The beige years didn’t happen by accident.

Walk through almost any airport, office, coffee shop, conference room, school pickup line, or LinkedIn profile photo collection right now.

Count the colors.

Really.

Pause for a second and count.

How many clear reds do you see?

How many vivid blues?

How many saturated greens, magentas, bright cool pinks, peacock blues, true purples, crisp clear corals?

Not many.

Instead, we live in a sea of:

beige

camel

dusty rose

sage

oatmeal

charcoal

greige

muted olive

“elevated neutral.”

The color palette of politely disappearing into the background.

Somehow, somewhere along the way, we collectively decided a muted understated palette meant sophistication.

Did we choose that consciously?

Or did it quietly happen to us?

That question matters more than it sounds.

What if much of modern wardrobe advice has confused camouflage with refinement?

The Beige Years

For years now, fashion has been deep in what they call quiet luxury.

Soft neutrals.

Expensive-looking understatement.

Minimalism.

Underplayed wealth signals.

Nothing too loud.

Nothing too visible.

Nothing too… colorful.

And to be fair, some of it is beautiful.

But I want to ask a slightly rebellious question.

Beautiful for whom?

Beautiful on the hanger?

Beautiful on Pinterest?

Beautiful in a perfectly filtered Instagram post?

It might be fantastic in a capsule wardrobe flat lay.

Will the same colors be beautiful on an actual human face in natural daylight?

Those are not always the same thing.

Light Loves Color exists because this distinction matters a lot.

The Strange Social History of Color

Many of us inherited unspoken rules about visibility.

Don’t be too much.

Don’t be flashy.

Don’t look like you’re trying too hard.

Don’t attract attention.

Blend.

Coordinate.

Stay tasteful.

Stay safe.

Stay… muted.

And here is where I want to challenge something.

What if many of our wardrobe decisions are not primarily aesthetic decisions at all?

What if they are psychological ones?

Think about your own closet for a moment.

No judgment.

Just observation.

Open it mentally.

What percentage would you estimate is:

black?

navy?

grey?

beige?

soft muted shades?

dusty versions of brighter colors?

Now ask yourself a harder question.

How much of that is genuine preference… and how much of it is comfort?

How much comes from:

professional conditioning?

trend influence?

fear of standing out?

shopping convenience?

the belief that muted automatically equals polished?

This is not criticism.

This is curiosity.

Because humans are remarkably good at adapting to whatever the culture quietly rewards.

The Muted Maze

I think many people are trapped in what I call The Muted Maze.

The muted maze sounds like this:

“Bright colors aren’t me.”

“I don’t want to look loud.”

“I just feel safer in neutrals.”

“Muted colors seem more sophisticated.”

“I’m not really a color person.”

Maybe.

Sometimes that’s true.

But sometimes?

We mistake familiarity, comfort, and personality traits for correctness.

We wear the same softened, greyed-down palette long enough that it starts feeling like identity.

We stop testing.

We stop observing.

We stop asking what the colors are actually doing to our faces.

Because they ARE doing something.

Whether we consciously mean to do it or not.

A Small Physics Problem Nobody Told Us About

Here is where Light Loves Color begins departing from generic fashion advice.

The colors near your face are not merely style choices.

They are operating inside a visual system.

Your eye processes color relationally.

Colors interact with skin.

Some amplify luminosity.

Some flatten it.

Some brighten.

Some dim.

Some make the face the focal point.

Others make us blend into the fabric.

You may not care about that information.

That is entirely your prerogative.

But your face is responding anyway.

And once you begin noticing this, it becomes surprisingly difficult to unsee.

Have you ever put on a certain color and thought:

“I look strangely tired today.”

Or:

“Why does my skin suddenly look amazing?”

Same sleep.

Same face.

Same person.

Different color.

Interesting.

No?

The Personality Myth

There is another idea I want to question.

The idea that color is mainly about personality.

“I’m not a bright person.”

“I’m shy.”

“I prefer understated things.”

“Bold colors aren’t my vibe.”

Fair enough.

You get to choose your aesthetic.

But let me ask a question.

Since when did personality become a factor in what amplifies light in human skin?

We don’t typically say:

“I’m not really a moisturizer person.”

“I don’t have a skincare personality.”

We recognize certain inputs have observable effects whether they align with our self-story or not.

Color is similar.

Observation deserves a seat at the table alongside preference.

Maybe not the only seat.

But a seat.

Drab Rehab

This is not a manifesto demanding neon wardrobes.

Relax.

This is not: “everyone must wear hot pink immediately.”

Drab Rehab is simpler than that.

It is an invitation.

A willingness to reexamine the quiet assumptions many of us absorbed about visibility, professionalism, taste, and color.

It asks:

What if the colors you have been faithfully trusting for years are not actually helping your face?

What if muted doesn’t automatically mean sophisticated?

What if “safe” and “strategic” are not synonyms?

What if your brightest future is not waiting behind another oatmeal cardigan?

Too much?

Maybe.

But worth testing.

Always worth having an open mind.

A Small Experiment

Before next week’s post, I want you to try something. Not theory. Observation.

Find natural daylight. Stand near a window. Pull your hair back.

Now compare a dusty, muted version of a color… against a clear, brighter version of that same family.

• Soft sage versus saturated green.

• Dusty blue versus royal blue.

• Muted berry versus clear fuchsia.

Don’t evaluate whether you like the colors.

Don’t evaluate personality.

Don’t evaluate trend alignment.

Just watch your face.

Ask:

Which color makes my skin look more alive?

Which one deepens shadows?

Which one sharpens my features?

Which one quietly drains them?

Notice what happens.

Then come back and tell me in the comments.

Seriously.

I want to know.

Because next week we are going somewhere fascinating.

We are going to talk about who historically got to wear color… who didn’t… and why many of us are still dressing like visibility is dangerous.

Subscribe to access the transformation portions of Light Loves Color posts, where we move from ideas into observation exercises, wardrobe experiments, professional application, and the practical work of getting out of the muted maze. Subscribe to Paid to get access to Drab Rehab Labs.

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Your brightest future awaits!

Download the free Light Loves Color Guides if you want the foundational principles behind color, line, and intentional visual presence.

Light Loves Color Field Guide

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Why Light Loves Color Guide

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DRAB REHAB LAB No. 1

Welcome to the transformation portion.

Not theory.

Observation.

Testing.

Application.

The place where Light Loves Color moves from interesting ideas into “wait… I can actually see this happening.”

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I apologize for the confusion. I accidentally attached two of the same files when I tried to share my new Field Guides for you this morning.

Light Loves Color Field Guide

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Here is the Field Guide (dark mode) and the one you received (light mode) was the Why Light Loves Color Guide.

Enjoy!

Job interviews after 45. Leading people who are still trying to decide if they’ll take you seriously. Showing up on Teams and Zoom calls with funders and wanting to be read correctly before you say a word. I could sense the honesty, and the thing is, we all struggle with similar situations.

All of those situations have a common thread.

You want to walk in knowing your appearance is doing the right things, so you can focus on doing your job and stop second-guessing yourself.

That is why Light Loves Color is unique in the fashion advice space. Light Loves Color is a celebration of the power of light on our skin, of the fact that color can harness the power of light and give us a more youthful, healthy glow. But this isn’t the only interesting fact in our body of knowledge. Those of you who have been long-time readers, even those of you who decided to stay after Sandy died. This year marks 10 years. What a blur it’s been.

You know that Sandy was a treasure trove of knowledge, tips, tricks, observations, suggestions, and, well, even frustration about fashion and personal image. She went against the conventional teachings. She said that bright cool colors were summer, not winter, and that the misguided color analysts totally messed it up in the 70s, and that the rest of them kept following it even though summer is a high-saturation bright season, as the artists always said it was. She also said not to “match” or “coordinate” clothing colors with the hair and eyes; it’s the undertone that’s important. She had an eye for discerning and a mind for teaching. It was contagious.

I put some of the foundation knowledge into a free guide below. It covers the science of simultaneous contrast, the color mistakes most women have never had explained to them, a home self-diagnosis you can do in about 30 minutes, and the role line and accessories play in how the room reads you.

Download the Light Loves Color Field Guide free below. If you’re reading in email, you might need to click through to Substack.

Light Loves Color Field Guide

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And for those of you who want me to apply this directly to your face, your coloring, and your professional context, I also built the next step.

It is called the Second Set of Eyes.

In short, you submit a few photos and answer a short intake form about your role and the situations where your presence matters most. Within 5 business days, I will send you a professional report that explains your undertone and contrast level in plain language, your best professional colors and when to use them, your line strategy, hair and makeup anchors, and a few specific recommendations for your LinkedIn profile and professional photos.

If that is something you want, just reply with the word “yes,” and I will send you the details.

I am glad to be back. And I am especially glad to be building something practical for you.

Tatyana

P.S. Not a businessperson? Check out the Why Light Loves Color and You Should Too guide.

Why Light Loves Color Guide

23.2MB ∙ PDF file

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People form competence judgments in milliseconds, and those snap judgments create a perceptual framework that’s extraordinarily resistant to change. It’s like when someone tries a food for the first time and instantly dislikes it, they often take that information as a verdict for the rest of their lives: “I don’t like __.” They’re perfectly content spending decades NOT reevaluating that food. They have no reason to. It didn’t taste good to them. They don’t know/care whether it was just at the wrong state of ripeness, prepared by a horrible chef, left out too long, or just tasted bad after their toothpaste. All they know is they don’t like it. Period.

If we essentially leave a blah or bad taste in someone’s mouth, why would they ever go back to reevaluate that? They move on. They don’t care whether we were just at the wrong state of ripeness, prepared by a horrible chef, or left out too long. You can see where I’m going here.

You can be the most qualified person in the room and spend the next hour (or decade) fighting an impression that formed before you ever said a word.

Most advice about this tells you to stand up straight and make eye contact. That advice is not wrong. It is just incomplete by about 90 percent.

Here is what the science of color analysis actually shows, developed across four decades of practice with clients from more than 25 cultures and nationalities. The colors you wear don’t just affect how others see you. They affect what others see projected onto your face. This is called simultaneous contrast, and it is physics, not opinion.

When the eye looks at any color, it generates the opposite color on the color wheel and projects it onto nearby surfaces, including your skin. Orange garments generate blue on your face, making you look pale and anemic. Blue garments do the opposite. They add healthy, luminous color. Red lipstick makes teeth look whiter for the same reason.

