Style spotlight

Styling using the magic of colour

In this month’s Style Spotlight, we discover how the Colour Me Beautiful styling service could help increase your average dispense value, guarantee happier patients and, in turn, generate referrals and repeat business.

Cliff Bashforth, CMB managing director

Colour Me Beautiful (CMB) is a recognised leader in the image and styling business, with more than 1,200 independent consultants throughout the world. The Colour Me Beautiful book (Hamlyn) has been published in 18 languages, and since 1973 has been a bestseller throughout the world.

“We have consultants in more than 40 countries who are passionate about helping women and men from all walks of life, look and feel their absolute best,” says Cliff Bashforth, CMB managing director.

“Individuals, corporations, department stores, boutiques, hotels, car showrooms and yes, optical practices, use our services and training programmes to help them move up the career ladder, increase awareness of their products, train their staff, move their merchandise, or just delight an audience with an interactive and informative presentation on colour, style, image or fashion trends.”

CMB’s belief is that everyone deserves to look their absolute best irrespective of their age, size, scale, personality and budget. “By understanding, and working with your customer’s colouring type, face shape and style personality, you will be able to offer a service tailored to meet their individual needs,” declares Cliff.

SIX KEY COLOURING OPTIONS The CMB colour system starts with six basic dominant colouring types. The shades that will best suit the customer will depend upon their skin tone, hair and eye colouring.

Colouring type: Light

1. Light delicate colouring, naturally blonde hair and light eyes. Reece Witherspoon/ Owen Wilson (Light). Frame colours: from transparent through to mid-tone neutral and shades. Avoid dark frames. 2. Dark hair, dark eyes, any skin tone. Michelle Obama/Keanu Reeves (Deep). Frame colours: from mid-tone through to dark, rich shades. Avoid light or transparent frames.

Colouring type: Deep

3. Warm hair and skin tones with a golden appearance. Eyes can be green, blue and all different shades of brown. Stacey Dooley/ Ed Sheeran (Warm). Frame colours: choose

Colouring type: Warm (frame model Finlay Watson)

gold or yellow-based tones. Avoid silver and cooler, blue-based colours. 4. Ash and grey hair tones, any colour eyes and either a pink or yellow skin undertone. Jamie Lee Curtis/George Clooney (Cool). Frame colours: choose silver, rose gold or blue-based tones. Avoid warmer, yellow-based colours.

Colouring type: Cool (frame model Finlay Radnor)

5. Clear, bright eyes with lots of contrast between hair, skin and eyes. Sophie Ellis-Bextor/Benedict Cumberbatch (Clear). Frame colours: from dark through to black, and bright, vivid shades. Avoid pale, dusty or muted colours.

Right and wrong colouring palette

6. Blonde to medium brown hair, any eye colour (which will be muted). Very little contrast between hair, eye and skin. Kylie Minogue /Michael Bublé (Soft). Frame colours: brushed metals, muted colours with little contrast work well. Avoid dark, strong or vivid shades.

“When helping customers to choose their eyewear, do you instinctively select what you believe will look best, or do you guide them over to a display of hundreds of styles and suggest that they try on a few in order to decide for themselves what suits them?” asks Cliff. “After training from Colour Me Beautiful, your team will be able to instantly demonstrate why certain shapes and colours of frames are more flattering than others.”

CMB offers colourful consulting tools, included in the training fee, to show the effect different shades have on an individual’s appearance. Choosing the most flattering colours can make someone look both younger and healthier.

STANDING OUT FROM THE CROWD “How we shop has changed forever, with many people now turning to the internet for bargains, an enormous choice, fast delivery and a money-back guarantee,” Cliff continues. “In order to compete with home shopping and the nationwide multiple outlets, outstanding service is required – maybe even more than that.

“A little bit of theatre, some fun, along with tried and tested methodology will show that your skilled practice team really do know what they’re talking about when it comes to eyewear styling. If you’re on the lookout for more patients, would benefit from increased referrals, or indeed would just like to give an even better service than you do already, our optical training programme could be exactly what you’re looking for.”

Bashforth continues: “In this technological age where many companies are choosing to deliver their training online, you may think us a little old-fashioned, as we believe that your customer-facing industry needs a handson approach when it comes to teaching you these incredible new skills. After all, yours is a ‘people’ business, so like you, we want to build rapport with like-minded individuals; people who want to deliver the best possible service to the end user: the wearer of your eyewear.

“We will even come to you to deliver the training. After all, it makes sense as that’s where you work, and where your frames are displayed. It also means that our trainers can look at your collections and use a selection when demonstrating the CMB system. It really will benefit your business.”

Hassocks Eyecare is one of many practices that has undertaken the CMB training. They said: “The whole team really valued the training provided by Cliff from Colour Me Beautiful. He is clearly an accomplished and experienced communicator and made the morning very entertaining as well as educational.

“He was speaking to a group of professional opticians with many years of experience in assisting customers to choose new spectacles and yet they all found there was something new in the CMB approach, and have started using the new language and personality profiling in the practice. We would recommend any practice wanting a fresh approach to spectacle frame styling undergo this training.”

MAKE A SPECTACLE OF YOURSELF Celebrity status for you and your practice could be in reach if you decide to share your new-found knowledge with your local press or radio stations, believes CMB.

“The media is constantly looking for a new angle,” explains Cliff. “A twist on an existing well-respected service, or something that will interest their readers – like a competition or giveaways; for example: a consultation with an expertly trained optical stylist, who will show them the frame colours and shapes that will really flatter their colouring and face shape…guaranteed.

“Then there’s client evenings to think about. Our colourful styling tools will help you to promote your service to existing customers who, of course, would be advised to bring a friend along to witness how the magic of colour can transform an individual’s look. The result? More customers, increased sales, and a great PR exercise.”

TRAINING COURSE DETAILS CMB’s one-day course is designed to ensure that patients leave with eyewear that really flatters their colouring, face shape and personality. “We will also teach you how to explain why certain shapes and colours work, and yet others are unflattering,” adds Cliff. “Also, how to involve the customer in the styling process.”

The training course also covers: CMB’s dominant colouring types; colour selection: frames and lens shades; style personality; face shapes; scale; facial proportions; selling multiple frames. Each participant receives a 20-page workbook, a wallet containing 30 fabric swatches to use as a guide when shopping for eyewear/clothing. The practice also receives 25 optical styling guides for use with customers, a copy of the CMB book, and a set of six tonal drapes to use in-practice, at open events or promotional evenings.

The workshop is suitable for all members of the practice, from receptionists, optical/ dispensing assistants, existing staff who want to learn new skills, new members of your team, optometrists and dispensing opticians.

The course fees (per person) are £200+VAT (four to eight attendees), or £175+VAT (nine to 12 attendees). Additional costs may be incurred depending on geographical location.

To find out more, email cliff@cmbdirect. co.uk or call CMB for a no-obligation chat on 01772 750 052. CMB also offers ‘live’ interactive virtual training courses for image consultant training. Visit www.colourmebeautiful.co.uk for more information.

NEG members who book an optical styling course before 30 June 2023 will receive a 15 per cent discount. ■