My name is Sophie and I have a franchise with House of Colour, covering Lichfield and Sutton Coldfield. My House of Colour (HOC) journey began about 18 years ago when I was gifted a colour analysis, and I discovered that I am a Summer. Although I was already wearing quite a lot of the colours most of the time, I learned that black wasn’t doing anything for me at all and there were so many better colours for me. I also learned that the bright, coppery bronzer I was using as a blusher was not my best friend and neither was my hair colour, which at the time was a lot more of a brassy blond. Following my colour session, my mum and sister, both springs as it turned out, went along as they were so intrigued by my newfound knowledge. Soon afterwards, my aunt wanted her colours done so I went along with her, which I enjoyed just as much as an observer. It turned out that she was a summer, just like me!
Over the next few years, I gifted colour analysis to various friends, for 21sts, 40ths, 50ths etc. It was contagious! However, never did I imagine that one day it would be me working the magic! Back then I was working in our family haulage business, even driving trucks when the need arose! However, when my son, Henry, came along I began to realise that this busy working life and wanting to be a hands-on mum wasn’t going to work out so I made the decision to go back to university, in my late 30s, to train to be a Primary school teacher. I soon realised that I had a better work/life balance and didn’t need to rely on others for childcare during the long school holidays and we muddled along happily for a few years. Don’t get me wrong, teaching was certainly not an easy ride but eventually I found a local job that fitted in well with my home life and the holidays were certainly a bonus. During that time, I became a bit boring and stuck very much to the safe blues and greys in my palette and very little, if any, makeup.
So what changed? I had definitely begun to get itchy feet again. Henry was growing up fast; in fact he is now 20 and at university, and I knew it was time for another change. But what could I do? I had, in the space of 6 months lost my Aunt, who I was very close to and then unexpectedly, her sister, my beloved mum. Mum was only 74. I guess it made me think about my future in a different light. Two things came to mind…. the last present my Aunt bought me was vouchers for HOC make up! One of the last things I did with my mum was a HOC make up session – we had all lost our mojo a little bit since Covid and as I mentioned before, I had virtually stopped wearing makeup altogether! So, I bought the session for my mum and my sister and we then went out for a lovely lunch looking all beautiful and sparkly.
So, to cut a long story short, my Aunt had left me some money and I began exploring the idea of using it to purchase my own HOC franchise. It was now or never. I went with my sister for a style analysis and what an amazing day we had! My Dramatic Natural style, like my colour analysis, felt absolutely right for me and has been an total game changer for me, personally.
Now, after almost three years in business, I’m pretty sure that my mum and her sister are smiling down at me, each with a large G&T in hand; they’d have been my biggest supporters, along with the rest of my family.
So why do people come to me? My home from home studio is designed to be a warm, welcoming retreat – a place where you can feel at ease from the moment you arrive. With panoramic views, beautiful natural light and a calm, inviting atmosphere, it’s a space where you can relax, breathe, and simply be yourself.
You are met with kindness, encouragement, and no judgment, just genuine support. Whether you come for a Colour Analysis, Style Analysis, Makeup Workshop or something else, this is your time to feel seen, heard, and understood.
Every session is a chance to learn, to grow, and to reconnect with your natural beauty and confidence. Clients often leave not just looking different, but feeling transformed, with new insights, fresh inspiration, and a renewed sense of self.
It’s more than just an appointment, it’s an experience designed to nurture and empower you, every step of the way.
I want to help you to look and feel amazing; to leave my studio having had a wonderful experience, empowered to dress confidently, feeling inspired and able to wear your seasonal colours in a sustainable way.
If you build your own wardrobe around your seasonal colours, you will naturally create a capsule wardrobe where all of your items will mix and match together, reducing time and money spent on buying clothes that you put on and then take off again because they don’t make you feel good.
House of Colour has been offering the very best personal Colour and Style analysis since the mid-1980s so for me, it was a no-brainer choosing who to work with.
Once you understand the science behind why your seasonal colours work for your skin tone, you will find looking for new items for your wardrobe and choosing an outfit each day so much easier. I can also advise you on hair colour to compliment your skin and make you look and feel fantastic!
So, do you have a wardrobe full of clothes, but nothing to wear? Do you struggle to create outfits, so wear the same things over and over again? Perhaps you avoid colour and just wear black because ‘it’s slimming’. Maybe you feel like you’ve lost your identity or become invisible. Are you on a weight loss journey and want to feel good? Do you have a new job and want to impress? There are so many reasons people come to me. Let’s not forget Menopause or Perimenopause making us feel like a stranger in our own bodies.
So, if you can resonate with any of the above or would simply like to refresh your image and don’t know where to start when it comes to clothes and make-up and you are ready to learn how to look and feel your best every day, let me help you to rediscover and show the world who you really are!