This is why most conventional color advice fails us. “Wear warm tones if you have warm coloring” sounds logical. It’s actually one of the most reliable ways to make yourself look drab, tired, and forgettable in a room where you can’t afford to be any of those things.

The colors that feel safe, the ones that match your hair or your eyes or what you’ve always worn, are often the ones doing the most damage to how others read you when they scan a room.

Next week, I’m publishing the first full piece in a new content series on the science of professional presence. If you are not already getting these posts by email, you will want to be.

One question: what is the highest-stakes professional situation you walk into regularly? A board presentation, a job interview, a client pitch? Zoom/Teams calls? Hit reply. I read everything.

Tatyana

P.S. If someone forwarded this to you and you want to subscribe, the link is here: posts.lightlovescolor.com

My mom died last year. I learned years ago, after losing my dad, that when someone dies in my life I cannot write. The words just stop working. It took me a long time to find them again after each of them. I thought I was getting there last fall, thought the grief of losing my mom was starting to settle enough that I could come back to this.

Then we lost someone else. This time a young niece, Arianna. She was traveling with her schoolmates to a STEM competition in Tennessee when their bus went over the center lane. Two kids did not make it. She was one of them.

That one went deep. We are still carrying it. She was an amazing girl, and the hardest thing has been watching my sister-in-law lose her only baby. There is no framework for that. There is nothing that makes it make sense. We flew out to go be with the family in Tennessee for a little over a week. It wasn’t enough, but I am so glad we were able to all be together.

Now, I will write anyway. Not because I am ready. Not because we have stopped hurting. But because I want to make the best of this life for the people still in it, including myself. Running my own business and helping people is the thing that makes me most fulfilled, and going quiet was not serving anyone, least of all me. Arianna’s too-short life has awakened a drive in me to do my best.

I am also turning paid subscriptions back on. Not because I need the money. I charge about the lowest monthly fee Substack allows. I am turning them on because it will keep me accountable. It will help me show up for you.

The research I was sitting with before I went quiet, on confidence, on how professional women are evaluated, on what presence actually signals to a room, did not stop being interesting just because I stopped writing about it.

Here is where Light Loves Color is going.

This publication is built on a foundation of decades of hands-on color analysis practice and over 16,000 collective client sessions developed by Sandy Dumont, founder of The Image Architect and one of the most rigorous color methodology researchers in the field. I carry that work forward, updated for the modern professional environment.

The short version: I translate color science and the psychology of professional presence into practical tools for women who want their appearance to work as hard as they do. Not fashion advice. Not rules about what is flattering. The actual science of how you are perceived before you open your mouth, and what you can do with that information deliberately and strategically.

That is the work. I have a lot of it to share.

New posts arrive every 10 days. Each one will be specific, grounded in research, and built around something you can actually use.

If that is not what you signed up for, no hard feelings. The unsubscribe link is below and I will not take it personally. But if it is, I am glad you are still here.

One thing before you go: hit reply and tell me the one professional situation where you most wish your presence was working harder for you. I am using those answers to decide what to write first.

Grief doesn’t care about our content calendars but sometimes it makes us realize that life is too short to not do what we love.

I sincerely hope you are well, friend!

Tatyana Wilson, Ed.S., SHRM-CP

Last week I talked about how there’s a subtle but damaging idea circulating in society.

It sounds like this:

You just need to believe in yourself more.

Confidence has become the prerequisite. Skill is treated as secondary, almost optional. That sequence is backward.

Historically, professionally, neurologically, and practically, confidence follows mastery, not the other way around.

The Lie That Put Women in a Bind

Women are often encouraged to project confidence before they’re given:

• Clear criteria for success

• Stretch opportunities with real support

• Honest, actionable feedback

• Time to build depth without penalty

So they’re caught in an impossible position:

• If they wait until they feel ready, they’re seen as hesitant

• If they project confidence early, they’re seen as overreaching

This double bind doesn’t disappear with affirmations. It disappears with skill that holds under pressure.

What Mastery Actually Is (and Isn’t)

Mastery is not:

• Knowing everything

• Being perfect

• Having decades of experience

• Never needing help

Mastery is:

• Pattern recognition

• Decision-making under uncertainty

• Knowing which variables matter and which don’t

• Being able to explain your thinking clearly

• Recovering quickly when something goes wrong

That’s why mastery reads as calm. Not because the person is fearless but because they’re oriented.

Why Mastery Creates Real Confidence

Here’s what the research and lived experience converge on:

When someone has mastery:

• Their nervous system is steadier under scrutiny

• They’re less derailed by vague feedback

• They can separate signal from noise

• They don’t overcorrect based on every reaction

Confidence emerges as a byproduct. Not fake confidence. Not loud confidence. Grounded confidence. The kind that doesn’t require constant proving. That’s the true confidence we all want, isn’t it?

Why Women Are Often Pushed Away From Mastery

This is uncomfortable but important. Women are often rewarded early for:

• Agreeableness

• Responsiveness

• Presentation

• Emotional labor

And subtly discouraged from:

• Staying narrow long enough to go deep

• Taking time to build technical authority

• Saying “I need more data” instead of reacting

• Claiming expertise without social buffering

The result? Women are asked to display confidence without being given the same protection to build mastery.

That’s not a personal failure. It’s a systemic one.

Mastery Changes How You’re Read

Here’s the quiet truth: People don’t actually trust stereotypical confidence that comes across as charisma and image anyway. They do trust coherence.

Mastery creates coherence:

• Your words match your actions

• Your explanations are precise

• Your decisions are consistent

• Your presence feels intentional

This is why mastery outperforms charisma over time. It compounds.

Where Self-Presentation Fits In

This is where Light Loves Color lives—not at the surface, but in support of mastery.

Strategic self-presentation:

• Reduces distraction

• Supports authority cues already earned through skill

• Keeps attention on your work, not your appearance

• Helps your expertise land cleanly

It doesn’t replace mastery.

It protects it.

Think of it as infrastructure, not decoration.

The Reframe That Actually Helps

Instead of asking:

“How can I be more confident?”

The more useful question is:

“What level of mastery would make me confident?”

And then:

• What skills would close that gap?

• What experiences would deepen judgment?

• What feedback would actually help?

• What conditions would let me practice without punishment?

That’s a strategy—not a vibe. Then you create a realistic, tangible, and strategic learning plan. This is the most important makeover you can get.

What’s Coming Next

In the next article, we’ll look at visibility, not in the social-media sense, but in the organizational one.

Why:

• Mastery without visibility stalls

• Visibility without mastery backfires

• And women are often expected to manage both with fewer resources

We’ll talk about how visibility actually works, what doesn’t help, and how to make your work legible without self-promotion theater.

Mastery deserves recognition and confidence deserves supportive systems.

But what if the reason you don’t feel confident isn’t a personal failure? What if it’s because opportunity, feedback, and visibility haven’t been available to you?

If you’ve been waiting to feel ready and wondering why readiness never arrives, this isn’t a mindset problem. It’s a sequencing problem.​

Often, when women struggle with visibility, advancement, or authority at work, the diagnosis sounds eerily similar:

“She needs more confidence.”

“She should speak up more.”

“She doesn’t seem quite ready yet.”

Low confidence gets treated like a personality flaw. It’s seen as a sign that someone needs a character upgrade; you’re somehow supposed to attain it through affirmations, mindset work, or sheer grit.​ We’ve all undoubtedly seen movies that claim that overnight, someone can get a glow-up, and all of a sudden their entire life changes.

Even the movies tell us it’s a wardrobe change, a new haircut, a speech. We’ve been culturally trained to believe confidence is something you decide to have.

Take, for example, how confidence is framed as a simple image fix in these popular movies.

The Devil Wears Prada

The trope:
Andy changes her wardrobe, posture, and tone. And suddenly she’s powerful, competent, and respected.

The glow-up montage implies:
External polish → Internal confidence → Professional authority.

What’s misrepresented:
The film compresses months (or years) of skill acquisition, pattern recognition, and power literacy into a style shift. Her competence arc is secondary to her aesthetic shift.

Reality:
Research shows authority and confidence stabilize through:

• Domain mastery

• Feedback cycles

• Exposure to increasing challenge

• Role clarity

Not wardrobe alone.

(Enclothed cognition can reduce friction but not replace skill.)

She’s All That

The trope:
Glasses off. Hair down. New clothes. Suddenly, she’s socially dominant.

The message:
Confidence = visibility + attractiveness + social approval.

What’s misrepresented:
Social confidence is portrayed as a surface event, not a result of belonging, security, or earned competence.

Reality:
Belonging research (Walton & Cohen) and Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan) show confidence grows when:

• People feel competent

• People feel autonomous

• People feel socially safe

Not when they receive a makeover.

The Princess Diaries

The trope:
Awkward teen → royal training montage → poised queen energy.

Confidence appears transferable through posture lessons and etiquette training.

What’s misrepresented:
Poise is confused with confidence. Skill rehearsal is condensed into transformation magic.

Reality:
Skill rehearsal helps. Coaching helps. Modeling helps.
But confidence is usually the byproduct of:

• Repeated exposure

• Gradual competence

• Safe failure

• Increased predictability

Confidence follows mastery. Not the other way around.

The Pattern These Movies Reinforce

They suggest:

1. Confidence is aesthetic.

2. Confidence is personality-based.

3. Confidence is unlocked through self-belief.

4. Confidence precedes success.

But longitudinal research in psychology and organizational behavior suggests something else:

• Mastery predicts stable confidence.

• Competence reduces anxiety.

• Repeated successful exposure reduces threat response.

• Self-efficacy (Bandura) builds through successful task completion.

So you see, confidence is not a trait; research tells us something less glamorous and more empowering: it’s not something some people are born with and others lack.​ Confidence is a response to conditions. It’s actually a feedback loop.

The True Definition of Confidence

One of the most consistent findings across psychology, organizational research, and behavioral science is that it isn’t built overnight through a hack. It’s built through a process of repeated mastery and environmental reinforcement that creates within a person a WILLINGNESS TO TRY. Did you hear that? Confidence is just the willingness to try! What? That’s it?

Not bravado?
Not charisma?
Not loudness or looking just right?

Willingness!

