Thoughts on DIYing

Hi all! I recently got analyzed by Andrea, and I mentioned that it changed my opinion on DIYing.

I chose to get analyzed by her because I wasn't in the place to get analyzed by Kitchener but also because I didn't think that there would be any way that I would be able to use the system long term without an analysis.This was mainly because I was fairly certain I had many essences in smaller amounts (nothing over 30%), and I thought that all the energy I was putting toward it was confusing me more.

But actually, now that I'm post analysis from Andrea, I believe even more in DIYing. Andrea was amazing to work with. She gave me many insights and the confirmation that I was looking for. But the analysis also helped me to see that after two years of DIYing, I had actually gotten really close to landing on my blend.

This feels significant to me because my essences weren't heavily skewed or obvious from looking at me. I know percentages work strangely, but looking at them the variance seems mild.

Andrea typed me as: 30% Romantic, 20% Youthful, 20% Natural, 15% High-Spirited, and 15% Angelic

My most recent guess right before I was typed was: 25% Natural, 25% Angelic, 25% Romantic, 10% Youthful, and 10% High-Spirited, 5% Dramatic

Aside from including a stray amount of dramatic, and mixing up the percentages of youthful and angelic, I was pretty close. I think with a little more time and being honest with myself I would've eventually landed there.

Anyway, I thought this might be useful information to people who are DIYing. I'm curious to know what other people have learned about DIYing post analysis.

More thoughts on DIYing (I'm not an expert so this is just stuff I noticed that is up for debate):

- DIYing is actually so helpful for learning and using the system. Aside from a few pieces that I included in my photos that Andrea labeled as Classic, I was intentionally wearing pieces that matched with my essences to draw them out.
- Advice that I would give myself if I were DIYing is to just be honest with yourself. I really wanted to have more Angelic essence than I did (I know I'm not the only one), but honestly I've never worn a full Angelic outfit in my life, and knowing myself, I'm not sure I would actually feel comfortable in one. I do however love some of the details (long sleeves, gauze, iridescence, braids, etc.), so I'm happy to have it for those options.
- After the analysis, I'm 99.9% sure it is linked to personality. And I'm mesmerized and so impressed that Andrea was able to pull this out my photos. Every part of my blend represents a piece of who I am as a person. I don't think I have any measurable amount of Classic or Dramatic in my personality. Additionally, I always felt like I had some High-Spirited elements, but I couldn't point to anything about my features that made sense with this. Andrea just said I seemed like I had some High-Spirited energy but she couldn't point to where it came from either. (The twinkle in the eye thing.)
- Finally, just because you look terrible in a full outfit of one essence, doesn't mean that you don't have that essence in significant amounts. This became a big thing with me with Romantic (and even HS). If I try to wear a 40-50%+ representation of R, I look really silly, even though it is technically my dominant essence. For awhile, I convinced myself that maybe I didn't have Romantic at all. I eventually came back to it. (People can correct me if I'm wrong, but Andrea mentioned that 30% of an essence is about a single garment. So really it seems there is no universe where I could just wear a single essence, probably even a blend of two and pull it off well).

Sorry this is so long! Let me know your thoughts on any of this. What do you think about percentages with little variance, or more balanced blends? Have people run into the same problem of absolutely needing to blend their essences to make an outfit work?

Also, I'm sure this has been asked before, but what percentage are you trying to hit with your blend on each outfit for it to be considered a success?

**Edit to say that I realized I was DIYing for two years.