Guide to the color seasons
Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter, with three sub-seasons in each. Pick a season, or compare them by quality, to see its palette.
Choose a season to see its three sub-seasons, or switch to “By leading quality” to compare the sub-seasons that share a trait.
Warm season
Warm, light and bright: the season that needs freshness and cheer.
Warm, light, bright and clear colors. Low to moderate contrast.
All about the Spring seasonHow to recognize it
Keep away from your face
Solid black, charcoal gray, burgundy and any very muted or very cool color near your face. They dim your natural light.
Jewelry
Yellow gold, light rose gold, shiny gold tones. Light, luminous stones: turquoise, coral, peridot.
The 3 Spring sub-seasons
Light Spring
The lightest of the warm seasons: all light and freshness, never heavy.
Palette: 12 colors
Signature colorPeach
Neighboring season
Light Summer. Both seasons are light. Light Summer is cooler and more powdery, Light Spring warmer and fresher.
Warm Spring (True Spring)
Sunshine in your skin: golden, cheerful, clear colors.
Palette: 12 colors
Signature colorCoral
Neighboring season
Warm Autumn. Both seasons are very warm. Warm Autumn is deeper and more muted, Warm Spring lighter and brighter.
Bright Spring (Clear Spring)
The most dazzling season: pure, saturated, almost electric colors.
Palette: 12 colors
Signature colorBright Coral
Neighboring season
Bright Winter. Both seasons need very bright colors. Bright Winter is cooler, Bright Spring warmer.
Cool season
Cool, soft and elegant: the season of powdery colors and softly blended harmonies.
Cool, muted, pastel and light colors. Low to moderate contrast.
All about the Summer seasonHow to recognize it
Keep away from your face
Orange, mustard, warm browns and solid black near your face. They bring out redness and dark circles.
Jewelry
Silver, white gold, very pale rose gold. Satin finishes rather than shiny ones. Pearls, moonstone, rose quartz.
The 3 Summer sub-seasons
Light Summer
The lightest of the cool seasons: fresh, airy, powdery colors.
Palette: 12 colors
Signature colorPowder Pink
Neighboring season
Light Spring. Both seasons are light. Light Spring is warmer and fresher, Light Summer cooler and more powdery.
Cool Summer (True Summer)
Cool made gentle: blues, pinks and raspberries without any harshness.
Palette: 12 colors
Signature colorRaspberry
Neighboring season
True Winter. Both seasons are very cool. True Winter is higher in contrast and more saturated, Cool Summer softer.
Soft Summer
The most blended season: grayed, hushed colors with a quiet elegance.
Palette: 12 colors
Signature colorDusty Rose
Neighboring season
Soft Autumn. Both seasons need desaturated colors. Soft Autumn is warmer, Soft Summer cooler.
Warm season
Warm, rich and enveloping: the season of spices, forests and earth.
Warm, dark colors, muted or desaturated. Moderate to high contrast.
All about the Autumn seasonHow to recognize it
Keep away from your face
Black near your face, optic white, fuchsia and icy blues. Choose chocolate over black and cream over white.
Jewelry
Gold, copper, bronze or brass jewelry. Amber, tiger’s eye, turquoise and coral.
The 3 Autumn sub-seasons
Soft Autumn
Autumn in half-tones: warm, hushed, very soft colors.
Palette: 12 colors
Signature colorLight Terracotta
Neighboring season
Soft Summer. Both seasons need desaturated colors. Soft Summer is cooler, Soft Autumn warmer.
Warm Autumn (True Autumn)
The heart of Autumn: colors of spices, leaves and fire.
Palette: 12 colors
Signature colorRust
Neighboring season
Warm Spring. Both seasons are very warm. Warm Spring is lighter and brighter, Warm Autumn deeper and more muted.
Deep Autumn (Dark Autumn)
The most intense Autumn: dark, rich colors with strong contrast.
Palette: 12 colors
Signature colorWarm Burgundy
Neighboring season
Deep Winter. Both seasons need dark colors. Deep Winter is cooler and crisper, Deep Autumn warmer and richer.
Cool season
Cool, crisp and intense: the season of bold contrast and pure colors.
Cool, bright, clear and dark colors. Moderate to high contrast.
All about the Winter seasonHow to recognize it
Keep away from your face
Golden beiges, orange, mustard, warm brown and khaki near your face. They turn your skin yellow.
Jewelry
Silver, platinum, white gold. Vivid stones: sapphire, emerald, ruby, diamond, onyx.
The 3 Winter sub-seasons
Deep Winter (Dark Winter)
The darkest Winter: deep, crisp, very intense colors.
Palette: 12 colors
Signature colorCool Burgundy
Neighboring season
Deep Autumn. Both seasons need dark colors. Deep Autumn is warmer, Deep Winter cooler and crisper.
True Winter (Cool Winter)
The heart of Winter: icy, pure colors with no warmth at all.
Palette: 12 colors
Signature colorFuchsia
Neighboring season
Cool Summer. Both seasons are very cool. Cool Summer is softer and lower in contrast, True Winter more saturated and crisper.
Bright Winter (Clear Winter)
The most dazzling Winter: electric colors and maximum contrast.
Palette: 12 colors
Signature colorFuchsia
Neighboring season
Bright Spring. Both seasons need very bright colors. Bright Spring is warmer, Bright Winter cooler.
Leading quality
Two sub-seasons lead with lightness: Light Spring and Light Summer.
What sets them apart
Both seasons are light. Light Summer is cooler and more powdery, Light Spring warmer and fresher.
Spring
The lightest of the warm seasons: all light and freshness, never heavy.
Your defining trait is lightness. Warmth comes second.
