My love affair with black is officially over.

And grey and navy too. Like a woman who’s finally seen the truth about an ex love, I too have seen the truth about my ex favourite colours. I may adore them (and always will) but sadly – and rather guttingly – they don’t adore me and so the time has finally come for us to part our ways.

As break ups go, it’s tough. Brutal even. But a more colourful dawn beckons and so even though I’m sad to wave goodbye to my old faithful friends, I’m as giddy as a kipper about what is to come. In fact, truth be told, I feel like I’ve discovered a whole new world and it’s all thanks to the lovely (and incredibly glamorous) Harry from House of Colour Huddersfield who kindly asked if I’d like to experience a colour consultation.

Admittedly I’ve always been a bit skeptical about people being told what colours they should wear. I guess mainly because I’m not a fan of rules and women being told what they ‘should’ do. But when a friend of mine started raving about how it had changed her life, my interest was piqued. And so I decided to try it, reasoning if nothing else, it would give me – a pretty exhausted mum of two who’s feeling anything but her best right now! – a break and perhaps a boost in confidence.

My colour consultation took place two weeks ago at Harry’s home (fantastically located in Wakefield, just a minute or so off junction 39 of the M1) in her stunning studio.  I arrived, as instructed, with no make up on, bare faced and feeling rather grotty and a little vulnerable.

Calming yet glamorous, Harry’s studio is a really lovely space. With style quotes on the walls and flashes of bold, beautiful colour, it’s hard not to feel inspired when you enter.

After a chat about the science behind the colour spectrum, my consultation began.

Sitting in a chair in direct natural light, Harry hung what can only be described as a very unflattering (yet necessary) white bib around my neck and then started to add colour after colour, asking me to watch my face closely (complexion, dark shadows etc) to see which colours I thought suited me best.

Confidently I chose all the colours that I had worn for years and loved, adamant that they were the ones that suited me. And then something happened. Two new colours were added and in an instant my opinion shifted. Instead of opting for the ‘cold’ colour of the two (which I kept choosing) I suddenly saw what Harry could probably see from the start. Looking at myself in the mirror, the ‘warmer’ colour changed my complexion and skin tone, making me look instantly better. It was quite something and it soon became very clear that colour wise, I’d got things very wrong.

Once we’d figured out that warm colours are what I should be wearing, it was then time for Harry to identify which of the two warm seasons I am – Autumn or Spring – and after a similar exercise, it was decided that I am Autumn.

Now to be honest, at first, I have to say, I was a little gutted. I’d really hoped for Winter and out of all the seasons, it was the one I liked the least and so my heart sank a tiny bit. But confident in Harry’s judgement and work, I stuck with it and kept an open mind.

Next came a mini makeover with Harry using the specially created House Of Colour make up to give me a quick polished look. Foundation, blush and a few different shades of lipstick were applied as Harry began to drape me in the different colours of Autumn. This part was so much fun and a huge revelation as I could immediately see how certain colours just brought my face to life.

After a break for lunch – Harry very kindly provides all of her clients with a lovely selection of nibbles – the final part of my colour analysis was to determine my ‘WOW’ colours to provide me with a useful colour guide for the future.

This was probably my favourite bit of the whole experience.

Here I am with a selection of my WOW colours draped around my neck. My best colours. The ones that make me ‘pop’ in the very best way and the ones that I will now be buying in droves!

So away from Harry’s expert eye and with my new colour knowledge, what has it meant for me?

Well it means that I now have my own colour palette to try and adhere to, which even just a few weeks in, is already making shopping for clothes and styling my outfits so much easier. It means that, bar sentimental items, I’ve ditched all of my silver jewellery and will now predominantly stick to gold or rose gold pieces from now on. I’ve already changed my hair colour (which naturally meant going warmer) and I’ve thrown away half of my make up too.

In short, it’s been a total game changer in terms of my style and how I look and feel about myself and I’m loving it.

I’ve cleared my wardrobe of everything that looks awful on me (which sadly was most of it!) and have already taken two huge bin bags of clothes to the charity shop and sorted out a big pile of items to sell. I’ve treated myself to a couple of new pieces, ( my favourite being an orange embroidered jumper), and even though my new wardrobe is teeny tiny, I’m in love with all of the clothes that I’ve kept and can already see how they work together almost effortlessly.

But probably my favourite thing about the whole experience is that finding my colours has encouraged me to find my style feet again. I knew that I was in a bit of rut after being pregnant for the second time and having Leo, which is only natural when you’ve got a baby to look after, and I always knew I’d get out of it in the future too. But this experience has really given me the push I needed and as trite as it it may sound, I feel like it’s helping me to rediscover not just colour, but myself again too.

I’m not going to say that I’m never going to wear black again because I’m too much of a rebel to stick to rules closely and I have kept three black items in my wardrobe simply because I love them too much. But I will no longer wear black close to my face and I doubt very much that I will ever wear navy or grey again.

Last night I went out to celebrate my birthday with some friends (I turn 38 on Tuesday) and for the first time in years I didn’t wear a black outfit. I nearly opted for a black jumpsuit (which is one of the three black pieces that I love and escaped the bin bags!) but in the end I went with my gut and wore my new yellow dress instead because it made me feel amazing.

Choosing a yellow frock over a classic black number was a style milestone for me and proof indeed, that the experience has changed me.

I’ve finally (and truly) fallen head over heels in love with colour.

Reader Offer

Want to become a changed woman too?! Then I have a very special offer for you!

Harry from House Of Colour Huddersfield is offering all Pouting In Heels readers the opportunity to book a colour consultation with her for just £100 instead of the usual £140*. Plus you’ll also receive a £20 voucher towards House Of Colour make up too. Fabulous huh?

To take advantage of the offer simply contact Harry and book the experience quoting Pouting In Heels. But be quick! The offer expires on 10 December 2017 so please don’t hang around.

(*Colour wallets which show you your seasonal colours can be purchased at an additional cost.)

To contact Harry or find our more, visit her FB page or website.