let's add some color to this adventure that we call life. Welcome to Life in Color.

Well, hello, everybody. I realize it has been quite a while since I have done a podcast episode and I promise you, you have all been in my thoughts and been thinking of you and wanting to do episodes. Unfortunately, a number of health things and family things came first and took priority. So I just basically didn't have, I don't want to say necessarily the time. I just, when I want to do episodes for you, I take my time and I research and I really put a lot of effort into making sure that the content that I'm providing for you is really, really helpful. And it was more of a my mind space was taken up with things that were going on with my kids and in the house. My concussion didn't help.

I think that was the last time maybe I spoke to you. I gave myself a concussion. So let's start this episode by doing a quick life update. I gave myself a concussion back in March, which wiped me out for almost a month. And then I started to get better and then things like I mentioned happened in the background in my life where people really needed me to be there for them and support them and help them through. So that's where I have been. But as I said, I have definitely been thinking of you all. And I can't quite believe that it's the 23rd of June. So I'm literally recording this the day

before this is going to go out. And it is the most glorious day in Sydney today. Like the sun is shining. It's actually quite warm. It's like a 21 degrees. I think, do I talk about the weather every time I come on here? I think I do. I think weather really impacts me and my mood. And I have to say, I've been sitting outside today in the sun and just enjoying it. It's the first day in weeks that I could actually just take a moment and take a breath. But I didn't realize how warm it was going to be today. And I've put tights on underneath my jeans. I'm actually really hot. And I'm sitting in my office, which gets beautiful sunlight sort of all year round, which is a good thing, obviously, because when I do in person color consults, you have to have the most amazing natural light.

And that's where I am right now. So I'm about to do school pickup. So let's see if I can get this down to about 20, 25 minutes. So today is called the half year style and color check-in. This is inspired because I was listening to a podcast episode myself and it was all about what were your New Year's resolutions and what have you seen? stuck to what did you give up quite quickly? What would you change? And I think the biggest thing when it comes to a news resolution or a goal that you have is if you haven't started it yet or if you

haven't done it yet, that doesn't matter. Like we're just in June. I know that I just said, you know, I can't believe it's June. And that's true. I can't because the year has flown by. However, there's still so much of this year to go. And there are so many ways that you can accomplish those goals, whether they be big or small or big or little changes that you want to make. And so I just really want to encourage you, which whatever they are, whether it's to do with something like you want to run a marathon, you want to start to learn to do French cooking, or you want to change your style and the colours that you wear, all of that is still manageable and absolutely doable. So promise that it really is something that you can achieve. And I've actually, there's things that I've worked on this year,

myself for either my business and also personally that I've been working on. And it can actually sometimes happen much faster than you think. I actually did a lot to do with like mindset. And I've been working that and I have a private business coach that I work with who is amazing. We did quite a deep dive and it was around the time literally that I hit my head and I had to stop. And funnily enough, I think sometimes the universe acts and I'm quite woo-woo, as you know. But I feel like the universe sometimes either makes you stop for a reason or you don't book that flight for a reason because you're meant to be doing something else at that particular time. I do think sometimes things like that happen. And so maybe you haven't done some of the things

yet because you weren't meant to, which I think is a great way to put like that positive spin on it as well rather than thinking, I know so many people feel that they failed when they haven't followed through. So today, we're talking all about your half year style and colour check-in. And if you did tell yourself that this is the year I find my style or no more wearing. in colours that drain me. I want for you to dig into that and have a think about, we're going to go through some of the things that you can look at as like a reflection over the past six months.

And then I'm going to give you some tips for the next six months leading up to, obviously, the end of the year and Christmas. I can't believe we just said Christmas. Anyway, so what was your motivation back in January in wanting to change your style or wanting to wear colors that maybe you think suit you better or that stop wearing the colors that you know definitely don't. So to give you an example, obviously for me, that would be the color black. Like I can't wear the color black at all. It just does nothing for me. It literally completely drains me. Looking back at what your motivation might have been in January or even if

this wasn't a news resolution, this is something that you've been thinking about for a really long time, but haven't necessarily actioned. Have I think about why that is. And sometimes doing some journaling can really help around this. Like I mentioned, that's something that I've been doing for my mindset. And I actually got a little bit stuck, like when my business coach said to me something to do with my mindset to do with work, why something wasn't necessarily going how I wanted it to. And she asked me to think about it. Now, I know that there are some people who can sit down and literally just journal to their heart's content. I'm not one. Like, I was one of those kids. I bought so many diaries, like so many diaries. But I never wrote in them. I,

