I always find it interesting to learn the background of a business and see how it began. It takes such determination to make a business successful. You really have to love what you do. Knowing how Color Me A Season came to be, I can see how Bernice's passion for Color helped her business become successful. Not only did she want success for herself, she made sure she created color aids that would help other people who wanted to become Color Analysts. She wanted success for others as well. In fact she said, " My hope is when you learn how to work the system, you can share it with others, blessing their lives and enriching your own."
I thought you might find Bernice Kentner's story interesting as you learn more about Color Analysis and Color Me A Season.
This is told by Bernice Kentner.
"At one time I ran my own small beauty salon called the 'Powder Box Beauty Shop' in North Platte, Nebraska. It was there I began my journey into fashion, cosmetics, and hair design. Later in 1973, a new friend offered to train me in color analysis. She started to teach me by looking at eye patterns. She would put people into Seasons by observing their eye pattern designs. She also taught me how to “Color Drape” with eight color drapes for each Seasonal type. The final step was to use the cosmetics of the company she worked for. I was to be the first distributor under
her. I was intrigued with this interesting new method of finding and understanding human coloring.
And so, it began!
My mentor took me to a gathering of thirty persons who were my friends from church. We all looked at each other’s eye patterns. This was not an easy thing to understand, since she didn’t have any visual helps to teach us what we were looking for! It seemed to me, she was coding
people into Seasons more from their personalities than what she saw in their eyes. She did not know them at all. I knew them very well and some how she had pegged them accurately. How
could she do it? The four Seasons personality types we observed really fit those in this group of
women. They looked fabulous in their Seasonal Drape Colors and cosmetics! I find this correlation between a person’s Season and personality holds true today when I work with different individuals. I am always thrilled with it and have developed tools for you to learn it as well!
After this training session at the church I began trying to analyze friends, neighbors, and practically anyone who would let me. I tried to do the Color Analysis by their eye patterns
exclusively. This was difficult. When I found an eye pattern I was able to recognize I became very excited! My artistic training from high school and Cosmetology College actually had helped prepare me for this exciting new information! The final experience that convinced me Seasonal Color Analysis really had a basis in truth came when I learned to use the 36 Seasonal Color Drapes. I was able to identify the client’s proper Season. When my mentor ended the color analysis session she color draped with only the eight different colored drapes of that persons’ Season. I watched her do this final step and I could actually see these Seasonal cloth drapes had really helped put people into their best colors and their true Season! As I continued doing Color Analysis I became even more fascinated by all of the different eye patterns my clients had. After struggling to understand how the eye patterns and eye colors coincided with the Seasons I began to realize something. There are certain principles or truths consistent with each Season’s eye patterns and eye colors. I was able to validate different basic eye patterns with each of the Seasons. I also became aware that often some other Season’s eye patterns would be included in an individual’s eyes. This led me to develop what I call “The Harmony of Seasons”.
These are pictures taken out of Bernice's Book, "A Rainbow In Your Eyes"
Here was genetics at work and evidence of their heritage from their parents and grandparents. My girls and I were coded and given the eight color swatches for each of our own Seasons. We were determined to be; Winter, Summer, and Spring. The only Season missing among us was Autumn. I had plenty of friends who were Autumns to see that Season well represented. I had the strongest desire to begin a business helping people discover their own Season and the colors that would look best on them."
I'll tell you more of Bernice's story next week!
