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A matter of seconds to form an image

By Lara farrar (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-04-23 07:55

Prunella Samuels, from Australia, is an image consultant for established women in the city who want to look young and beautiful. [Zou Hong / China Daily]

Look 10 years younger without plastic surgery. Impossible? Not according to Prunella Samuels. "It can be done regardless of your age or what you do," said Samuels while giving a presentation to a small group of women in Beijing recently on how wearing the right clothes, colors, hairstyle and makeup can erase years off appearances.

"There are simple tricks that have been used for years and people need to be aware of them. An image is like a puzzle. You need all the pieces to send an accurate message."

Image matters, she said, because unfortunately people make assumptions based on limited information.

"We are all judged on our clothes, facial expressions, energy, confidence and how we hold ourselves - all this within the first 20 seconds of meeting someone," she said.

Samuels is a professional image consultant. Her job, in essence, is to help women, or men, identify those puzzle pieces and put them together to create an appearance that is not only younger, but also (hopefully) dazzling.

Samuels, from Australia, has worked in the fashion industry in cities ranging from Dubai to Bangkok for nearly two decades and is an associate member of the Association of Image Consultants International, the largest professional association of personal and corporate image consultants worldwide.

Six months ago, she arrived in Beijing and established Stylized International Image Consultancy.

At her presentations delivered to usually a mix of well-to-do Chinese and expatriate women, Samuels said "55 percent of first impressions are determined by image".

"Image is everything. When you feel good about yourself, you are going to present yourself in a different way," she said.

Samuels offers services to help women look more beautiful. These include shopping with clients to help them find the right clothing styles for different body types, visiting beauty salons to pick out the correct haircut and instructions on what to wear to work to look confident and professional.

Since Samuels launched her consultancy, she says she has been almost fully booked. Her clients mostly comprises middle-aged women feeling a bit out-of-date or not so hot anymore, and need some guidance on how to look young and beautiful again.

One-hour consultations start at 650 yuan ($95). Other packages, including "Stylized Body Analysis" or "Stylized Wardrobe Analysis", start from 2,000 yuan.

China Daily