I sometimes would maybe put stickers in them or I would do little drawings, pretty much the same cat. That's the only thing I can draw. I am not creative to do with drawing at all or art. I always wanted to be able to write in a journal and it's just not something that I necessarily do. However, what I did do, and this is something that you can do, is go and use, say, chat GPT or even ask a friend to ask you or your partner or even a child if they are in. interested in doing something like this with you. And get them to ask you some questions. And if you're not sure, this is where chat GPT is awesome because you can say, look, this was my motivation.

I haven't quite done it yet. Can you give me some journal prompts? Sometimes I find it is much, much easier rather than having that blank page in front of you of trying to think around, you know, why haven't I done it? And then, you know, you're trying to fill in that blank page. If you've got a question to answer, it gives you that direction. And that's when it starts to flow and your mind can go off in all different tangents, because you've had that prompt.

So I would definitely do that. Now, some ideas that I can give to you are, were you looking to have, say, more confidence? I know that especially women who are approaching or in their 40s, 50s and perimenopause has become a thing. Your body shape can change, how you feel can change. Like I know at the moment with perimenopause, I'm struggling with how my skin is changing. Like the skin on my face is becoming a lot more textured and my skin in general is just becoming a lot drier. It's something that's really irritating me. But anyway, that's a whole

other conversation. But it could be around confidence. So just have a think about why you wanted to feel more confident. Is it in the shape that the clothes can give you? Do you feel like when you put them on it, they don't give much shape? They just sort of hang or do they accentuate areas that you would rather them not to, which, you know, that's okay. I'm all for celebrating everybody's bodies and wearing what you want, wearing what you love. But I know that we all definitely have different areas that maybe you don't want to highlight or that you would rather highlight one of your best assets rather than highlighting something that maybe you're a bit more self-conscious on. So have a think of that. Is it that you wanted clarity? Do you want clarity on what, say,

for example, your personal style is? Do you like to dress more like in, or would you, should I say, I like to dress more in a romantic kind of vibe where it's quite flowy and bohemian and soft pastels and wearing something that really sort of goes with you and flows with you as you move and quite feminine and dainty. Or would that be your idea of hell? And you want to wear something that is quite sharply tailored and gives you those really structured lines. And so therefore you prefer fabrics that have a lot more structure to them rather than something that's really soft and flowy. So if you're looking for potentially clarity in wanting to know what kinds of things to wear or what your style personality was, was it for ease? Is it because you have really young kids

and you work and you get up in the morning and you just don't want to think about what you're wearing, but you want your wardrobe to work for you in such a way that you can put any of those items together and you create the most fabulous outfit. We've all been there done that. And even though I've got teenagers, I still love knowing that things in my wardrobe go together so well, they're in the same palette, they mix and match. There's just a few things that I've got left in there now, namely some tan shoes and boots, which if you follow me on Instagram, you'd see I was having a bit of a wincham that I'm going to dye those boots because they just, they stick out like a sauce. I'm in my outfits and it's really starting to drive me a bit crazy. Or is it because you've

been in a season of life where, say, you've just had a baby or like for me when I had my hysterectomy, my style changed after that. That's because I felt like I wanted that change. I needed that change because I was moving into a new season of life where I did have much older kids. And also I just wanted to get a bit of me back from almost like my early 20s. Not saying I wanted to dress like that, but I just wanted to feel a lot more like me. So there's some little tips and even questions that you can ask yourself.

So just to recap them, that was confidence, clarity, ease and wanting to feel more like you. so you can sit down and answer those and see which one maybe resonates the most with you. What's changed so far this year? Have you been more mindful of what you're wearing? If you are wanting to change your style or even if this hasn't been on your radar and you're listening to this for the first time and thinking, Ashley, I have never thought about this, but now listening to you, perhaps I do. All of this is absolutely relevant to you as well. Do you think about when you put on an outfit, do you look in the mirror and feel, oh, I feel really good today? or do you feel like maybe something's a bit off and you can't put your finger on it? Or you put something on end.

