Seeing beauty in what you’re naturally drawn to isn’t just pleasant—it’s the anchor for authentic style.
Last week I shared what my mentor Carla Mathis taught me about visual favorites and aesthetic preference. Today I’m telling you how I took that wisdom and created The Aesthetic Mirror, a process that helps women discover their style by seeing beauty through group reflection instead of expert formulas.
I told you about my mentor Carla Mathis and how she discovered that what you love aesthetically is what looks like you. She uses visual favorites as part of her color selection process, after getting to know the client.
But several years ago, I had an epiphany—and I’m convinced it was God who gave me this insight—about inverting the entire process.
What if we started with the images? What if, before we talked about body types or style rules or even color seasons, we began with what the client loves aesthetically? What if seeing beauty came first?
In this episode, I’m sharing how that transformation happened, what changed when I tried it, and why The Aesthetic Mirror has become such a powerful way for women to discover their authentic style.
When a friend heard me describe my vision—this idea that style should be about authentic expression, not just following formulas—she immediately said, “That’s exactly what I want!”
And that response told me something important: I wasn’t alone in sensing that something was missing from the conventional approach.
Women were hungry for a different way. A way that honored who they are instead of just teaching them which rules to follow.
But I was still figuring out how to make this more accessible. How to create a process that felt less intimidating, less technical, less like you needed a PhD in style theory just to get dressed.
The Epiphany: Inverting the Seeing Beauty Process
And then it hit me.
While I’d always used inspirational images in my work—I learned that from Carla—I realized that starting with them, before we ever talk about body types or style rules, creates a completely different experience.
It’s less stressful. Less intimidating. And it reveals so much about a person’s authentic style essence.
This is what I mean by seeing beauty first: What if we began by asking “What do you find beautiful?” instead of “What’s your body type?”
What if we started by honoring your aesthetic wisdom instead of implying you need expert analysis before you can trust your own choices?
So I tried this inverted process with the friend of mine, who was a college student at the time.
We started with images she loved. Before measurements, before style rules, before any technical analysis—just “Show me what you find beautiful.”
And she really resonated with it. Something about starting with beauty instead of rules made the whole experience feel different. Lighter. More like discovery than diagnosis.
Then I had another client come in, and I did the process with her.
This is where it gets good.
After working with me, this client went shopping. My daughter was working in a store at the mall downtown at the time.
And this client was so excited about what she had learned and how it made shopping fun again that she told my daughter—a complete stranger to her—about this stylist she had just worked with who had this amazing process.
She described starting with images she loved, seeing beauty in her own preferences, and how it suddenly made everything click.
My daughter said, “I think that was my mom.”
So they took a selfie together and sent it to me.
That client has since bought the service for a niece, her mom, and her two high school daughters.
The service she kept recommending is what became The Essential Signature Style Guide—my comprehensive program that includes visual favorites analysis at the front of the process.
But I realized something else: not everyone is ready for a full comprehensive program. Some women just need a taste of this approach. A way to experience what it’s like to start with seeing beauty instead of rules.
That’s how The Aesthetic Mirror was born.
How The Aesthetic Mirror Works
The Aesthetic Mirror is a private online gathering where you bring 3-4 fun and supportive friends or family members.
Each person brings one image they love—not of themselves, but something that resonates visually. It could be a favorite photo, a piece of art, a piece of design, a nature scene—anything that speaks to you.
Then the group gives feedback on what they see in the image. It becomes like a collective brainstorming session to uncover patterns, themes, and deeper meaning in your aesthetic.
I guide the process, helping you connect the dots and translate what you’re seeing beauty in into guidance about your personal style.
Here’s what’s remarkable about this process: the group almost always names specific qualities in the image that end up being personal qualities of the individual who brought it.
When you’re seeing beauty in an image of a misty mountain morning, and your friends say “There’s something peaceful here, something contemplative, something quietly powerful”—they’re not just describing the image. They’re describing you.
It’s very affirming.
And it’s completely different from an expert telling you what your body type is or which style category you fall into. This is your people—people who know you, who care about you—reflecting back what they see when you share what you find beautiful.
Seeing beauty through this kind of group reflection reveals things about your authentic style that no amount of expert analysis can capture.