Willingness to:

• speak up again after being interrupted​

• volunteer again after being passed over​

• offer ideas again after they were previously ignored​

• continuing when feedback has been vague or inconsistent​

That willingness doesn’t emerge in a vacuum. It grows or erodes based on what happens after you try.​

Why Confidence Erodes

If confidence were purely internal, it wouldn’t decline so predictably among certain groups.
But it does.​

Women’s confidence tends to drop in environments where:

• feedback is vague or contradictory

• evaluation criteria shift without warning​

• ideas are routinely overlooked or credited to others​

• opportunities are unevenly distributed​

• performance is judged alongside appearance, tone, or likability

Over time, the brain learns something very rational: trying here is risky.​

So the nervous system adapts.
People conserve energy.
They hesitate.
They self-edit.

That’s not low confidence. That’s pattern recognition and adaptation.​

The Confidence–Competence Loop

One of the most useful ways to understand confidence is as a loop—not a trait.​

Here’s how it works:

• competence leads to attempts (you try)

• attempts lead to feedback and opportunity

• feedback and opportunity reinforce confidence

• confidence increases willingness to try again

When any part of that loop breaks (especially feedback or opportunity), the system stalls.

This is why telling women to “just be more confident” usually backfires. It asks them to override evidence without changing conditions.​

What Is Within Your Control

Here’s where this gets grounded and practical. Some factors shaping confidence are outside your control:

• bias

• organizational culture

• leadership behavior

• power dynamics

But some levers are within reach—and they matter.

These include:

• mastery of your craft (real skill, not optics)​

• clarity of communication (being understood, not just expressive)​

• strategic self-presentation (how signals are read, not how they feel)

• boundary-setting around feedback (asking for specificity)​

• pattern awareness (distinguishing personal growth from systemic friction)​

None of these requires you to become louder, shinier, or less yourself. They require precision.

Where Clothing and Presence Fit (And Where They Don’t)

This is where enclothed cognition belongs, not as a magic fix, but as a stabilizer.​

What you wear can:

• reduce cognitive load

• support authority internally

• help you stay grounded under pressure

• signal alignment with your role and responsibilities

What it cannot do:

• compensate for lack of opportunity

• eliminate bias

• replace mastery

• force recognition

Clothing supports confidence while the other conditions are being built. It doesn’t substitute for them.​

The Cost of Mislabeling the Problem

When confidence is framed as an internal flaw:

• systems stay unchanged

• responsibility shifts onto individuals

• women blame themselves for rational responses

• organizations avoid accountability

When confidence is understood as conditional:

• better feedback systems emerge

• evaluation criteria get clearer​

• sponsorship becomes visible (or the fact it’s missing is exposed)​

• skill development aligns with opportunity​

That shift matters. It matters not just for individuals, but for company performance, retention, and opportunity.

What we’re building toward

Light Loves Color is not about “fixing” people.

It’s about:

• naming what’s actually happening

• separating signal from noise

• identifying the levers that work

• helping people calibrate their inner and outer worlds with evidence, not guilt

In the next article, we’ll look more closely at mastery—why real confidence is inseparable from deep skill development—and at how women are often asked to display confidence before they’re given the same developmental runway.

Confidence without competence is fragile and competence without visibility is useless: all three are needed.

More soon!

—Tatyana

However, no one really explained what replaced the old rules.

So we’re left guessing: Am I overdressed? Understated? Trying too hard—or not enough? And why does it feel like the consequences still exist, even if the standards don’t?

If dressing to even the playing field at work feels more confusing than it used to and somehow even more ruthless than before, you’re not wrong.

In a recent article, I wrote about how the beauty and confidence industries have sold women a comforting (but inaccurate) story: confidence is something you purchase, perform, or summon internally if you just try hard enough. The research tells a different story.

Confidence in professional settings is shaped by feedback, opportunity, visibility, and bias. It grows or erodes inside systems. And when those systems are flawed, no amount of positive thinking or hacks can fully compensate.

Understanding this does make a difference to our state of mind, think “Phew, it wasn’t just me!”) It also leaves an important question unanswered:

If confidence isn’t just a mindset—and the workplace still isn’t neutral—what does dressing for leadership roles (executive presence) actually look like now?

That’s what I want to explore here.

Executive presence: then

Fifteen or twenty years ago, executive presence was relatively legible. The rules weren’t always fair, but they were clearer.

Professional environments were more formal, ruled by strict dress codes. Expectations around polish, structure, and authority were easier to identify. Men wore suits. Women adapted (sometimes awkwardly) within a narrow range of acceptable options. There were tradeoffs, but there were also guardrails.

In that context, consultants like my mentor, Sandy Dumont, helped women use color, structure, and refinement as signals—not costumes or disguises, but cues of competence, credibility, and seriousness. The work wasn’t about empty vanity; it was about alignment: helping capable women be perceived accurately in environments that often underestimated them.

The core insight was simple and still true: people use shortcuts to help them assess others’ worth and our “image” was a way to maximize credibility.

What changed

Then came COVID and with it, a dramatic collapse of professional norms.

Formal dress disappeared almost overnight. Offices went remote. Casual became the default. “Just be yourself” replaced explicit expectations. Hierarchies flattened—at least visually. Many people assumed this informality would level the playing field. Well, it didn’t.

What actually happened was more subtle and complicated. Turns out, when standards loosen, ambiguity increases. When ambiguity increases, it creates even more space for bias.

In these casual environments, women aren’t evaluated less. They’re evaluated more ambiguously. Ambiguity is NOT neutral.

As you may remember from my recent articles, men often benefit from default assumptions of competence. A man can throw on a blazer, a decent shirt, and be read as “knowing what he’s doing.” The bar is low, and the signal is strong.

For women, the margin for error is still narrow.

Too polished, and you’re trying too hard.
Too casual, and you’re not taken seriously.​
Too feminine, too sexualized.​
Too neutral, too invisible.​
Too confident, too much.​
Not confident enough, not ready.​

The formal rules may be gone, but the consequences are not.

Casual didn’t erase power dynamics, it made them harder to see.

What didn’t change

Why? Because one, humans still have the same neurological wiring for shortcuts. And, two, they still have the same interpretations of what a leader looks like, what sloppy looks like, what someone looks like when they have their stuff together. None of that changed.

Despite cultural shifts, three things stayed stubbornly consistent:

• First impressions still matter: not because they’re fair, but because humans rely on cognitive shortcuts.

• Competence is still inferred, not just demonstrated, especially early on, and especially for women.

• Women are still judged on more dimensions than men: professional ability, likability, appearance, tone, warmth, restraint (often all at once).

What’s changed isn’t the existence of bias. It’s the lack of structure to buffer against it.

Which brings us back to this: we were told the rules changed, that things are looser now, that you can “just be yourself” because we have more equality now.

But because promotions, pay, and credibility are still on the line, it’s worth asking if this is another one of those “too good to be true” lies sold to us as a convenient "EASY BUTTON” that ends up being just a cheap prop.

Why strategy still matters (and why this isn’t about “trying harder”)

This is the part where many women hesitate. When we hear that we should dress for strategy and not “for me” and “for what makes me happy,” we get defensive. Indeed, in this context, strategy can sound like self-betrayal, societal expectation, some type of fakeness, or performance. Like the world makes women play a game they didn’t choose.

But hear me out: strategy isn’t about becoming someone else. It’s about being realistic about the environment we’re in and making intentional choices rather than leaving interpretation entirely up to others.

Remember:

• People still fall back on stereotypes.

• When cues are inconsistent, bias fills the gaps.

Strategic self-presentation isn’t about chasing approval. It’s about reducing friction between who you are and how you’re perceived, using clothes and strategic grooming as intentional boosts of our own confidence while society slowly catches up with its lip service to equality.

At this point, we have two options: ignore this information or accept that strategic self-presentation is not weakness; it’s agency.

Where Light Loves Color fits

Light Loves Color isn’t about teaching women how to look impressive or about confidence as a vibe or a feeling.

It’s about realistic, strategic alignment:

• between competence and perception

• between internal competence and external cues

• between what’s in your control and what isn’t

Strategic self-presentation for business leadership roles today isn’t about dressing formally in a casual world. It’s about understanding effective signaling in an environment with fewer overt rules.

• Color still matters because it interacts with light to make your skin look better or worse.

• Structure still matters because structured pieces are still perceived as more authoritative and competent.​

• Understanding how to apply this in different contexts matters more than ever since ambiguity is greater than ever.

None of this works in isolation. That brings us to the next layer of the conversation: enclothed cognition. We’ll explore where enclothed cognition fits, where it doesn’t, and how real confidence is built at the intersection of skill, structure, and strategy.

That’s what’s coming next.

A note before we go further

If you’ve ever felt like you were doing “everything right” and still not being read accurately, it’s not your imagination.

Also, if you’ve ever worried that thinking strategically about how you show up meant you were being inauthentic or fake. I will show you that this work is about reclaiming authenticity with clarity, not betraying it.

You were told the rules changed, but you were never given the new ones. Optimizing your self-presentation approach removes obstacles and guesswork and leaves more bandwidth to do all the cool stuff you want to do.

More soon.

— Tatyana

There’s something that has been quietly confusing a lot of us for a long time: confidence. It’s usually described as a personality trait. Or a mindset. Or something you either have or you don’t.

But when you actually look at the research? Confidence shows up very differently.

Across psychology, organizational behavior, and workplace studies, confidence is consistently linked to conditions—not character. It grows when people receive clear feedback, fair evaluation, opportunities to practice meaningful skills, and signals that their competence is actually recognized.

In other words: confidence is reinforced by systems.

When those systems are vague, biased, or inconsistent, even highly capable people start to doubt themselves. Not because they lack resilience or grit—but because the environment keeps sending mixed signals.

And this is where a lot of well-intentioned advice falls apart.

“Just be more confident.”

“Speak up more.”

“Trust your instincts.”

Those suggestions assume a level playing field. The data says that’s rarely the case—especially for women.

What is within our control, though, is how we understand these dynamics and respond to them strategically. We can learn how confidence is actually built, what undermines it, and which levers genuinely make a difference.

That includes:

• mastering our craft instead of chasing vague self-belief

• recognizing when doubt is a signal—not a flaw

• and understanding how things like visibility, credibility cues, and yes—what we wear—interact with biased systems

This is the direction Light Loves Color is moving.

Not toward performative confidence.