I hate to say, but you just feel dreadful. And I have clients that have felt that way, which breaks my heart. But there are so many women out there and you're not alone if that's you who are like you, who are stuck wearing the same things because you are just almost paralyzed and don't know what suits you. And therefore shopping becomes a really, I want to say daunting, but also quite a really, a really unhappy experience, which I think is awful for anyone. But if you're mindful of what you're wearing, whether that be good or bad, I just want you to maybe make some notes in your diary, on your phone, even if it is good or bad. Like, I know I've mentioned it before on here.

I had a pair of country road jeans that I invested in their white ones years ago, and I loved them, like really, really loved them. And then I put them on. It must have been after COVID. And, you know, I hadn't won jeans in ages because we were, let's face it, it was. was just what, the years of the trackies and yoga pants. But I put them on and they'd gone really baggy. And yet I was like, no, they cost quite a bit of money. I'm going to wear them. I'm sure they're fine. I felt really frumpy. And people are really surprised when I say that that even I have days where I feel a bit off or a bit frumpy. And that's absolutely true. There are times when that happens and to give you like an up to date example at the moment, like I mentioned with my

skin changing. No, I know this isn't to do with, this is more makeup. But with my skin changing at the moment. And I just don't know if I, maybe I've been inside too much and I haven't been outside therefore I'm looking pale and I haven't changed any of my makeup, but I feel like my skin's got quite a bit of texture and you can see sort of every bump that's sort of sitting under the skin. It's almost like maybe they're, I don't know, dare I say, might even have like a rash sort of going on or an allergic thing going on. Something for me to investigate. But the reason I'm telling you this is because when I've been putting my makeup on in the mornings, I look at it and I'm like something is off. And right now I can't put my feet. And I'm going to be.

finger on it. And that's okay too. If you're not quite sure what it is, that's okay. But I am making a note of it and I'm being mindful about it. And so some days I might try a different product like today. I didn't use my really light concealer in case that's just a little bit too light on me right now. And therefore, that's what's washing me out. On the flip side, is it something where I'm actually really pale because I'm a little bit of nemic and need some iron, which is something that runs in my family. So I know that obviously that's slightly different because it's makeup-based, but I'm being really mindful of it. And I'm searching for lipstick at the moment. And again, I'm not finding exactly the right colour. The same thing can happen with clothing. So if you put something on, I've got a pair of jeans.

They're my favourite jeans. Favorite, favourite, favourite jeans. They're from made well, but they have stretched in them and they have stretched out, which is going to happen with stretched jeans. Probably happened a little bit faster than I thought. But luckily for me, I have an extra pair ready to go. Because I love them so much. I bought two pairs. And when I wear them now, I can start to see the sag. And I'm like, yeah, that doesn't look as flattering. And so I'm aware of it. I'm just being mindful.

And so sometimes like if I'm going to Bunnings, which if you're overseas, Bunnings is like the most biggest, you know, hardware store you can think of, which if you go on a weekend, you can get a sausage sandwich, which me being gluten free, I can't but my kids and my husband love it. And I can wear them there. And I'm like, yeah, yeah, that's fine. If I was going out somewhere really nice, would I choose these pair of jeans? Probably not because I'm mindful that they probably.

look a little bit worse for wear and therefore they make me feel a little bit worse for wear because I know I'm wearing a pair of jeans that is probably past it's used by day and I need a new pair. So that's what I mean when I mean have you been mindful over the past few months? Now have you tried anything new over the past six months? Have you tried any new colours or shapes or outfits that felt exciting or on the flip side that felt a bit uncomfortable? So let's see if I can come up with some examples for this. One thing that I want to try, I've been looking for a denim dress. And I did want one more for summer.

But I was with a friend. She was over from New Zealand and I took her shopping for the day and we had the most fabulous day. And we got her so many clothes like a capture wardrobe for work. Anyway, because it was a friend that I was with, I did see a denim dress. And I was like, oh, I think I'll try this on while you try your things on as well. Something obviously that I don't do when I'm normally with clients. But I've known her for like 20.