If you’re curious about how your personal energy connects to color—which is part of what we explore in The Aesthetic Mirror—you can download my free guide called the Guide to Seasonal Energy & Personality Colors.
What Makes This Different from Traditional Style Analysis
Traditional style consultations start with the assumption that you need an expert to tell you what works for you.
They often begin with your “problems”—your body type, your proportions, your coloring—and then give you rules to follow based on those categories.
The Aesthetic Mirror flips that entire approach.
We start with the assumption that you already have aesthetic wisdom. You already know what beauty is. You’ve been seeing beauty your whole life, and your preferences aren’t random—they’re revealing who you are.
Most people think you need expert analysis before you can trust your style choices, but actually seeing beauty in your own aesthetic preferences is the anchor for authentic style.
When we begin by honoring what you find beautiful, everything else flows from that foundation. The technical guidance I provide—and yes, there’s still technical guidance—is in service to helping you express what you’re already drawn to, not imposing external rules.
Who The Aesthetic Mirror Way of Seeing Beauty Is For
The Aesthetic Mirror is for women who:
- Love learning and exploring (that intellectual curiosity we talked about last week)
- Want to understand the “why” behind style guidance, not just follow rules
- Appreciate group experiences and collaborative discovery
- Are curious about what their aesthetic preferences reveal
- Want something low-pressure and fun as an entry point to style work
- Have friends or family members who would enjoy this kind of exploration together
It’s especially powerful for women who’ve tried other style systems and felt like something was missing. Because when you start with seeing beauty instead of rules, you’re building from a completely different foundation.
What You Walk Away With
Everyone who participates in The Aesthetic Mirror walks away with:
- A clearer sense of your personal aesthetic and what it reveals about your style
- A pre-built seasonal energy color palette that supports your inherent coloring
- Insight from your friends and family about how they see you
- A shared experience that often becomes a meaningful memory
- The foundation for deeper style work if you choose to continue
As the host, you attend free while your guests invest $97 each.
And for many women, The Aesthetic Mirror becomes the beginning of a longer journey. Some go on to work with me in The Congruence Code or the full Discover Your Style DNA program, which includes The Essential Signature Style Guide.
But even if you don’t, you’ll have experienced what it’s like to start with seeing beauty instead of rules. And that shift in perspective is valuable all on its own.
How Seeing Beauty Anchors Everything Else
Here’s why this matters so much: when you start with seeing beauty in your own preferences, everything else in the style journey feels different.
Instead of “Here are the rules you need to follow because of your body type,” it becomes “Here’s how to express the beauty you’re naturally drawn to.”
Instead of “You’re doing it wrong,” it becomes “Let’s understand what you’re drawn to and why.”
Instead of external authority dictating what you should wear, your own aesthetic wisdom becomes the anchor for authentic style. My role is to help you see what’s already there and translate it into practical guidance.
This is what I learned from Carla and then inverted: she taught me that what you love aesthetically is what looks like you. I just moved that insight to the very beginning of the journey, where it belongs.
If this resonates with you—if you’re thinking “I want to try starting with beauty instead of rules”—here’s how The Aesthetic Mirror works:
Think of 3-4 fun and supportive friends or family members who would enjoy this kind of exploration. Send me an email at hello@signaturestylesystems.com to choose a date.
We’ll gather online, each person will share their image, and we’ll spend time seeing beauty in what you’re drawn to and discovering what it reveals about your authentic style.
It’s collaborative, it’s affirming, and it’s a completely different way to approach personal style.
Here’s How to Begin Seeing Beauty This Week
This week, gather 3-5 images you’re really drawn to. They don’t have to be of clothing—they can be art, nature, photography, design, anything visual that makes you think “That’s beautiful.”
In your journal, notice what themes keep appearing. What colors show up? What moods? What elements repeat? Write about what patterns you see and what they might be telling you about your aesthetic.
Pay attention to how it feels to start with seeing beauty instead of analyzing problems. Notice what you discover about yourself just by honoring what you find beautiful.
Most people think you need expert analysis before you can trust your style choices, but actually seeing beauty in your own aesthetic preferences is the anchor for authentic style.