CDI Education Day:
Light Changes Everything!
Saturday, October 3, 2026 – 9:00 am to 2:00 pm PDT
– on Zoom
Light affects our perception of the colors we see in eyes, hair, and skin. We want you to see light differently and factor it into your color consultations. You will become better at your craft, and you can avoid the mistakes some of us have made in our learning journeys. Your new knowledge of light can also change how you succeed in color analysis.
We have brought together four CDI color experts to give you more insight into how light affects your color results. We hope this brings things to light that you may have ignored in the past. Knowledge makes us better at what we do.
Join us for this one-day virtual program that might just change the way you see things!
Light Changes Everything! is free for CDI members (but you’ll need to register).
Non-members will be charged $49.
“Millions of changes in light happen from daybreak to twilight, but thankfully we don’t experience these changes moment by moment.
Instead, we take only what is useful and ignore the rest.”
– Arielle & Joann Eckstut, What Is Color?
SCHEDULE
9:00 am – 9:15 am – Welcome
9:15 am – 10:00 am – The Invisible Variable: Creating a Neutral Environment for Accurate Color Analysis
The accuracy of a personal color analysis depends not only on the consultant’s skill but also on the environment in which the analysis takes place. From wall colors and backgrounds to lighting conditions and mirror quality, seemingly minor factors can significantly influence color perception and lead to inaccurate assessments.
In this session, Alessandra Ambrosini will explore the essential elements of a professional color analysis studio and share practical guidelines for creating a neutral environment that allows a client’s natural coloring to be observed without interference. You’ll learn how to improve both the consistency and reliability of your color consultations.
You’ll also learn:
• How the human visual system perceives color and why color perception is inherently relative rather than absolute
• How surrounding colors, lighting conditions, and visual contrast can easily influence and distort color perception
• Practical guidelines for creating a studio environment that minimizes visual interference and reveals a client’s true coloring
Alessandra Ambrosini is a personal stylist, color consultant, and educator based in Scotland. She is the founder of Shape Your Style and specializes in personal color analysis and style identity. Her work combines technical expertise with a deep appreciation for individuality, helping clients discover the colors and styles that authentically express who they are.
10:15 am – 11:00 am – Dancing with Daylight: Global Light Dynamics and the Multifaceted Nature of Skin
Natural light is never uniform – it varies dramatically by latitude, time of day, season, and atmospheric conditions, creating constantly changing lighting across the globe. In this presentation, we explore how global light differences interact with human skin as a complex optical system. You’ll discover why the same skin tone (and colors) can appear strikingly different depending on location and atmospheric conditions, and you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the interplay of pigments, structure, light, and metamerism.
You’ll also learn:
• How natural light intensity, color temperature, and diffusion change by latitude, season, time of day, and atmospheric conditions.
• The main biological and optical factors in skin (pigments, collagen, epidermal thickness, subsurface scattering, and the Tyndall effect) and how they determine appearance under different lights.
• Practical insights for seeing, explaining, and working with human variation more clearly through light and skin optics.
Jennifer Schuettenhelm is a color analyst trained in SciArt and the Caygill method, with a strong focus on research-driven approaches to color, light, and personal expression. As a mother of two and a learned cultural anthropologist, she brings a deep curiosity about how environment, culture, and psychology shape the way we perceive ourselves and others. Her work bridges scientific understanding of light and skin with practical, meaningful applications for everyday life and professional color practice.
11:15 am – 12:00 pm – Shining a Light on Hair Color: An Advanced Masterclass for Seasonal Color Designers
As color designers, we know how to read the skin and eyes to find a client’s seasonal harmony. But when it comes to the hair, things get complex. How do we design the perfect hair color palette when a client’s natural hair has faded, gone grey, or been heavily altered? How do we guide them toward their most authentic look – whether that means a flawless color formulation or embracing a stunning natural grey?
Join Mary Kasa, Master Hair Artist, certified CDI member, and founder of MKExpressions, for an advanced session designed specifically for color professionals. Learn the physics of hair pigment, the science of aging hair, and the exact language to use when guiding clients back to their natural essence. In this specialized masterclass, you will learn:
• Reading the Unchanging Canvas: How to accurately identify skin and eye pigments to design a cohesive hair color palette, completely independent of their current hair color.
• The Science of Fading Pigment: Why hair changes structural color as we age, why some go “salt and pepper” while redheads turn blonde, and how to work with these transitions.
• Under the Hood of Hair Color: Why hair “pulls red or gold” when colored, and the chemistry behind covering grey without pulling unwanted warmth.
• The “To Color or Not to Color” Dialogue: Master-level consultation strategies to help clients decide between coloring, transitioning back to their natural shade, or showcasing a gorgeous, natural grey.
Mary Kasa is an intuitive Master Hair Artist, certified Color Analyst, and the founder of MKExpressions. She is passionate about bridging the technical world of hair artistry with the deep, harmonious principles of seasonal color analysis to help clients feel authentic, current, and timeless. A certified member of Color Designers International (CDI), Mary has spent decades honing her technical skills in the hair industry while cultivating her natural intuition. Her advanced training includes working with industry leaders like Jennifer Butler starting in 2009, as well as studying under Olga Kamova and Mary Lou Manlove at the International Color and Image Institute (ICII) and Color Insight. Mary’s unique gift is translating seasonal references into practical hair solutions.
12:00 pm – 12:30 pm – BREAK (Grab a bite, move around)
12:30 pm – 1:15 pm – The Hidden Language of Eye Color
Most people believe eye color is simply blue, brown, green, or hazel. It isn’t.
Eye color is one of the most misunderstood aspects of personal coloring because what we see is not just pigment, but the interaction of biology, structure, and light. The same eye can reveal entirely different colors, qualities, and patterns depending on how light moves through it.
In this fascinating session, color consultant and researcher Jennifer Kaufman explores how light shapes our perception of eye color, why many eyes contain hidden hues that are rarely recognized, and how understanding these optical behaviors can transform color analysis. Attendees will discover why blue eyes aren’t truly blue, why dark eyes often contain unseen color complexity, and how subtle iris patterns hold valuable clues about harmony, contrast, and palette selection.
You’ll never look at eyes the same way again.
Attendees will learn to:
• Identify hidden colors and undertones within the iris
• Understand how light influences color perception
• Interpret iris patterns beyond simple color labels
• Use eye analysis as a more precise tool for palette development
• Move beyond guesswork to a more advanced understanding of personal color
Perfect for color consultants, image professionals, and educators ready to explore what most systems overlook.
Jennifer Kaufman is the Founder and Creative Director of Gwenath Chase Atelier and the creator of the Astro-Physique Blueprint™ Methodology. An image strategist, color master, author, artist and systems designer, Kaufman has spent decades studying the relationship between identity and appearance. Her work integrates color theory, archetypal psychology, astrology, proportion, movement, symbolism, and personal narrative into a comprehensive methodology for self-recognition and authentic expression. Through Gwenath Chase Atelier, she helps clients discover their unique Center Point™ and create lives that are coherent, resonant, and unmistakably their own… beginning with appearance.
1:15 pm – 1:45 pm – General Q&A/Breakout Sessions
1:45 pm – 2:00 pm – Wrap-up