years, 23 years. And anyway, I came out. I kid you not, I looked like the mix between literally a potato sack and then it had these really big sleeves, even though I thought they were just a bit pleated on me. They were just way too much and I looked quite little house on the prairie. And so I felt quite uncomfortable. We had quite a giggle about it in the changing rooms. But I was just like, no, that's just no, that made me really, really uncomfortable. But then there was something else that I tried on, which was more of a, you know how there is that bit of a trend at the moment where there's denim sort of shackets that are out? And you could use them in summer or winter, sort of you could use them any year round. And I had almost discounted it thinking, no, with my body shape and

frame, because I'm petite, it will sort of overwhelm me. And I tried one on in just jeans. And I remember looking at it and thinking, actually, you know what, that actually looks quite nice. I really, really like it. I like the color. I like the fit. that could actually work for me. So I was quite surprised by that and quite excited at the thought, now I didn't buy it, probably should have, but I didn't buy it at the time because I just wasn't 100% sure how many outfits that I would wear it with. But it did make me think it's a little bit exciting that I found a style that potentially I wasn't sure necessarily would work for me, but I tried it on and gave it a go. So have you done anything like that over the past six months?

And if you have, what did you enjoy trying, whether that be a colour or an outfit in your wardrobe and new outfit or a shape in a shop, like have you gone for an a line skirt instead of a pencil one? Or have you tried something and you felt really uncomfortable in it? Just make a note of those. Have a think about that and make a note of what has worked and what hasn't worked. Now, it's okay if you've lost momentum towards wanting to change your style or wanting to learn what colors suit you. Life gets in the way. Look at me. I'm a prime example where I love doing this podcast and yet I just haven't been able to do it as much this year purely because of other things that have come into my life and that have happened. And so because of that, I lost momentum.

But that's okay. You don't need to beat yourself up about it. Style is certainly not a sprint. It's always going to be there. You can always come back to it. But if this is something that's really, really important to you, then I definitely would say to you to make the time to go back and have a look at how you've been feeling the past six months. Now, what? What have you learned about your colours in the past six months? Obviously, it is called life in colour. And you know I'm a colour analysis at heart, expert at heart. So did you get your colour analysis done?

Did you have that on your to-do list still? Or is it something that you have been thinking about, but you're not quite sure or you weren't quite sure? And you're like, no, second half of the year, this is something that I think is really going to make a difference to me with getting ready every day and what I'm wearing. Have you been noticing what shades may be lifting? you up compared to the ones that wash you out. If you are a soft autumn, for example, those soft rose pinks, they're really like pale yellow gold, a really, really lovely light RF blue.

They suit you fantastically and will light you up. If you went into a bold, bright fire engine red, you would be dominated by the colour and overwhelmed by the colour. You would be lost. So have a think about colours that you have maybe tried or just have a look at the colours in your wardrobe. just take a little bit of time one evening or on a weekend or you can even if you're sitting on the train or you're stuck in traffic, just mentally go through your wardrobe and think of the colors that you've got in there and which ones you think do work for you and which ones you feel don't. Which ones do you need to wear like a little bit more makeup for or are the ones that no matter what you do, just still wash you out.

Likewise for me, being a cool tone, you know, there's lots of tans and caramels out at the moment, they can be quite yellow or orange based. Anytime I put one of those on, especially if it's like a full jumper or a knit or a top, I go yellow. I take on that color and I start to look quite sallowy and quite sickly. So if you're a cool tone, that's what also could be happening. It's not washing you out. It's just making you look a bit sallow and a bit sickly. So have a think about that and just start to make a list maybe of the colors that you've noticed that maybe lift you up or wash you out because then that will give you an idea potentially of what works within your wardrobe and what doesn't. The other thing is, are you wearing the same colours or neutrals all the time because it is easy

or because it's what actually suits you? So black suits winters. Some deep autumns can wear it, some bright springs can wear it. Everyone else finds black really, really hard to wear. You can wear it on the bottom half, so then it's not reflecting right on your top. If you're wanting to wear black, that's absolutely where to wear it, if it's outside of your color palette. Otherwise, if you're wearing it right against you, like against your face, where the light reflects, if you're in those other palettes, it will wash you out. And so therefore you have to counteract in another way. So if you're one of those who are stuck wearing black, because it's easy, I completely get it. It is one of those things that we have, you know, it's always been drilled

into us from a very young age that black is the easiest color to wear, which, you know, side note, it really isn't, that it's the most slimming, it's the most flashering, all of this kind of thing. On the right person, absolutely, looks phenomenal. On the wrong person, it will do you no justice. And I promise you, there are so many more colours out there that are actually going to suit you. So in terms of your actual wardrobe, have you gotten rid of or cold any pieces that don't feel like you anymore? Have you actually done a wardrobe clear out? I recommend doing big wardrobe clearouts twice a year.

