I could not have imagined, as a granddaughter of a farmer, that I would be designing cosmetics from a color system that is used for analyzing and notating the material that makes up our planet, as well as the creation and communication of color among artists and designers. If my grandfather was alive today, we might very well discuss the system in depth over coffee at the kitchen table, comparing notes on how the Munsell system helps us with our passions.

From Soil Color to Color Cosmetics

Grandpop would delight in using the system to investigate the perfect blend of soil to provide the best nutrient base for his crops, and I would share with him how I use the system to create harmonious colors for cosmetics. I think he would have a twinkle in his eye as he listened to me chatter on about how in our studio we will have a Munsell hue circle painted on the floor and running up a support beam.

I would love for him to see how his great-granddaughters namesake, Elea Blake Cosmetics, is so obsessed with color that we are known for our passion with our clients. Described as “a salon on caffeine” by our postal workers and UPS carriers, our energy and passion for color is uncontainable. We are complete geeks when it comes to color and theory!

Color Discovery at Elea Blake

So what is it that we do at Elea Blake? We create custom cosmetic colors for our clients. At any given moment in the day, minerals are being dispensed like an old fashion apothecary. In another part of the studio, liquid pigments of delightful hues are created for the perfect lip color.

Then, like a child in a candy store, handed to them with beaming appreciation. We pride ourselves on delivering makeup colors that offer a harmonious look by determining an individual’s three-dimensional color palette. By using the Munsell System of color analysis, my team and I created 12 distinct color collections that provide clients with the proper hue, value, and chroma for their individual look. Discovering a person’s best colors is achieved through a personal color analysis done in the studio.

It is universal that artists understand the concept of hue, value, and chroma. Our clients may not understand these things but they know that this experience is something different. As they are wrapped in a rainbow of color, we give them the knowledge to understand their colors much like an artist directs color on a chosen medium.

As I am sure Albert Munsell would agree, it’s all in the details. It is a common saying, but it is so true. Discovering the Munsell hue circle changed how I design/create my colors, and this knowledge has provided me with better cosmetic colors that opens a new world to our clients’ appearance. This color system has taught even me—someone with many years of color experience—that applying one’s harmonious colors, whether bright or deep, will always create the perfect look. It?s when one applies improperly balanced colors on the individual that something altogether frightening happens.

Some say that the color specialists at Elea Blake are a tad bit eccentric; well, perhaps that is true.

For instance, while creating in the studio, I speak to my colors. I say to them, “You were once just a bunch of pretty colors. Now you are pretty colors with purpose!” How did they get that purpose? With an understanding of the Munsell System. Each color has a purpose and belongs to a seasonal family. Munsell helped me find the missing link to my colors, and as a result, an entire line of specialty cosmetics is creating a world of faces with purpose.

Putting Color Theory to the Lip Test

Several years ago, based on the concept of hue, value, and chroma, Elea Blake created 12 red lipstick colors that became the basis of the perfect red lip no matter who you are. We call it “Lip Drape.” It was designed to be a fun experiment, a girls-night-out type of experiment, and you know how those go. Fantastic! The idea was that these 12 red lipsticks, designed by using Albert Munsell?s three-dimensional color theory, offer individuals an opportunity to test hue, value, and chroma to see which seasonal palette red lip represents the best look for them. We get many emails and posts thanking us for the Lip Drape. The success is due in part to our new found passion for color theory. Munsell has opened up many doors and windows for Elea Blake Cosmetics. It has stretched and completed our design process on many levels. Our creation process is never void of the need to go to the hue circle and confirm or consult. I think that my Grandpop would be proud of his granddaughter and the color of his dirt.

Posted by Albert Munsell.