Laura Santopolo
We at TheCorner.com caught up with image consultant Laura Santopolo (IG @armoniadiluce), who helped us understand a little more about one of the trends of the moment that can improve one's look.
Hi Laura, can you describe who you are and how your passion for colour came about?
I'm 34 years old, and I work as a freelance image consultant and interior designer. I knew from a young age that I wanted to make people happy. The passion for colours has always existed in me; it stems partly from the world of interior design, and it’s developed viscerally after my pregnancy in 2016. In fact, that’s when I began to realise that, with shapes and colours, I can improve not only interiors but also myself. I started studying the first colour analysis texts in 2018, out of sheer curiosity and passion, because this discipline intrigued and stimulated me so much. Soon after that, I turned to a professional to carry out my own colour analysis. After a few months, I realised the colours I had been assigned on a technical level were not so enhancing for my colour palette and the advice I'd been given was wrong. Thanks to that experience, I understood that I wanted to pursue this passion and turn it into a profession. After throwing myself headlong into the world of image consultancy, with the help of my spiritual awakening and a global pandemic, I abandoned the my permanent position and became an entrepreneur, opening my Instagram page @armoniadiluce.
**Some of the colours we know have specific meanings in our culture. For you, is there a colour that should change its connotation? **
Black! It's one of the most purchased colours globally and has several meanings: it's the colour of adulthood, evening, elegance, and maturity. However, I think it's often given a negative connotation. It represents our comfort zone and is often a symbol of closure, end, sadness, mourning, and in our social and cultural scenario that's exactly what it represents. I think, however, that you just have to look at things from a different point of view to transform your vision: a closure, the end of something, a dark period certainly represents a point of no return, but also a newly-found awareness, a consequent opening towards something new and unexplored. We can always choose to react in a positive way and learn useful lessons from the experiences we live.
What exactly does your work consist of? How do you approach your clients?
Image consulting is an important tool for improving one's inner and outer appearance. The approach is very personal, as we're all different and needs can vary from person to person. Generally speaking, I start with colour analysis to find out which colours are the most flattering, then I move on to Face Styling, which is the study of the face's morphology, finding out which are the best hair looks, glasses, hats, and jewellery pieces to enhance one's features. Then, I also love to delve into the client's wardrobe, to help them optimise what they already have, or to breathe new life into their wardrobe by analysing the style of their archetypes.
What's the colour that generally looks good on everyone?
Actually, there's more than one. They're universal colours, also known as ‘jewel colours’, and they look good on most people, such as ruby red (Pantone 18-1663 TCX), emerald green (Pantone 3278 C), turquoise (Pantone 321 C), and sapphire blue (Pantone 280 C).
**Some of the colours we know have specific meanings in our culture. For you, is there a colour that should change its connotation? **
Black! It's one of the most purchased colours globally and has several meanings: it's the colour of adulthood, evening, elegance, and maturity. However, I think it's often given a negative connotation. It represents our comfort zone and is often a symbol of closure, end, sadness, mourning, and in our social and cultural scenario that's exactly what it represents. I think, however, that you just have to look at things from a different point of view to transform your vision: a closure, the end of something, a dark period certainly represents a point of no return, but also a newly-found awareness, a consequent opening towards something new and unexplored. We can always choose to react in a positive way and learn useful lessons from the experiences we live.
What exactly does your work consist of? How do you approach your clients?
Image consulting is an important tool for improving one's inner and outer appearance. The approach is very personal, as we're all different and needs can vary from person to person. Generally speaking, I start with colour analysis to find out which colours are the most flattering, then I move on to Face Styling, which is the study of the face's morphology, finding out which are the best hair looks, glasses, hats, and jewellery pieces to enhance one's features. Then, I also love to delve into the client's wardrobe, to help them optimise what they already have, or to breathe new life into their wardrobe by analysing the style of their archetypes.
What's the colour that generally looks good on everyone?
Actually, there's more than one. They're universal colours, also known as ‘jewel colours’, and they look good on most people, such as ruby red (Pantone 18-1663 TCX), emerald green (Pantone 3278 C), turquoise (Pantone 321 C), and sapphire blue (Pantone 280 C).
Image consulting is an important tool for improving one's inner and outer appearance. The approach is very personal, as we're all different and needs can vary from person to person.
What about your favourite colour?
It’s difficult to choose just one. For sure, the one that ranks higher in my personal list is the colour petroleum (Pantone 18-4726). It's a mix of green and blue, which recalls the meanings of both shades: calmness, reflection, depth, balance. I think it's an intriguing and refined shade, very versatile.
Can you tell us any anecdotes and, above all, some original experiences with your customers?
A curiosity shared by many of my clients concerns their general colour preferences: many people prefer warm colours over cold ones. This is quite natural, as human beings are spontaneously attracted to what's warm and cozy. In some cases, these customers are pleasantly surprised to notice that cool colours actually enhance their colour palette better.
What’re your plans for the future?
I like to daydream, so that I can concretely visualise what I want and turn my dreams into reality. There's certainly a constant desire to train and learn, that's not easily satisfied! I've found my own dimension by identifying myself as a guide for others, and I'd like to develop my own methodology of all-round image consulting, which will also be reflected in my clients' homes: if we feel good in our bodies, in our clothes, and in our homes, we'll automatically feel better about ourselves.
What about your favourite colour?
It’s difficult to choose just one. For sure, the one that ranks higher in my personal list is the colour petroleum (Pantone 18-4726). It's a mix of green and blue, which recalls the meanings of both shades: calmness, reflection, depth, balance. I think it's an intriguing and refined shade, very versatile.
Can you tell us any anecdotes and, above all, some original experiences with your customers?
A curiosity shared by many of my clients concerns their general colour preferences: many people prefer warm colours over cold ones. This is quite natural, as human beings are spontaneously attracted to what's warm and cozy. In some cases, these customers are pleasantly surprised to notice that cool colours actually enhance their colour palette better.
What’re your plans for the future?
I like to daydream, so that I can concretely visualise what I want and turn my dreams into reality. There's certainly a constant desire to train and learn, that's not easily satisfied! I've found my own dimension by identifying myself as a guide for others, and I'd like to develop my own methodology of all-round image consulting, which will also be reflected in my clients' homes: if we feel good in our bodies, in our clothes, and in our homes, we'll automatically feel better about ourselves.