Toward clarity, mastery, and alignment—inside real-world constraints.

Next week, I’ll be sharing my first essay on why executive presence looks different today than it did 20 years ago, what changed after COVID, and why women still need strategy even in more “casual” workplaces.

More soon!

— Tatyana

P.S. Please share this post with someone you think would love this topic so they can subscribe and come along on this journey.

As I shared last time, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about what Light Loves Color is actually here to do.

When I started the work of image consulting years ago, I was simply focused on helping people look more polished, more intentional, more “put together.” And that part still matters. But over time, I kept having the same cognitive dissonance as I was coming up against a question I couldn’t shake:

As I shared last time, what I found wasn’t what I expected. The research doesn’t actually point to a confidence problem in women. It points to systems—how feedback is given, how opportunities get handed out, how credibility is assigned, and how appearance still quietly shapes perception in ways we don’t really talk about.

That shifted a lot of thinking for me and it made me dedicated to get deeper than ever on helping people develop lasting confidence based on reality and research.

Light Loves Color was never about quick fixes, hacks, or surface-level confidence. Now it’s taking on an even deeper approach: more than ever, it’s about understanding how confidence actually builds, what’s within our control, what isn’t, and how to move through professional spaces with more clarity and less constant self-correction.

I’m working on a short series of essays to start publishing weekly to put the pieces of the puzzle together, including:

• how executive presence has changed (and how it hasn’t)

• where enclothed cognition fits—and where it doesn’t

• why mastery matters more than mindset

• and how women can navigate biased systems without losing themselves in the process

So, if you’ve ever felt like you were doing everything “right” and still second-guessing yourself, you’re not imagining it.

Sometimes, just a small recalibration can help us see so much clearer. And if you’re looking for a calmer, more grounded way to think about confidence, credibility, and professional growth, I’m really glad you’re here.

More soon!

— Tatyana

For much of my adult life, I believed a story that now feels so obvious I’m almost embarrassed to admit it.

It went something like this:

If I get my look right—If I wear my best colors, right silhouettes, my “polished but effortless” style—If I dial in my grooming, my hair, my presentation—

I’d feel confident.
I’d be taken seriously.
The right doors would open.

Sound familiar?

I built a lot of my work around that story. I helped women choose colors, refine their wardrobes, and show up looking like the most intentional version of themselves. And I still believe that work is meaningful. Feeling at home in your own skin matters. Self-expression matters. Beauty and color and aesthetics absolutely have a place.

But something kept bothering me.

I kept hearing versions of the same quiet confession:

• “So many people do all the work—clothes, grooming, presence—and are still stuck.”

• “They’re polished, prepared, and overqualified, but keep getting passed over.”

• “They show up ‘right,’ and somehow it’s never quite enough.”

At first, I thought the answer was to refine the advice. Maybe it’s not just about looking polished—maybe it’s about signaling authority, or “dressing for the room,” or adjusting your image for different audiences.

But the more I thought, the more it felt like rearranging furniture on a slanted floor.

So I went down the rabbit hole.

I started researching—not the Instagram posts, not the style blogs, but the actual studies on confidence. And what I found honestly changed everything: confidence doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It exists within a climate of bias and a sometimes hostile world.

Here are a few truths that hit me hardest:

• Women are often evaluated on three things at once: how competent they look, how “moral” or “appropriate” they seem, and how attractive they are. Men, in contrast, are mostly judged on competence.

• Attractive women are penalized for certain leadership or “masculine” roles. The very thing that is supposed to “help” can hurt as soon as you step into leadership positions.

• There is no agreed-upon “right” amount of makeup. Too little? “Unprofessional.” Too much? “Not serious.” The line moves depending on who’s looking at you.

• Women are interrupted more, sponsored less, and promoted on proven performance, while men are promoted on potential.

• Mothers are assumed to be less committed, even when their performance doesn’t change. Fathers are often seen as more stable and dependable after having kids.

In other words:
The game has been rigged from the start.

No outfit, no lipstick, no “perfect blazer” is enough to fix that.

That’s when it made sense:

The beauty industry promised confidence through perfection.

Buy this. Fix that. Tweak this. Invest more. Then you’ll feel confident. Then they’ll take you seriously. Then you’ll finally belong.

They lied.

Not because clothing and grooming don’t matter at all—they do, especially for how you feel (remember Enclothed Cognition?). But because they told us the lever we control (our appearance) was the master key to a system we don’t control.

They quietly implied:
If you’re not advancing, you just haven’t optimized yourself enough yet.

And that’s the part I’m not willing to participate in.

So what does “we’re building something better” actually mean?

Confidence Is Not a Personality Trait — It’s the Willingness to Try

Why confidence advice so often fails, and what psychology actually tells us about how confidence develops.

What Popular Confidence Advice Gets Wrong (and Why It Sometimes Backfires for Women)

A research-backed look at affirmations, “fake it till you make it,” and why mindset-only approaches increase self-blame instead of agency.

The Parts of Confidence That Are Actually Within Your Control

Breaking confidence into practical components — skill mastery, cognitive load, environment, and perception — without pretending bias doesn’t exist.

The Systems That Quiet Women at Work (and Why It’s Not a Personal Failure)

How interruption, evaluation bias, and double standards erode confidence long before motivation ever enters the picture.

Why “Just Be Yourself” Is Incomplete Advice in Uneven Systems

When authenticity helps — and when it quietly increases risk — in environments that still punish deviation.

Enclothed Cognition: What It Is, What It Isn’t, and Why It Still Matters

Where clothing fits into confidence and credibility — as a supporting lever, not a magic solution or moral obligation.

Why Instinct and Personal Preference Aren’t Reliable Guides

How familiarity, comfort, and trend cycles distort perception — and why evidence-based choices reduce friction.

Confidence Through Mastery, Not Performance

Why deep competence creates calm, how mastery stabilizes confidence, and why performative confidence collapses under pressure.

Aligning Inner Capability, Outer Signals, and Real-World Systems

Until then, here are some things I want you to hold on to.

It’s not because you didn’t try hard enough.
It’s not because you weren’t polished enough.
It’s not because you failed at perfection.

You’re living in a system that was never designed with you in mind.

That’s where the work begins.

Hello friends. I’m glad to be back with you today. Losing my mom last year really took it out of me. On the other hand, I’m really happy to be writing to you today and hope you’re doing well. Hit reply and let me know, or throw it in the comments on the site.

Today’s article is a reminder of why we always want to present ourselves intentionally; it suggests a few simple ways to always look polished, even when you don’t have much time. Enjoy!

By Tatyana Wilson, MA, EdS, SHRM-CP

I come from a deeply human-centered background—building rapport, developing people, and empowering individuals. But as my career has evolved, I’ve also had to learn the language of business: numbers, metrics, and measurable impact. That’s why I’ve been diving into people analytics and human resource operations lately, and what I’ve found is revealing: even in today’s relaxed work settings, dressing for success is far more consequential for your professional life than most of us ever admitted.

Not optional. Not superficial. Not “just fun.” The science shows it matters.

Have We Relegated Dress to a Side Topic?

Too many people in personal development and leadership spaces talk about wardrobe like it’s an accessory—nice to have if time and money allow. I’m here to tell you: that’s a myth.

Research across psychology, organizational behavior, and performance science finds that clothing isn’t just aesthetic—it plays a central role in how others perceive us and how we perceive ourselves.

1. First Impressions Are Fast, and They Stick

Studies in social cognition show that clothing is a fundamental component of person perception — on par with facial features, body language, and voice. People use what we wear to infer everything from social identity to competence and status.

In practical terms, within milliseconds of seeing someone, observers form impressions based on dress—and those impressions influence predictions about competence, trustworthiness, and suitability for roles.

This means dressing well isn’t vanity—it’s strategic communication.

2. What You Wear Influences How You Think

Beyond signaling to others, what you wear influences your own cognitive performance.

I’ve written about this before. The phenomenon of enclothed cognition shows that the symbolic meaning of clothing affects the wearer’s mindset. In classic experiments, wearing symbolic professional attire (like a white lab coat) actually increased attention and task performance—but only when participants believed the clothing carried clinical meaning.

In other words, clothes don’t just make you look more professional—they can literally shift how you think, focus, and perform.

3. Professional Attire Boosts Confidence and Productivity

Contemporary research continues to support this idea. A 2024 survey of over 700 U.S. women found that 96% felt more confident in their abilities when they felt better dressed, and the same percentage believed that style impacts productivity, professionalism, and leadership advancement.

Another study tracking 800+ employee days found that on days when individuals dressed better than usual, they experienced higher self-esteem and greater task engagement—because they felt more prepared and focused.

Clothing isn’t just another variable; it’s a psychological lever that affects mood and performance.

4. How You Dress Shapes Others’ Judgments of Your Competence

Scholars investigating attire and professional perception consistently find that more formal attire—even business casual—is associated with higher ratings of credibility, professionalism, and ethicality than casual clothing.

Surveys of hiring managers also reinforce this: a majority say wardrobe influences promotion decisions. One staffing study found that 86% of managers agreed clothing affects promotion opportunities, and 93% of executives reported that an employee’s style influences their likelihood of promotion.

That’s not about being superficial—it’s about biases in perception, halo effects, and how credibility is constructed socially.

5. Clothing Isn’t the Job—But It Is a Signal

Of course, clothes alone won’t make you valuable. If you’re a superstar engineer writing the next billion-dollar app, your skills will carry you far regardless of attire.

But for most of us looking to differentiate ourselves in highly competitive environments, clothing serves as a signal amplifier—reinforcing confidence, professionalism, and readiness.

It’s part of a broader communication strategy that includes:

• Body language

• Vocal tone

• Presence

• Behaviors

• Work ethic

When all five align, you become a powerhouse.

So What Do We Do With This?

Dressing intentionally doesn’t require thousands of dollars. It doesn’t mean sacrificing comfort or personal style. It means choosing with purpose:

✔ Structured pieces that signal readiness

✔ Well-fitted basics that subtly command respect

✔ Colors that enhance your natural light and confidence

✔ Shoes and accessories that communicate confidence, professional maturity, and sophistication—not chaos

And yes—please stop defaulting to sweatpants if you want to be taken seriously. It signals ease—not excellence.

