Make-up and clothes are very important to colour and image consultant Lisa Whiteside.

She spends her days advising clients on what season they are and analyses the best colours to suit them so her clients end up looking their very best.

"I have always had an interest in colour analysis for at least six years. I think everyone should have it because it gives you so much confidence.

"It was important for me because I had just had a child and felt very dowdy and frumpy so having my colours done was a major boost," said Lisa, whose first job was in banking when she was 16.

Now 36, Lisa, of North Leigh, near Witney, has been colour analysing since last summer and in the short space of time she took to set up her studio in Wheatley, she has built up a large clientele.

Her job is to tell people whether they are a spring, summer, autumn or winter person and which colours suit them.

But it doesn't stop there. Depending on what you are interested in, Lisa can advise you on the skincare and make-up, discuss image and discover the shapes and styles which best suit you.

The colour analysis class is where most people begin their journey and learn how to build up a wardrobe full of clothes in colours that co-ordinate with their natural colouring and with each other. For £60 you will be individually rated to enable you to combine your most flattering colours successfully which includes a free wallet containing the spectrum of your season to help you get the exact colours when you go shopping.

For the real big spenders, you could treat yourself to a full-day at the studio for the Image class (£85) to discover the shapes and styles of clothes that bring out the best in you, how much to spend, what to look for, and how to understand how to use clothes, professional dressing and accessorising.

To find out your season, Lisa applies a spectrum of scarves, one colour at a time until you have a thick layer of scarves from navy blue and fushia to cream and lilac.

As she applies each coloured scarf, you notice the effect it has on the tone and texture of your skin. If she applies Autumn colours like rusts and greens (known as yellow-based colours) you notice whether it makes your skin look jaundiced or whether it makes it glow.

If it is the latter, it is more than likely that you are an Autumn person, although Lisa will carry on applying scarves, mixing the colours and will constantly ask your opinion as well. However, just because you find out you have been wearing the wrong colours for years, it doesn't mean you have to empty your wardrobe straight away and spend thousands on buying the colours which suit you.

"At the end of the day you can't just disregard everything in your wardrobe. You have to work with it. You could work on swapping or selling the wrong bit or wear it out until it needs replacing and then start buying into the right side.

"That's why it takes a while for people to sort everything out. If you have a jumper which isn't your colour, team it with a coloured scarf which is in your season," Lisa said.

Once you learn your seasonal spectrum, Lisa will then teach you how to wear the colours and whether you can get away with them from head to toe or not.

Some look striking when broken up with other colours and others can really suit you when picked out just in a scarf or tie.

"Every woman has the potential to look good and why shouldn't she? There is a lot of competition and a lot of women are quite down because they don't look like Yasmin Le Bon or Kate Moss.

"In the classes we hold we try to boost people's confidence."

Lisa Whiteside can be contacted on 01993 881827. Oil of Ulay's Colour Collection make-up range has taken the high street by storm. It's no surprise though, the cosmetics are great and the prices are reasonable.

If you're hunting for a spring lipstick, take a close look at Oil of Ulay's Colourmoist lipstick. The colour lasts without drying your lips and it costs just £5.99, which means you can afford more than one from the extensive range. Colour Collection is available at Boots, Superdrug, Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda and independent chemists. It's not that easy to find a compact foundation which doesn't either dry your skin out or make it look greasy.

Now Almay has brought out a compact which does a perfect job, in seconds. Called Clear Balance, the foundation has an SPF of 8 and contains salicylic acid, an anti-blemish ingredient. Clear Balance comes in four shades and costs £8.50. Bourjois has revamped its make-up to suit all types of skin. The French company has brought out a new, reformulated version of foundation called Teint Secret which comes in four shades - all suitable for British skins.

The airless pump dispenser contains a starch derivative to soak up excess sebum plus volatile silicones to give the skin a smooth and luminous finish. Teint Secret costs £5.45 until the end of February. Lisa shows Gemma the correct way to dress to be all things bright and beautiful Lisa tries bold colours on Gemma Simms, left, and right, Gemma with her chosen colours Lisa strongly believes that wearing the correct colours and styles will enhance confidence

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