Generally, I do it before autumn and winter, and then I do it again before spring and summer. So, you know, when the weather seasons change between warm and cool, that's when I find. And then I do periodic mini clearouts, maybe just one drawer at a time to make sure that I am moving things on that someone else could wear and get more use out of rather than me if I'm not enjoying it or if there are things that are older manky that need throwing out. all of these different kinds of things. That's what you can do. Have a think about have you actually done that or is that still on your to-do list. The next question for you is, are you still buying the same kind of clothes you said you wanted to stop buying? And that's a really big key one because that means that you're sort of really stuck in that phase of really not knowing what to do.

But you know it well enough that doesn't suit you, but you're still going to stay there anyway. Now, I have to say between, obviously, I know there's this podcast, there's Instagram, there's Pinterest, there are so many different ways that you can get style and fashion advice for free if you're looking for it to try and help you stop buying the clothes that you feel don't suit you, especially if it's something that you're wanting to do. Obviously, there are so many other ways also that you can, like, for example, and I'll go into it more later, but you can book in to have a color analysis with me. You can have a personal reset style one to one with me. That's a new service that I'm going to be offering. If you are in, say, the UK and you want to

see someone locally, you just need to search on Google for that. There are so many different resources out there that you can use in order to stop buying things that you know for a fact don't suit you. Don't do that because you won't feel good in what you're wearing. The clothes are going to stay, some of them in the wardrobe with the tag still on them. And your self-esteem is not going to improve and to actually start to wear things that you feel good in. Because if you, especially if you're going through a tough time in life, if you wear things that make you feel even worse, you're going to feel worse. Whereas even if you're going through a really tough time, if you put best foot forward,

a favorite outfit on, you do your hair, you do your makeup, I cannot tell you the difference it can make to your mindset and how you feel to then face whatever challenge that you're facing. And it makes such a big difference, you know, like when you're going into and present something that's really, really important if you're going to an interview, all these things, we dress for the occasion, but we also need to dress for ourselves. That's highly important because making sure you feel good in what you wear is the key, I think. You know, everyone gets dressed every day. So why not look good in what you're wearing and feel good in what you're wearing? Now, moving on,

the next thing that I want to say to you is, is your wardrobe starting to reflect who you are now? or is it still a mix of pastiles, impulse buys and maybe one day pieces? Because if it's the latter, then let's have a quick chat about that. So sometimes whilst we might like the things that we have in our wardrobes, it may not actually be practical for the season of life that we're in, or you may actually find that you've outgrown it, not necessarily I'm not talking about in size. I'm talking about in terms of what you need out of the clothes that you wear every day.

So to give some examples of this, it could be that you used to be a stay-at-home mum. And so using your active wear, wearing jeans a lot, things like that, that used to be your kind of mum uniform. That's what you used to feel comfortable wearing. But then as time's gone on and maybe you've returned to work or your kids have gotten older, you can actually experiment a lot more with the things that you can wear. And you can wear things like, say, items that didn't. need you to worry about whether they're going to get dirt on them from the playground or

whether your kids are going to get paint on it or Play-Doh stuck in it, that kind of thing. So, like, I know I was really excited when I brought some blazers into my wardrobe again after many, many years. And I'm still learning almost how to incorporate them in because sometimes I feel not silly. That's the wrong word. But because I work from home, I love wearing my blazers, but sometimes I'm sitting at my desk and I'm sitting in a blazer. I'm like, I'm in my house. But I do it because. I really enjoy it and I wear it for me. I don't wear it for anybody else.