The Work Still Matters—But So Does Your Signal

Clothing will never replace your hard work, growth mindset, or skills—but it does matter for:

• Promotions

• Salary negotiations

• Credibility

• First impressions

• Long-term career momentum

The science is clear: how you dress influences how you think, how others see you, and what opportunities you attract. It’s not vanity. It’s strategy.

If you want to go do the thing, you also need to look the part. And when you learn how to do that well?

You’ll feel it.

Your confidence will change.

Your opportunities will open.

Wear the jackets.

Wear the structured pieces.

Wear the colors that make your brain and body feel aligned.

Then watch how your presence changes your path.

✨ Action Items for the Next Time You Get Dressed for Work

This article made one thing clear: how you dress isn’t a side note to your career—it’s part of your strategy. These action items are designed to be simple, doable, and immediately impactful, even on busy mornings.

🧥 1. Choose One Structured Piece—On Purpose

Before defaulting to something soft or casual, ask, “What’s my structure today?”

Action Item:

Add one structured element to your outfit:

• A tailored jacket, vest, or blazer

• A crisp button shirt layered under a sweater

• Tailored pants

Structure signals readiness—to others and to your own brain.

🎨 2. Put a “Credibility Color” Near Your Face

Color isn’t decoration—it’s communication. The right color increases perceived confidence and clarity.

Action Item:

Choose a top, scarf, or jacket in a color that:

• Reflects light onto your face (Dig around the archives if you don't know what colors work best for you)

• Makes your skin look clearer and more awake

• Feels strong, not muted

If you’re cool-toned, start with bright white, navy, royal blue, magenta, or turquoise. If you feel more energized when you see yourself in the mirror, you chose correctly.

👞 3. Check the Details That Signal Control

People subconsciously read shoes, bags, and grooming as indicators of competence.

Action Item:

Do a 30-second check:

• Are your shoes clean and intentional?

• Is your bag structured (not collapsing or overstuffed)?

• Does your outfit look chosen, not accidental?

These details quietly say, “I’m on top of things.”

🧠 4. Dress for the Person You’re Becoming

Your clothing doesn’t just communicate to others—it reinforces how you see yourself.

Action Item:

Before you leave, ask:

• Does this outfit support the level of responsibility I want next?

• Would I feel confident walking into an unexpected meeting today?

If the answer is no, adjust one thing. That’s often all it takes.

🧴 5. Give Yourself a “Self-Respect Signal”

This isn’t about perfection—it’s about intention.

Action Item:

Commit to a grooming baseline:

• Groomed hair (even a polished bun or smooth ponytail)

• Easy enhancing products (tinted moisturizer, concealer, brow gel, mascara, lip color)

• Something that makes you feel awake and present

This tells your nervous system—and the world—that you matter.

🧭 Final Reminder

You don’t dress well because you’re insecure.

You dress well because you’re serious about where you’re going.

Clothing won’t do the work for you—but it can support your focus, your confidence, and your credibility. And that’s too important to leave to chance.

Next time you get dressed for work, use these action items—and notice how differently you feel, think, and show up.

Until next time,

Dress with intention!

Tatyana

Thank you for being a subscriber. I’m so glad you’re reading this timeless content and I hope you get a lot out of it whether you enjoy the free or paid version. I’m a busy mom of 4, a full-time caregiver to my disabled brother, a college instructor, and a writer on Substack. Together with my husband, I try to keep up with all the responsibilities, while maintaining great relationships and happy vibes. I heart you!

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Celebrating My Mom, My First Style Mentor

By Tatyana Wilson, MA, EdS, SHRM-CP

My mom grew up at a time and in a place where it would be considered unthinkable to leave one’s house in sweats and slippers. Those people at those places and times could still never imagine going out with their hair undone or wearing a sloppy t-shirt.

This is what’s on my heart to write, but I haven’t been able to write it yet. I appreciate you and will be back with the rest of this reflection soon.

Thank you so much for understanding.

Subscribe now

Until next time, dress well, my friend!

Tatyana Wilson, MA, EdS, SHRM-CP
Founder, Light Loves Color

Thank you for being a subscriber. I’m so glad you’re reading this timeless content and I hope you get a lot out of it whether you enjoy the free or paid version. I’m a busy mom of 4, full-time caregiver to a disabled family member, college instructor, and writer. Together with my husband, I try to keep up with all the responsibilities, while maintaining great relationships and happy vibes. I heart you!

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The Trend Trap: How to Avoid Fashion Regrets and Embrace Timeless Style

By Tatyana Wilson, MA, EdS, SHRM-CP

We’ve all been there.

With each changing season, new swarms of “what’s in and what’s out” fashion videos buzz our way. We toss aside and donate our “wrong cut” jeans, start to tuck or not tuck our shirts a certain way (because if you do it wrong, you’re seen as “dated”), and we try to keep up with the fashion gods. Or maybe we’re scrolling late at night and we see an influencer wear the new fashion trend. Feeling that jolt of excitement, we order it. Maybe we even wear it once or twice. But eventually… it sits. Quiet in our closet. Like a souvenir from someone else’s story.

Let’s talk about that feeling—fashion regret.

Because it’s more common than we admit.
And more importantly? It’s avoidable.

Why We Fall Into the Trend Trap

Trends aren’t inherently bad. They can be fun, expressive, and even energizing. But the fashion industry profits from us feeling unsure. They thrive on making us believe that whatever we own is already outdated.

It’s no accident. The system is built to keep us chasing.

A recent piece in The Sun cited celebrity stylists warning against the constant cycle of viral buys:

“The more your wardrobe relies on fast trends, the less likely you are to have lasting style.”
(The Sun)

But what if we don’t want a new wardrobe every season?
What if we want clarity—not chaos?

The Real Cost of Chasing Trends

Every time we buy something that doesn't reflect who we are, we chip away at our self-trust. We start doubting what we like. What suits us. What even feels like us anymore.

Here’s how to know you’re stuck in the trend trap:

• You have a full closet and “nothing to wear.”

• You’ve bought clothes because they looked good on someone else, not on you.

• You feel exhausted, not inspired, by shopping.

Let me offer you something different:

The Light Loves Color Way: Strategic, Personal, Empowered

Instead of asking, “What’s trending?”
Start asking:
“What works for me?”
“What do I want to say without saying a word?”
“What colors make me glow in natural light?”
“What shapes honor the real architecture of my body—not the idealized one?”

These are the questions that build a timeless wardrobe.
Not curated by the algorithm. Curated by you.

Three Principles of a Regret-Proof Wardrobe

1. Dress for Your Energy, Not the Aisle Endcap
   A 90s chartreuse micro-miniskirt may be everywhere—but if it doesn’t align with your values, your lifestyle, or your self-expression, it’s just clutter. Look for pieces that feel rooted in your reality and your goals.

2. Color Is Not Optional—It’s Foundational
   Black is not a personality. And beige is not your friend if it makes your skin look tired. Your wardrobe should be built on biologically correct colors that light up your face and support your presence. That’s science—not trend.

3. Silhouette = Subconscious Messaging
   Shapeless cuts and oversized everything are having a moment, but what they often signal is invisibility. Structure in your clothes creates structure in your presence. You don’t have to go corporate. Just be intentional.

3 Summer 2025 Trends That Prove My Point

1. 90s Twinning Revival

   The 90s are back in a major way, with celebrities and fashion enthusiasts embracing iconic styles from the glorious decade. This “twinning” trend involves recreating a memorable outfit from the era. Are people this bored? This seems like such a waste of time and money. I can’t imagine this type of fashion planning being anything but a costume. Not practical at all.

   

2. Scarf Skirts

   They say these are chic and adaptable trends for the summer and fashion icons are already sporting them either alone or over trousers. They say it’s a sustainable and budget-friendly way to refresh our wardrobes. However, here’s the problem I find with these trends: they’re so temporary. People aren’t just going to use their unused scarves for these. They’re going to go out and buy skirt-sized scarves and they will wear them for exactly 2.5 occasions. Then those scarves will sit and collect dust like every previous trend.

   

3. Lace and Bohemian Elements

   Lace is making a comeback (again). This time it’s infused into bohemian motifs. Ok. Lace is back. It’s still the same exact vibe for me. Lace is undies. Lace is delicate. Lace is not serious. Bohemian is sensual/casual/feminine. Neither of these elements has staying power.

Final Thought

Trends will come and go.
Your body will evolve.
So will your roles, your pace, and your dreams.

But what won’t change is this:
You deserve to show up like someone who matters.

Not because fashion said so.
Because you said so.

Your wardrobe is your whisper to the world.
Let it say:
I am here. I am free. I am myself.

Until next time,
Tatyana
Light Loves Color

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Your ✨Glow Tips are below!

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✨ Glow Tips: Break the Trend Cycle and Find Your Style Home

These 3 quick shifts will help you stop chasing fashion fads and start curating a wardrobe that reflects your presence, purpose, and power.

🧭 1. Create a “Personal Style North Star”
Before the next scroll or sale tempts you, get grounded.

Glow Tip: Write down 3 words that describe the person you’re becoming. Is she/he calm? Commanding? Joyful? Then, look at your next purchase and ask: Does this support her or distract from the vision?

🎨 2. Build a Color Code You Can Trust
Your biologically best colors do more for you than any trend ever could.

Glow Tip: Choose 3–5 power colors (based on what lights up your face in daylight). Make those the base of your wardrobe. If a trendy item doesn’t come in one of these? Pass on it.

✂️ 3. Choose Structure Over Spectacle
A garment’s cut communicates more than its print. Trends love volume and drama, but timeless style shows intention.

Glow Tip: Try on one item this week that actually honors your silhouette—like a soft blazer, pencil skirt, or crisp blouse. Notice how your posture changes. That’s presence.

Until next time, dress well, my friend!

Tatyana Wilson, MA, EdS, SHRM-CP
Founder, Light Loves Color

Thank you for being a subscriber. I’m so glad you’re reading this timeless content and I hope you get a lot out of it whether you enjoy the free or paid version. I’m a busy mom of 4, full-time caregiver to a disabled family member, college instructor, and writer. Together with my husband, I try to keep up with all the responsibilities, while maintaining great relationships and happy vibes. I heart you!

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Polished Yet Authentic: How to Look Intentional Without Feeling Fake

By Tatyana Wilson, MA, EdS, SHRM-CP

Let’s start with a sigh of relief: You don’t have to become someone else to be taken seriously.

