I got a color analysis and it reduced my impulsive spending

I’ve often compared the TikTok algorithm to an episode of the show from the early 2000s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition in one specific way: when they crossed the room, they left all in on the topic. Oh, this kid likes ponies? Their entire room is now a human-sized barn. Similarly, when I like one little TikTok, suddenly my entire feed is flooded with iterations on that video. Recently, that ubiquitous topic has been color analysis—and I’m thrilled. I’m not sure this extended analogy really paid off, but you know what? Finishing up my color analysis.

If you are not familiar with color analysis is the practice of looking at the undertones of your skin, hair and eyes and using color theory to choose shades that best complement your natural beauty. You may have heard of “color seasons,” which is shorthand for a color palette that best suits people with certain characteristics—it’s said that “true winter,” for example, looks best in cool jewel tones. After watching dozens and dozens of videos of people pointing out the differences between “bright spring” and “bright spring,” I was still no closer to figuring out what my color palette was.

I went on a road trip with Buick to test drive their colorful new Buick Envista range, which included a color analysis with style educator Julia Dobkine, who founded her own color consulting business. To unlock my color season, Dobkine proceeded to drape a series of fabrics over my shoulders, just below my face, to see how each one either washed me out or made me pop. After checking out a few different colors, she announced my new identity: Neutral-Warm Deep Autumn. This means that my best colors are those that you would associate with the beauty of late fall, such as cinnamon browns, olive greens, and crimson reds.

To be honest, I’m still mulling over exactly what that means for my wardrobe. I have a ton of black in my closet, as well as lots of pale pinks, light purples, and other shades that are “worst” for a deep fall person like me. But the most significant – and unexpected – effect of my newfound color identity so far has been how much it helped curb my impulse buying tendencies.

I was almost nervous about the seasonal color analysis because I imagined how the results would turn my entire closet upside down – it can be a great de-cluttering tool though – and I’d have to go out and start over. But that wasn’t the case, and I actually found myself spending less on clothes in a few surprising ways.

When I spoke with Dobkine, she said she wasn’t encouraging a massive wardrobe overhaul at all. “When you get your colors, you literally get a new language. So now you know the letters, but it will take you a few years to build a full wardrobe,” she says. “I don’t encourage my clients to do a huge closet purge because you already have what you have, so you might as well keep using it.”

Instead, she says, she encourages clients to start buying only clothes in their color palette from now on. “Because with your palette you can build a long-term, efficient and sustainable wardrobe for many years, and you know that everything will complement you and everything can be styled into an outfit because all the colors are within the palette.”

A few weeks ago, I was at the thrift store on my block, flipping through a rack of bright red sweaters. I wanted something to make me feel brave, plus Valentine’s Day was coming up and it felt like a festive shopping spree. But after picking up the hanger, I thought about my color analysis and decided to put it away. Not only because it wasn’t in my palette, but because I was considering buying it for reasons that won’t last. Even though it was only $20, I would inevitably wear it once or twice, then watch it take up unnecessary space in my one closet and probably donate it in a year or two, feeling seriously guilty.

Dobkine says that emotions and colors are so closely related; people buy this way all the time without even realizing it. “We are not always aware of all the emotions we go through during the day. Like, you wake up in a good mood, right? And then you get bad news, and your mood goes down. And then you get coffee and your mood improves,” she explains. “So if you’re shopping for clothes at the moment, you’re most likely going to get yourself something that resonates with or lifts your current mood.”

The problem with that approach, she says, is that when the feeling wears off a few hours or weeks later, you may not feel the same way about the item. Then you find yourself looking in your closet and wondering why you bought that shirt with the tag still attached. “My ideology is that you should separate your emotions from your style,” says Dobkine. Having this new set of tools has helped me think about why I really gravitate towards a piece of clothing before I buy it. And just taking that extra minute saved me from an already surprising number of purchases.

Thanks to my mom, I’ve always been a big believer in calculating cost per wear for an item, meaning that an expensive pair of jeans might be worth it when I realize I’ll be wearing them every week, while that single-wear dress might not be worth the hefty price tag. Having my color analysis done reinforced that mentality by adding an extra layer to my decision-making, and Dobkine says she’s heard the same feedback from her clients. “They’re starting to buy less, but wear those pieces more,” she says, noting that they tend to move away from fleeting trends and fast fashions that won’t last that long.

“They invest in better quality and create a capsule wardrobe,” she says. Even though I’ve only known my color season for a few short months, I’m already looking forward to slowly and steadily building my closet until it’s filled with only the pieces that make me feel my best year after year.