I wear it for me. When you're looking at your wardrobe and you're looking at the clothes within your wardrobe and you're thinking about do they actually reflect who I am now, that can be a really good start to know that you need to make a change. Because if they don't reflect who you are now, whether that be you've gone through a really big life change, you know, you've had kids or maybe you've got divorced or maybe you are now an empty nester or you've decided to go back to uni as a mature age student. There are all these different things that happen in life where your outfits then reflect

what you're doing in your life. You know, we know so many, so many young moms are in their active wear and in jeans and a t-shirt because it's the easiest thing to wear. So have a look at that and pay attention to that because if you also have things where it's not necessarily maybe the styles that you've got in your wardrobe, but you've got a lot of impulse buys. So you're not actually thinking through what you need to buy or what you would like to buy. You just go out, you see it, you like it, you buy it. But then you never wear it because maybe you don't know how to style it. You don't know what to put with it. Maybe you're

not sure if the color was right for you. So to talk you through like this autumn winter, if I think about the items that I've purchased, I purchased a pair of, they're a really lovely like acary blue pair of cord pants. I have purchased, which it was before Mother's Day, so it was in autumn still. I purchased two cardigans in the same style, but they are different colours. So one's in a really lovely yellow and I didn't have that in my wardrobe and I wanted that yellow in my wardrobe. And then ones in like a really pretty ice blue, which is what I've been wearing today. And I really love that. And they're both colours and styles that I can wear actually autumn, winter. And then actually I can even wear them into spring because it depends

on how quickly it gets warm here. But even on a summer's night, like if you're out somewhere and the temperature drops and you're having dinner and say you're wearing something strappy. I could just put this over my shoulder. So they actually transition right the way through the entire year. But if you feel like you're doing that with impulse buys rather than making sure, like I knew I wanted those cardigans, I really thought about those cord pants. What else have I bought this year? You know what?

I bought some long sleeve tops and a pair of knit pants the other day because I was out shopping with my daughter. And I've tried them on. I love the knit pants, but they're going back because. they are too low rise for me and when I try and pull them up to make them a high rise they become really uncomfortable. I think I've actually must have quite a long space between like from my belly button like into my pelvic area because sometimes when I go into like even the petite section it becomes too short in that area for me which is really annoying because I really like

these pants. They're from glasses if you like low low rise ones but it's things like that. I'm being really intentional. I'm about to buy some tops that I have seen from sports girl. They're long-sleeved. They're not ribbed, which is what I wanted. I just wanted cotton scoop or crude tops. And I wanted them in a color. So I've chosen the pink and I think they've got like a really light sort of like tall brown kind of color, but not too dark and intense because obviously I'm a light semi, so I wanted them to be lighter. But that's what I mean. I've been really intentional. I haven't actually bought much this season purely because I didn't really need anything. But also, I don't really like what's in stores at the moment for me and for my

style and for what I'm wearing and my colours aren't around. So there's so many different things that I'm looking at. But when I see things that are in my colour and that I really, really love, I snap them up and I buy them. Even if it's in like an opposite season, for example, like you know me, I really like to shop on Bowden. If I see something on there in their summer that I know I want to wear in our summer here, I will buy it. I might wait for it to see if it goes on sale if they've got discount code. But I will buy it because then I know I'm investing for the future. So have a look at that if you've got a lot of impulse buys and like the maybe one day buy pieces in there as well.

So when we're talking about style and everything, we're not just talking about clothes. We are talking like I mentioned earlier about your style personality and paying attention to how you want to feel in your clothes. So what kinds of things when I say that do I mean? Do you want to feel sexy? Because you know, I have to admit there's a couple of things. There's a couple of tops I've bought recently. I've switched to V-necks a little bit recently because I feel quite sexy when I wear a V-neck.

I really like it. Not saying that I show off lots of cleavage because, quite frankly, my kids took care of that when I breastfed three kids within four years. But I just really like the V-neck style on me. So I feel a bit more sexy when I wear it. And that's just a white T-shirt and jeans. I'm not saying you have to be in this really super sexy dress. But there are certain things out there that you can wear that make you feel good.

So sexy is one of it. There's another one you want to feel confident. that in your body shape, that the jeans hug you and sit and fit you in the right areas, that the top that you're wearing, maybe if you've got broader shoulders, it's not highlighting your broader shoulders, it's highlighting your waist, for example, because you get to tuck the top in rather than it's sitting out. There are so many different things that you can want to feel in your clothes. You want to feel happy, you want to feel joyful.

Maybe you want to feel really powerful. You want to walk into that meeting and know that you've got this and the outfit that you're wearing backs that up. And I know that might sound crazy to some of you, but it is a fact. There is a reason that there are certain feelings that are associated with certain colours. You know, red is passion and power and fieriness.