You don’t have to wear stiff corporate suits, sacrifice your comfort, or stuff yourself into an image that doesn't feel like you. But you also don’t have to swing so far the other way that you fade out in your own story.

The truth is: there’s a Goldilocks spot.
Where polish meets personality.
Where confidence meets comfort.
Where presence meets authenticity.

That’s what we’re going to talk about today.

What Does It Really Mean to Look Polished?

When most people hear “polished,” they think stiff, overly styled, and maybe even performative. But real polish isn’t about dressing for others—it’s about dressing with intention.

It’s how you say, “I take myself seriously.”
Not because you’re trying to impress others—but because you’re building something worth showing up for.

Polish is clarity. It’s structure. It’s signaling that you’re aware, awake, and engaged.

But I Don’t Want to Feel Fake…

Let me tell you something: feeling fake isn’t about dressing well.
It’s about dressing in a way that doesn’t reflect who you are on the inside.

If your outfit is too trendy, too stiff, or too focused on who you think you're supposed to be, that dissonance shows up in your posture, your voice, your energy.

But when what you wear supports you—when it fits well, flatters your tone, and aligns with your values—you come alive.

This isn’t about appearances.
I touched on this a few weeks ago: It’s about alignment.

So What Does Polished + Authentic Look Like?

It looks like:

• Wearing a blazer in your favorite color instead of just black

• Choosing structured pieces without sacrificing movement

• Elevating your “everyday” clothes with one bold accessory or a better shoe

• Curating a wardrobe that reflects your current self—not who you were five years ago

It’s Sandy Dumont’s principle of visual credibility paired with your most grounded, honest self.

You Deserve to Look Like You Matter

Because you do.
You have goals. Vision. Ideas. A voice.

And while clothing isn’t everything, it’s one of the few things people notice before you speak. So why not use it with intention?

This doesn’t mean you’re fake.
It means you’ve chosen to show up with care.

You’re not “dressing up.”
You’re dressing on purpose.

Final Thought

You don’t have to trade authenticity for polish.
You just have to stop dressing from a place of autopilot—or fear.

So this week, wear something that makes you feel:

• like yourself, but brighter

• comfortable, but intentional

• aligned, but powerful

Because when polish meets authenticity?
That’s presence.
That’s confidence.
That’s your glow.

Until next time,
Tatyana
Light Loves Color

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Your ✨Glow Tips are below!

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✨ Glow Tips: How to Get Dressed Without Losing Yourself

This week’s focus is all about showing up with clarity and care—without ever feeling like a fraud. Here are 3 powerful tips to align how you look with who you really are.

🧠 1. Identify One Style Anchor That Feels Like You
Polish doesn’t mean perfect. It means consistent. Think of the one item that never fails you—might it be a pair of earrings, a lipstick, a color, a certain neckline, a flattering silhouette?

Glow Tip: Pick one personal “style anchor” and make it your go-to this week. It could be a blazer that fits just right, a bold pair of glasses, or your signature hair. Use it to feel rooted, no matter the day.

🎨 2. Swap a Neutral That Drains You for a Color That Supports You
So many of us wear blah colors because we think they’re care free and chic. But polish doesn’t require bland colors—it actually does better with energy.

Glow Tip: Replace one black, gray, or beige piece with a biologically flattering color—like royal blue, magenta, deep turquoise, or white. Watch how your face lights up and your whole presence lifts.

👜 3. Trade One Casual Habit for a Quiet Upgrade
Maybe it’s the big slouchy bag, the leggings-as-pants habit, or the cardigan that makes every outfit look like a nap. You deserve better.

Glow Tip: Pick one element of your daily look that feels “default.” Replace it this week with something intentional: a structured tote, block heel shoes, tailored pants. You’ll feel the shift—not just in how others see you, but in how you see yourself.

Bonus Reminder:

Polish isn't about perfection.
It's about making quiet decisions that reflect your clarity.
Let your outfit do the talking—not for validation, but for alignment.

Would you like to create a printable version of this guide or share these as a social carousel? I can prep that next!

Until next time, dress well, my friend!

Tatyana Wilson, MA, EdS, SHRM-CP
Founder, Light Loves Color

Thank you for being a subscriber. I’m so glad you’re reading this timeless content and I hope you get a lot out of it whether you enjoy the free or paid version. I’m a busy mom of 4, full-time caregiver to a disabled family member, college instructor, and writer. Together with my husband, I try to keep up with all the responsibilities, while maintaining great relationships and happy vibes. I heart you!

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Black Isn’t Always The Answer

By Tatyana Wilson, MA, EdS, SHRM-CP

First, a confession:
Black isn’t always the answer.

I know it’s tempting. Black feels safe. It’s everywhere. We’re told it’s chic, slimming, serious. But here's the truth no one in the fashion industry is shouting from the rooftops: black often drains the life out of people’s faces.

It hardens. It shadows. It fades your natural glow. This is especially true as our skin ages. Ah, when we were younger, we could get away with these things! But not so much as we age and our skin naturally transmits less of the light around us. We begin to fade a bit, looking monochromatic and grayed out.

Now imagine the opposite. Imagine looking in the mirror and seeing light bounce onto your cheeks. Your eyes sparkle. Your skin tone lifts. You look energized, capable, awake. We all want that.

When we wear our bright power colors, they lend more light to our faces, giving us a literal glow-up! What an amazing (not to mention free) way to score some confidence and luminosity.

Why This Matters (and Why It’s Not About Trends)

As with almost anything we teach at Light Loves Color, color isn’t just an aesthetic decision—it’s a strategic one. We humans are visual creatures. Our brains process color before form, before fabric, before a single word is spoken. So what you're wearing is communicating something—whether you mean to or not.

When we wear colors that fight our complexions, we may look tired, withdrawn, older.
When we wear our biologically enhancing colors, people lean in. They listen. It’s a way to command respect without saying a word.

And, of course, this has nothing to do with fashion trends.

You don’t need to wait for Paris to tell you which color to wear. You need to look at the mirror in natural light and ask:
Does this color love me back?

How to Start Finding Your Power Colors:

1. Stand by a window. Hold up different colored tops or scarves.
   Watch how your skin tone, eyes, and even posture respond. Does it brighten your features—or cast a shadow? Indirect natural light is best. Bulbs often have more yellow or white light than natural daylight.

   

2. Look for high contrast (or soft focus) that flatters your natural traits.
   Cool-toned skin? Try magenta, royal blue, pink, bright white.
   Warm-toned skin? Think coral, turquoise, tomato red, ivory.

3. Be honest about the colors that drain you.
   Even if black “matches everything,” if it makes you look tired or older, it’s not your neutral. Navy, espresso brown, eggplant, deep emerald green, or even maroon might be far more effective for you.

Why Most People Default to Black

Because it’s everywhere. Because it’s safe. Because we’ve been conditioned to believe it's professional.

But I’m here to tell you: there is no color more professional than one that makes you look alive.

Your wardrobe should energize you, not mute you. It should tell the world you’re someone who is present, radiant, and ready.

You don't need to blend in to be taken seriously.
You need to show up like someone who knows who she is.

The problem with black, is if we’re not careful, it can start to wear us instead of the other way around.

So, you see, color is light. And you deserve to reflect that light—not dull it down.

You don’t need the entire rainbow to start. Just one great top, scarf, or blouse in your perfect shade can change how you feel and how you’re perceived.

So this week, try it. Pull out that blouse you always get compliments on. Look at it closely. What’s the undertone? What’s the saturation?

There’s a message in that glow. Listen to it.

Because when the colors love you back, the confidence isn’t forced—it’s just there. Effortless. Magnetic. Yours.

Here’s a bonus tip, though, for those days you just gotta wear the black: wear a bright lip color to trick the eye. It’s magical. Try it!

Until next time,
Tatyana
Light Loves Color

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✨ Glow Tips: Start Wearing Colors That Love You Back

This week, we’re trading “safe” neutrals for color that actually energizes. These quick shifts will help you feel more visible, confident, and authentically you.

👚 1. Start With Your Most Complimented Piece
Think of the top or dress you always get compliments on. There could be a clue in that glow.

Glow Tip: Find the piece in your wardrobe that makes people say, “You look amazing.” What color is it? Make that color your starting point. Look for accessories or layers that echo that same hue.

🎨 2. Retire One “Draining” Color This Week
There’s always one piece you wear even though it makes you feel a little... dull. Let it go.

Glow Tip: Choose one item that washes you out (like black, gray, or beige) and replace it with a power color that lights you up. Just one switch can change how the day feels.

🌈 3. Anchor Your Outfit with One Bold Shade
You don’t need a full makeover—just one intentional color near your face to shift your whole energy.

Glow Tip: Pick a top, scarf, or blazer in your most energizing shade and wear it for your next big moment—a meeting, date, or even a Monday. Watch the ripple effect.

Until next time, dress well, my friend!

Tatyana Wilson, MA, EdS, SHRM-CP
Founder, Light Loves Color

Thank you for being a subscriber. I’m so glad you’re reading this timeless content and I hope you get a lot out of it whether you enjoy the free or paid version. I’m a busy mom of 4, full-time caregiver to a disabled family member, college instructor, and writer. Together with my husband, I try to keep up with all the responsibilities, while maintaining great relationships and happy vibes. I heart you!

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5 Style Lies That Are Keeping You Down

By Tatyana Wilson, MA, EdS, SHRM-CP

Let’s have a heart-to-heart.

There’s a kind of quiet resignation that settles in when we believe style doesn’t really matter. And I get it—between work, caring for family, groceries, and the 300 tabs open in your brain, who has time to think about clothes? So we default to what’s easy, what’s comfortable, what’s familiar.

But here’s the truth: The stories we tell ourselves about our style shape so much more than what we wear.

They shape how we walk into a room.
How seriously we’re taken.
And most importantly—how we see ourselves.

So today, I want to shine a light on five little lies that might be keeping you from showing up as your most radiant, most credible, most grounded self.

1. “I just wear what’s comfortable.”

This one sounds innocent—and to an extent, comfort is important. But often, “comfortable” is code for “I’ve given up trying.”

Real style is comfort plus intention.
And guess what? Structured trousers that fit you well are comfortable. A soft, bright top in your best color is comfortable. A well-made jacket that pulls an outfit together is comfortable and commanding.

Try this: Instead of asking, “Is this comfy?” try asking, “Do I feel empowered in this?” Big difference.