Signature colorPeach
Summer
The lightest of the cool seasons: fresh, airy, powdery colors.
Your defining trait is lightness. Coolness comes second.
Signature colorPowder Pink
Leading quality
Two sub-seasons lead with depth: Deep Autumn and Deep Winter.
What sets them apart
Both seasons need dark colors. Deep Winter is cooler and crisper, Deep Autumn warmer and richer.
Autumn
The most intense Autumn: dark, rich colors with strong contrast.
Your defining trait is depth. Warmth comes second.
Signature colorWarm Burgundy
Winter
The darkest Winter: deep, crisp, very intense colors.
Your defining trait is depth. Coolness comes second.
Signature colorCool Burgundy
Leading quality
Two sub-seasons lead with softness: Soft Summer and Soft Autumn.
What sets them apart
Both seasons need desaturated colors. Soft Autumn is warmer, Soft Summer cooler.
Summer
The most blended season: grayed, hushed colors with a quiet elegance.
Your defining trait is softness. You need desaturated colors, as if mixed with gray.
Signature colorDusty Rose
Autumn
Autumn in half-tones: warm, hushed, very soft colors.
Your defining trait is softness. Warmth comes second.
Signature colorLight Terracotta
Leading quality
Two sub-seasons lead with intensity: Bright Spring and Bright Winter.
What sets them apart
Both seasons need very bright colors. Bright Winter is cooler, Bright Spring warmer.
Spring
The most dazzling season: pure, saturated, almost electric colors.
Your defining trait is intensity. You need bright, pure colors.
Signature colorBright Coral
Winter
The most dazzling Winter: electric colors and maximum contrast.
Your defining trait is intensity. You need the brightest colors in all of color analysis.
Signature colorFuchsia
Leading quality
Two sub-seasons lead with warmth: Warm Spring and Warm Autumn.
What sets them apart
Both seasons are very warm. Warm Autumn is deeper and more muted, Warm Spring lighter and brighter.
Spring
Sunshine in your skin: golden, cheerful, clear colors.
Your defining trait is warmth. Anything golden suits you.
Signature colorCoral
Autumn
The heart of Autumn: colors of spices, leaves and fire.
Your defining trait is warmth. The more golden a color, the better it looks on you.
Signature colorRust
Leading quality
Two sub-seasons lead with coolness: Cool Summer and True Winter.
What sets them apart
Both seasons are very cool. True Winter is higher in contrast and more saturated, Cool Summer softer.
Summer
Cool made gentle: blues, pinks and raspberries without any harshness.
Your defining trait is coolness. Anything with a blue lean suits you.
Signature colorRaspberry
Winter
The heart of Winter: icy, pure colors with no warmth at all.
Your defining trait is coolness. No warm color finds favor on you.
Signature colorFuchsia
Seasonal color analysis looks at three things in your natural coloring.
Spring and Autumn are the warm seasons. Summer and Winter are the cool ones. Each season then splits into three sub-seasons, depending on what leads in your coloring: lightness, temperature, softness, depth or brightness.
A season is not a box. It’s a starting point for understanding why some colors light you up and others drain you. New to all this? Start with seasonal color analysis explained.
Six pairs of neighboring sub-seasons share their first trait and look alike at first. Here is what sets each pair apart.
Both seasons are light. Light Summer is cooler and more powdery, Light Spring warmer and fresher.
Both seasons are very warm. Warm Autumn is deeper and more muted, Warm Spring lighter and brighter.
Both seasons need very bright colors. Bright Winter is cooler, Bright Spring warmer.
Both seasons are very cool. True Winter is higher in contrast and more saturated, Cool Summer softer.
Both seasons need desaturated colors. Soft Autumn is warmer, Soft Summer cooler.
Both seasons need dark colors. Deep Winter is cooler and crisper, Deep Autumn warmer and richer.
Two ways to get a first hint on your own. Neither one replaces a trained eye.
Ten questions, no sign-up. It shows you your likely season and a sub-season hint: a first hint, not a verdict.
Take the free quizIt’s a home version of draping, which means holding fabric colors up to your face. In daylight, with no makeup, hold a peach and a powder pink under your chin. The one that makes your skin look rested shows you which way you lean.
How the method worksI work with 12 seasons. Some systems use 16, and I don’t: in practice, sixteen add more confusion than precision.
Twelve seasons are enough to be precise, and few enough to stay clear.
The original method has 4 seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. The 12-season method splits each one into 3 (for example Soft Autumn, Warm Autumn and Deep Autumn). Some systems use 16 sub-seasons. I don’t: in practice, sixteen add more confusion than precision.
Look at three things: the temperature of your natural coloring (warm or cool), its lightness (light or deep) and its intensity (bright or soft). You can start on your own with the free quiz. For your sub-season, nothing replaces a trained eye: neighboring sub-seasons look alike, so read the quiz result as a first hint.
Contrast is how strongly your skin, eyes and hair stand out from one another. Moderate contrast: Warm Spring, Cool Summer and Warm Autumn. Low to moderate: Soft Autumn. Every sub-season has its own contrast level, and the table on each season page puts them side by side.
None in particular. Olive is a skin tone, not a season, and every skin tone shows up in all four seasons. What decides your season is how your skin reacts when colors are held up to your face: some olive skin looks best in warm colors, some in cool ones.
No. Saying that a redhead is automatically an Autumn, that a blonde can’t be a Winter or that deep skin is automatically Winter are shortcuts. A serious analysis never places anyone in a season based on a single trait.
Your undertone doesn’t change. A tan, a new hair color or gray hair can shift your contrast and slightly move which colors look best, but you stay in your season.
Start with the free quiz, then compare your result with its neighboring season.