And I can guarantee you, if you suit red, and it's one of your colours, and you've got an important event, you wear red, A, you'll look at the B's knees, but secondly, you will feel amazing. For that person who can wear that bright, fiery red, if I put them in a really, really pretty light pastel pink, oh my gosh, they would almost lose all that power because it doesn't work for them. Me as a light summer, I know I've got a teal blazer.

When I put that on, game on, I'm ready. Like, seriously, there are certain things in everybody's wardrobes that you should have that if you feel you need that extra oomph to give you that power or no, I know this looks amazing. I always get comments when I wear it. You need to have those in your wardrobe. So I know that's been a lot. as a reflection. It's gone probably a bit longer than what I'd expected to, but I think it's really, really important. I know this obviously, I'm saying that this is a mid-year, you know, style check-in. You can do this at any time. This doesn't just have to be mid-year. You can come back at any time and listen to this episode and use these questions to really think about where you are in your

style journey, where you are in your style personality and where you want to be. Just because you're in that now, if you feel that it's not right for you, it doesn't mean you're always going to be in that. You can make the change. It's like anything in life. It's like what we tell our kids. You have to be the one to make the change. So you can be unhappy in it. Totally understand that. However, you have to be the one to make the change. And I'm not saying you have to know how to do that.

That's where someone like me comes in to help guide you through that process and figure out all of the answers to these questions to then get you on the right track and have your wardrobe systematically the way that you would like it to feel those kinds of emotions every day when you get dressed. So when we look at the mid-year reset from looking for the next six months, It is not too late. Revisit all of your goals. Look at these questions and what do you really want your style to say? You know, have a think about that. When I look at that for me, and I know I've given lots of examples in this, but I'm just trying to talk you through the process so that you can

do this for yourselves. For me, my style is classic. I really like classic cut things and classic colors together, even though I have pushed the boundaries a little bit of putting some more pastoraly things together, I wouldn't have done say a year ago or even two years ago. So I'm really proud of myself for trying new things as well. I'm classic. I do like a little bit of modern. There are some things I like that are feminine, but I'm not like you're roughly floral dainty.

That's not me. I like classic cuts. So for me, it's thinking, you know, your Audrey Hepburn, your Reese Witherspoon, Princess Diana, all that kind of thing. That, that's for me how I like my style to be. Clean, classic, fresh, that's me. That is what makes me feel joyous, happy, confident and just really loving what I'm wearing every day.

So have a think about that. And if you're not sure, again, you can use chat GPT, but also use Pinterest. Pinterest is fantastic. And look at all the different styles on there. Look at bold and dramatic. Look at, you know, like a natural, casual kind of vibe. where it's, you know, you live in jeans a lot. So what kinds of things can you do with jeans to dress them up and dress them down?

You've got obviously your classic kind of combination. Then you have really bold and dramatic and fiery. Then you can have Bohemian and Flowy. There are so many different style personalities out there. Now I know you're going to say some of them lean more to some colour palettes than others. And yes, that's true. However, I find that you can also make it work. So this is again where having a professional help you sometimes can be really handy because whilst,

say you've got somebody who's a soft summer, you wouldn't put a soft summer sort of with bold and dramatic and fiery. They don't sort of go together. However, if the person is bold in their colour choices, they can put different colour choices within their soft summer palette together and using their sister palettes as well. So soft autumn or light summer or cool summer, they can make some. pretty bold choices because they could play it safe and they could go for a pair of jeans and they could go for like a really muted sort of magentary kind of top. They could leave it at that. Well, what about

if you put like the RIF blue with the magenta top and then you put your silver jewelry with it and if you're feeling really bold, you could actually do some silver jewel, silver shoes with it and then you could actually do quite a deep berry lip with it borrowing from cool summer. There are so many things that you can do. Whilst that isn't your traditional bold, and I'm using like, you know, inverted quote marks to a normal person seeing as bold, that is for that particular palette because they're combining so many different colours within their colour palette and they're adding a metallic and they're adding a bold lip.