2. “Black is always slimming.”

Black is a default. It’s safe. But let’s be honest: it often washes people out, hardens their expression, and hides their glow.

Slimming isn’t the goal—shining is.
Biologically correct colors (the ones that bounce light onto your face) are far more flattering. Think: royal blue, turquoise, magenta, jade. These colors actually light you up.

Try this: Take a selfie in natural light—one in black, and one in a vibrant color that suits you. See the difference? One hides. The other highlights.

3. “Nobody notices anyway.”

Actually, they do.
Science tells us that people make decisions about us in under 7 seconds—based on our outfit, grooming, and posture. Even if they can’t name what they noticed, they felt it.

Whether you're networking, dating, leading, or simply ordering a coffee—your style sends a message.

Try this: Before you leave the house, ask: What message am I sending today?

4. “If I wear bright colors, everyone will be looking at me all day.”

And to that I say: Good.
Let them.
You deserve to be seen. You weren’t put on this planet to blend into the wall. You’re allowed to wear bold, beautiful colors that light up the room (and your skin tone). That’s not attention-seeking—that’s self-respect. And P.S., no one is looking at you all day, but when they do, you will look better with bright, vibrant colors.

Try this: Add just one bright item—maybe a top, a scarf, or even lipstick. You’ll be amazed how many people say, “Wow, you look radiant today.”

5. “If I just be myself, it doesn’t matter what I wear.”

But what if dressing with intention is part of being yourself?
What if the version of you that dreams big, leads boldly, and walks tall—wants you to show up like you mean it?

What we wear should reflect our values, our goals, our story. Clothes don’t create your worth—but they sure do project it.

Try this: Think of someone you admire. How do they show up? What cues do they give through their personal presentation? You’re not dressing to copy them—you’re dressing to honor yourself the same way.

Final Thought:

Let’s stop playing small in the name of “comfort.”
Let’s stop hiding behind black and baggy things.
Let’s stop assuming nobody notices.

You matter. You deserve to be seen. And when you align your style with your spirit, your whole presence shifts.

So what’s one of these lies you’re ready to let go of this week?

Let me know—I’m cheering for you.

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Your ✨Glow Tips are below!

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✨ Glow Tips: Realign Your Wardrobe with the Truth

In this week’s article, I uncovered 5 common lies that keep us playing down our appearance. These quick mindset resets and style shifts will help you step back into your confidence—without adding to your to-do list.

👖 1. From “Just Comfortable” to “Confident & Comfortable”
You don’t have to trade comfort for style—you just need to define comfort differently.

Glow Tip: Pick one item in your closet that feels “safe but sloppy.” Can you replace it with something structured, soft, and still easy to move in? (Think: wide-leg pants with a defined waistband or a breathable blazer.)

🎨 2. Let Color Replace the Crutch of Black
Black might feel slimming, but a well-fitting color in your correct palette makes you glow.

Glow Tip: Choose one bright hue in your undertone family (royal blue, magenta, jade, coral) and wear it near your face at least once this week. Watch how your energy—and the way people respond to you—shift.

👁 3. Practice the Mirror Check
First impressions aren’t shallow—they’re subconscious communication.

Glow Tip: Before heading out, stand in front of the mirror and ask: “Do I look like someone who’s ready to be taken seriously?” Adjust one item if the answer is no: add a belt, swap shoes, tuck the shirt, or straighten your posture.

Until next time, dress well, my friend!

Tatyana Wilson, MA, EdS, SHRM-CP
Founder, Light Loves Color

In Part 1 of this story, we discussed how light works with the molecules of the skin to make us look luminous (or not luminous). In this part, we will talk about how the colors we wear next to our faces affect the way light behaves, changes, and is perceived by others.

But first, a little story about my adventures with color analysis phone apps. I realize we can all be suckers for those VERY confident claims made by people who invest thousands (I MEAN THOUSANDS) of dollars in developing apps or systems that promise to make things into super simple, one-size-fits-all hacks or cheats. It’s like our very own “EASY” button. Well, it’s no different for apps that purport to tell us what colors and styles to wear. Seems legitimate, right?

So, as I stated, I tried some out, and let me tell you, their recommendations were far from flattering. When I wear the wrong colors, it ages me and makes me look tired! I come alive in royal blue, crisp amethyst, or juicy plum. But, with their color recommendations from the autumn season of avocado green, dusty teal, rust brown, and the like, I was truly disappointed.

I was also, once again, disappointed in the fact that color analysis and image consulting have not evolved much at all for decades. They use “matchy” AI color coordination (they call it harmonizing) voodoo and tell you one of the myriad color seasons. They ask a few questions about your lifestyle and personality and send you to a bunch of affiliate retail sites to buy clothes that will never look good on you because the approach is flawed from the very foundation: they use superficial coloring rather than undertone as the deciding factor in their recommendations.

“Well, when you put it that way, I don’t think it sounds too good!” you might say. The problem is that they don’t put it that way. The fashion industry is great at getting people to buy things. I’ve shied away from recommending things for a really long time because, personally, it takes me much time and effort to find pieces to add to my wardrobe that I absolutely LOVE. So, I have no idea what YOU would absolutely LOVE. I scout high and low for just the right colors and styles that flatter my own skin and body because I know the rules for my face and shape. Plus, I have a wardrobe that reflects my personality and lifestyle. I feel like clothing is such a personal choice. The messages I AM trying to convey are simple though: 1. If you wear the wrong colors next to your face, it can age, discolor, and cast shadows on the look of your skin. 2. DRESS UP! Please don’t spend your life in drab colors and unflattering styles. You can look and feel so lovely every single day. WHY NOT DO IT?

I have never met another stylist who was more personally empowering than my mentor, Sandy Dumont. I took over her life’s work, The Image Architect, in 2019. Because of COVID and the rapid changes in lifestyles and fashions in the past few years, I rebranded to create more holistic content. I am more centered on lifestyle, wellness, empowerment through education, and yes, on the way light/color affects us. For clothing and wardrobes, I write about becoming less emotional and more technical about finding pieces that truly flatter us. I want to help people find those pieces they want to hang on to long-term rather than constantly having to “run on the trendmill” (article coming on that too, soon!)

The themes that I discuss aren’t viral fashion tips on what to buy today, so you can do it all over again in a few weeks, or cult pieces by luxury designers so we can relieve our FOMO (believe me, you can find plenty of material on that out there). I believe it’s important to spread the message that the colors most people are probably wearing right now are very likely not in line with their undertone. In addition, I know the results of those in-person technical color analysis sessions. They show that no matter our tan shade, race, personality, eye color, hair color, or other factors, undertone is the factor that is most important to consider. This is because light and colors interact with our facial coloring. Clashing colors, such as when our skin is cool and we wear a warm-toned shirt next to the face, can do funny things to our facial skin.

Ironically, the app in question was able to discern that I do have cool undertones. However, because the algorithm did not use undertone as the primary factor in the color palette and clothing recommendation, it was a waste. I spent money, thinking I would get valid clothing recommendations, only to be sent to a page to spend more money to buy unflattering things I neither want nor need.

That's not the “EASY” button I need in life. The saddest part of all? The reviews in the App Store are very favorable. It never fails to amaze me how many people buy into the false harmony, color matching, and “this feels so harmonious” BS theories about what colors we should wear. It doesn’t help that most people are told that we need to match our eyes (which literally does nothing to help us look better) and hair color (which was also probably chosen based on trends or “the heart”).

"In nature, light creates the color. In the picture, color creates the light."

~Hans Hofmann

A Word About The 16,000 In-Person Color Analysis Sessions

After testing over 16,000 clients and doing much research, we can attest to these things:

• 80%+ of the human population, regardless of nationality, race, gender, mood, personality, geography, or any other factor, were found to have COOL undertones.

• Undertone is the sole factor in determining the colors that make facial skin look good (i.e. luminous, smooth, radiant)

• If your skin doesn’t look good, it doesn’t matter if your clothes, hair, and eyes are all vibing/coordinating with the most amazing harmony ever. You’ll still have consequences and often look older, more washed out, and depending on the color, possibly even less healthy (i.e. yellowish, pale).

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Do you still think that hair and eye color should be used? Maybe personality traits?

None of the superficial factors will ever change how colors next to your face interact with the look of your face due to the fact our skin is a collection of molecules that interact with light to make us look a certain way. Again, see Part 1 of this story right here:

But For Now, We Shall Proceed To Our Nerdy Color Lesson Of The Week

"The best color in the whole world is the one that looks good on you."

~Coco Chanel

Let’s bring up our friend with the orange and blue shirts again.

Ok, let’s break down what’s happening here. What do you see in the left picture with the orange shirt? If you relax your eyes and look at the whole picture from a zoomed-out perspective, you can see that your eyes begin to harmonize the face and shirt for you. Do you get that effect?

Some people (stylists and color analysts, too) think the orange shirt looks more harmonious. They would type this person in the Autumn category, like the app did me. The problem is obvious if you know how this all works. You see, colors don’t just stay put when they’re next to things. The reason the shirt might appear to be harmonizing with the face is that our eyes are trying to compensate for the clash.

They do this by casting an orange tinge on certain parts of the face (cheeks, nose, hairline). Do you see it? I don’t know about you, but I don’t want a yellow or orange tinge on my face. Also, because the woman’s undertones are cool, this warm/orange tinge causes clashing on the face, thereby distorting the light that would otherwise be reflected.

Try this technical color analysis party trick as a demonstration: Here are three colors. In the middle is a red color that will demonstrate how colors affect the colors next to them. If you use a piece of white paper to completely cover the orange square to the left, the red takes on a cool-toned, cherry-red tone. On the other hand, if you use that piece of paper to cover the purple square to the right, the red immediately harmonizes with the orange and becomes a warm-toned, tomato-red.

If that wasn’t bad enough, however, because this orange is a very saturated shade, our eyes compensate for it by casting a strong dose of the color opposite it on the color wheel (based on the spectrum of colors) onto the face to tame it (beauty’s in the eyes of the beholder, right?)

Here is another trick we have likely all seen before: The American flag optical illusion is an experiment that uses optical chemistry and neurological confusion to create an image of the American flag. The illusion works by causing your eyes to see the opposite colors of green and orange, which are red and blue. You know colors cause us to see the colors opposite themselves on the color wheel to create balance because when you look away from the flag, you’re still seeing it for a bit. This is because different visual receptors are stimulated, and the information from all of the different color receptors is not in balance.