That's a lot for that palette to do something like that. That's bold for them. So there's so many ways that you can combine... style personalities and colour palettes together. You're not restricted by that, by any means. Once you've visited your goals, pick one small but powerful thing to do this month. That can be wear a new outfit in your wardrobe that you've never put together before. Like the other day, I put some lavender pants together with a pale blue knit that I got from J-Crew. I wore it with gold metallic putrey kind of flats and then I put it with my pastel.

checked scarf that has like so many different pastel colors from my color palette in it. It looked amazing. That was the outfit I was talking to you about a minute ago. I would never have normally done that, like about a year ago, two years ago. I just wouldn't. I would have put the jumper and then scarf with a pair of jeans and I would have put the pants with like a more neutral white, grey, navy. That would have been it. With the scarf, but I wouldn't have done all color and I loved all color. And you know what? That's probably one of the most commented DMs, liked stories I've ever put on Instagram, was that outfit. So there you go. People do take notice when you sort of push the boundaries a little bit and try something new. So pick one small but

powerful thing to do this month, whether that be like we've just been talking about wearing a new outfit combination, doing a wardrobe edit like we've been talking about, or you can book in for a color analysis with me. I have an amazing new package and I have done this specifically because I've been doing this for a while now. And the feedback that I've gotten from a number of clients is that when they've had their color analysis, they then get stuck. Where do I go to from here? And I used to offer a color analysis separately to the color collective, which is my monthly membership, where I help guide my clients through that process and we have master classes and color style guides and I show them what's in stores and I give tips and when they're looking for something, I can help them.

And I literally hold your hand and guide you through the process. I've decided to combine those permanently now. So that is the amazing offer that is on my website now. And it is $280 and you get a color analysis and you get three months in the color collective membership to start that journey. And I think it's really important for you because the women I know that have already gone through that process and are in the color collective, they are doing amazing with their color palettes. And it just gives them that confidence and knowledge. And they know that they've got me in their pocket. I literally had someone say that to me the other day. I can't believe how amazing it is that I get to have you in my pocket when I'm shopping for fabrics. In particular, she's a sower. And so she likes to

make all of her own amazing clothes to bounce ideas off and to know whether she's on the right track or not so that she's not investing money in the wrong items. And so that's where I'm there. I literally hold your hand through it. So it is a new package that's, on my website and that could be the one thing that you do this month or in the next six months to get you started on the right track to really loving and enjoying what you wear. That is what I am all about. Joy in what you wear and loving what you wear. So just to recap and finish off, because I know this has been quite a long episode, style isn't about perfection. It's about alignment and expression and you can restart at any time. If you feel you're out of alignment,

that's where you can take a look at everything, see what needs to be changed like me with my makeup and everything at the moment and lipsticks. I'm tweaking things. It might not be right yet, but I will get there. And you don't need a complete overhaul, but what you do need is some clarity. And whether that comes from yourself answering all those questions and going through things and using Pinterest and using all the free things that are available to you, or whether that's employing someone like me, whether that's to use the color analysis package that I've got, or using the style reset one-to-one private package that I have. Again, this is something new.

I've been doing it for a while, but I've rejigged it a little bit. And that's where you get an hour with me on a Zoom call and we talk through everything. So we can go through all the things that are working, things that aren't working, I can make a full style plan for you. And we go through everything you can think of in that half an hour. It's not a color analysis. Just putting that out there, if you want a color analysis, that is something different, or an extra on top.

this is purely for us to go through everything together, to go through your wardrobe. You show me the items. We can go through your makeup. We can create outfits together. We can shop online together. And that's for an hour. And then there's an extra half an hour that's allocated. But that's allocated for me to go away and do the work to find all of the things that you're

after to then present them back to you and to give you the assistance and guidance so that you can continue that style reset on your own. It's basically like a shortcut to get you to where you want to be. And I do that for clients who are maybe a little bit more time poor or they are just so excited and so ready to fast track themselves and to start feeling good like almost immediately. So I have that as well. So if you're interested in that, send me a message on Instagram and we can chat a little bit further. But thank you so much for joining me today.

I know that it has been a while and I promise I will be back from now on. And don't worry if you've stalled in any kind of style journey or or wanting to make changes, it doesn't mean that you failed. You know, growth often looks like circling back, but just with a little bit more insight and be kind to yourself. And I say this to even myself, depending on what's going on in my life. Just be a little bit kind to yourself because we're all doing our best. We're all trying our best.

But if I can help you look and feel your best every day, I promise you it will make such, such a difference. So come over to my website at lovingcolor. and you can book a color analysis with me or you can book in for a one-to-one style reset as well. In the meantime, thank you so so much for joining me today. If you have any questions, then feel free to email me at Ashley at lovingcolor.orga.u. Otherwise, I will catch you next week. Take care.

Bye.