Cover one eye, then stare at the center of the flag for one minute. Keeping the other eye closed, quickly look at a white background (like a white wall or if your screen is white next to the flag here). What do you see? You should see a red, white, and blue US flag. This happens because your eye reverses the colors in afterimages to mitigate retinal fatigue. Try it for yourself if you like, and let me know if it works for you.

Here’s a bonus one. Same idea as before, or try it with both eyes. Stare at the black dot on the red pitcher for a minute, and then shift to the dot on the left. Now you’re seeing the same pitcher but in a different color. What color is opposite red?

Let’s bring that all home by circling back to our friend in the orange and blue shirts: Our eyes try to compensate for colors by casting opposite colors to mitigate retinal fatigue. The color opposite orange on the color wheel is blue. And what does blue do? It’s often considered an optic whitener. (Same idea as using purple shampoos to mitigate yellowing hair, etc.) Blue literally bleaches us, making us look more pale. But our eyes don’t care. They’re done reconciling the orange shirt, and these are the results: less even skin tone with orangey spots, an overall washed-out appearance because of the blue hue cast by our own eyes to tame the overall strong orange color (and thereby mitigate retinal fatigue), and less luminous glow because there is so much going on to compensate for the clashing colors. I’m out of breath just re-reading all those bad results, but alas, that’s the length of sentence it takes to tell the bad news.

About the blue shirt though: Since this woman has cool undertones (defined by bluish/pinkish tones in the skin), she does not clash with the blue shirt on the right. In fact, when our eyes cast the color opposite of blue onto the whole of her face, they’re casting a nice, flattering rosy color that makes her face look healthier and more radiant. Not everyone likes this vibrant blue (or any such bright color), but technically, this color does LESS to take away the luminosity of her skin. The orange gets in the way of light and the blue enables the light to flow more readily. The blue is a clear winner for this woman’s undertones, and therefore, regardless of the eye or hair color, she generally looks better in it.

So, you see, your eyes play tricks on you!

I want to share what my color analysis mentor, Sandy Dumont’s, 16,000 in-person technical color analysis sessions and much studying have revealed about what makes our skin glow and what can stop that glow faster than you can say “color swatch!”

First, think of some healthy young children in your life. Think of their skin. If they’re healthy, they usually have rosy, glowy, supple skin. You know, that skin we spend the rest of our lives trying to replicate?

1. Light Penetration

When light hits your skin, it doesn't just stop at the surface. Instead, it penetrates through the outer layers. This is possible because, on a molecular level, there is space between our skin molecules, allowing light to pass through.

2. Interaction with Molecules

As light penetrates the skin, it interacts with various molecules such as melanin (the pigment that gives skin its color), collagen, and blood vessels. Here’s how these interactions work:

• Melanin: Melanin absorbs certain wavelengths of light. The amount and type of melanin in your skin determine your skin tone and how light is absorbed. More melanin means more light is absorbed, affecting the skin's color. Interestingly, more melanin did not mean a more warm/yellow skin undertone. The proportion of cool to warm undertones in our 16,000 in-person sessions was about 20/80 warm to cool respectively irrespective of complexion or race.

• Collagen: Ah, that thing we keep trying to shove into our skincare/diet/smoothies/supplements! Collagen fibers scatter light, improving the skin’s overall appearance. Healthy collagen levels help reflect light more evenly, making the skin look smooth and youthful.

• Blood Vessels: Hemoglobin in blood vessels also absorbs light, especially in the red and blue wavelengths. This interaction gives the skin a natural, healthy flush.

3. Reflection and Refraction

• Reflection: Some of the light that hits the skin is reflected back. This is what gives the skin its visible appearance. The quality and quantity of light reflected can make the skin look more radiant or dull.

• Refraction: As light passes through different layers of the skin, it bends (refracts). This bending is influenced by the density and arrangement of skin molecules. Refraction can enhance the glow and luminosity of the skin.

4. Scattering

Light scattering occurs when light hits tiny particles within the skin and spreads out in different directions. This scattering helps to create an even skin tone and can hide minor imperfections by diffusing light across the surface.

5. Color Perception

The combined effects of absorption, reflection, refraction, and scattering determine the color we perceive. For example, if your skin reflects more red wavelengths, it will appear rosier.

6. Importance of Undertones

The interaction of light with your skin's undertones (cool or warm) also plays a crucial role. Cool undertones (with more blue or pink) reflect light differently from how warm undertones (with more yellow or gold) do, which is why understanding your undertone is essential for choosing the right colors in clothing and makeup (more about that in Part 2).

Practical Application

• Skin Care: Using exfoliants (link to my favorite budget-friendly, gentle exfoliant on Amazon) and products that promote collagen can enhance how light interacts with your skin, making it look more luminous and healthy.

• Makeup: Choosing the right foundation and colors that complement your undertones can enhance the natural interaction of light with your skin, making you look more vibrant.

• Clothing: Wearing colors that complement your skin’s natural undertones can enhance your overall appearance by optimizing how light interacts with your skin.

So you see, light interacts with the molecules of your facial skin through absorption, reflection, refraction, and scattering. These interactions are influenced by the molecular composition and arrangement of your skin, determining how your skin looks and how colors appear on you. Understanding these principles can help you make better choices in skincare, makeup, and fashion.

This information lays some groundwork on the way light interacts with our own skin coloration and especially with what we call the undertone. No factor (eyes, hair, freckles, personality, taste in makeup and clothing, color philosophies, psychology, etc.) can trump undertone.

As you saw in those healthy babies above and what you probably see in the little kids in your life, when our skin is young, it’s easy for us to glow. Next week, I will illustrate a few principles of how we unwittingly age ourselves simply by the colors we choose to wear next to our faces.

Be sure to turn on your notifications if you have the Substack app or simply be looking for my emails in your inbox on Tuesdays to continue to explore the fundamental importance of how the colors we wear next to our faces affect how our facial skin appears. I’m talking about serious anti-aging principles here. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

• Article of the week: When the Weather Says “Relax”… We Keep Saying "Polished"

• Glow Tips: A collection of tips that help you apply the concepts from the article or other holistic personal presence improvements.

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When the Weather Says “Relax”… We Keep Saying "Polished"

Tatyana Wilson, MA, EDS, SHRM-CP, helps people make great impressions with science-backed approaches and a carefully curated wardrobe of biologically correct colors, good tailoring, and elevated accessories. She writes at www.lightlovescolor.com.

The sun is finally out, and with it comes the temptation to dress like we’ve already checked out. Flip-flops. Jersey tops. Slouchy knits. “It’s spring,” “Lighten up,” are the messages we hear everywhere.

But, while spring might be the season of softness and recreation, our presence still matters.

You and I both know how easy it is to reach for casual clothes in the name of comfort. And let’s be real—some of the things we wear when the weather warms up are less about comfort and more about habit.

A hoodie instead of a jacket.
A tank instead of a blouse.
Capri pants or gauzy skirts that belong more at a beach resort than at your desk.
Even our posture shifts. Our tone. Our pace.

Sandy Dumont called this “business casualty” for a reason: what you wear shapes how you’re treated—and how you treat yourself.

So why do we do it?

Because we’re tired. Because we’ve been running nonstop. Because the warm breeze makes us want to let go of all that “serious stuff.” But letting go of your standards isn’t the same as letting in ease. You can feel light and free and look intentional and credible.

What’s too casual—and what to wear instead:

🚫 Capri Pants
🧠 Message they send: Off-duty, vacation, or worse—“I didn’t plan this outfit.”
✅ Instead, try: Ankle-length cigarette pants in a crisp fabric like TENCEL™ or polished cotton. Still breezy, but much more structured.

🚫 Tank Tops and Jersey Camisoles
🧠 Message they send: Layering basics, not public-facing polish.
✅ Instead, try: A scoop-neck or square-neck fitted top in a biologically enhancing color. Bonus if it has sleeve structure or slight ribbing.

🚫 Hoodies or Sweatshirts
🧠 Message they send: Loungewear energy. Slouching. Hiding.
✅ Instead, try: A softer jacket, slightly tailored vest, or lightweight cropped jacket. Add a belt for more shape, and you’re suddenly the sharpest one in the room.

🚫 Chunky sneakers or flip-flops
🧠 Message they send: "I’m running errands."
✅ Instead, try: Pointed flats, low wedges, or sleek mules. Structure on the feet is a game-changer.

When you show up polished—even in spring—you’re sending a message. Not that you’re rigid or uptight. Not that you’re trying to impress. But that you take yourself seriously.

That’s magnetic. That’s rare. That’s what sets people apart when everyone else is using the weather as an excuse to become too casual.

This week, I’m inviting you to do something powerful this spring:

✨ Show up with ease but also with character.
✨ Reach for comfort but also for style.
✨ Feel the sun but also your self-respect.

Even though the weather might say “relax”, we can say, “I’m here and I still mean business.”

Let’s keep showing up and use the sunshine as extra energy, not an excuse to lose ourselves in ultra casual clothes that will get us nowhere.

—Tatyana

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"There's no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing."

~Usually attributed to Alfred Wainwright

✨ Glow Tips: Stay Cool, Stay Sharp

This week, we’re not letting rising temps lower our standards. These tips will help you maintain polish and feel like yourself as we shift toward warm-weather style.

🧥 1. Replace the Hoodie With a Hero Jacket
Cardigans and hoodies feel easy—but they dilute your strong vibes. The right lightweight jacket pulls everything into place.

Glow Tip: Try a cropped blazer, a linen safari-style jacket, or a belted vest. These keep your silhouette defined while still breathing.

👚 2. Go Beyond the Tank Top
Camis and tanks can flatten your presence, especially on Zoom or in transitional lighting.

Glow Tip: Swap for fitted tops with real shape—square necklines, subtle ribbing, or architectural sleeves. You’ll still feel light but look 10x more polished.

👡 3. Level Up Your Spring Shoe Game
Chunky sneakers or foam sandals signal “mom running errands”, even when you mean business.

Glow Tip: Choose pointed flats, espadrille wedges, or structured slides in a cool-toned metallic or navy for instant authority without discomfort.

Tatyana Wilson, MA, EdS, SHRM-CP
Founder, Light Loves Color

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