Colors to keep away from your face
Golden beiges, orange, mustard, warm brown and khaki near your face. They turn your skin yellow.
Nothing is off-limits. If you love one of these, wear it away from your face: pants, a skirt, shoes or a bag.
Cool season · 3 sub-seasons
Winter Color Palette: The 3 Winter Sub-Seasons
Cool, crisp and intense: the season of bold contrast and pure colors.
What it means to be a Winter
Winter is the only season that black truly flatters.
If you’re a Winter, you can wear what the other seasons fear: black and pure white together, fuchsia, royal blue, a clear red.
On the other hand, beiges, warm browns and washed-out colors make you look tired. You need crispness.
The Winter season is for people who look best in colors that are cool, bright and high-contrast. Pure colors, with no haze over them.
Signs you may be a Winter
- A cool or neutral-cool undertone: silver and platinum look better on you than gold.
- High natural contrast between your skin, eyes and hair, or a very crisp, defined gaze.
- You can handle very saturated colors without them taking over.
- Muted, warm colors (mustard, khaki, rust) dull your complexion.
The palette
Winter color palette
Cool, bright, clear and dark colors. Moderate to high contrast.
- Black
#0A0A0A - Pure White
#FFFFFF - Royal Blue
#1F45C4 - Fuchsia
#D4127C - Raspberry Red
#C8102E - Emerald Green
#00875A - Violet
#5B2A9D - Glacier Blue
#CFE6F5
Colors Winters should avoid (and how to wear them anyway)
Winter jewelry and metals
Silver, platinum, white gold. Vivid stones: sapphire, emerald, ruby, diamond, onyx.
The 3 sub-seasons
The 3 Winter sub-seasons side by side
They all share the base of the season. What changes is what leads in your coloring, and that is where precision comes from.
Deep Winter
The darkest Winter: deep, crisp, very intense colors.
True Winter
The heart of Winter: icy, pure colors with no warmth at all.
Bright Winter
The most dazzling Winter: electric colors and maximum contrast.
How to tell the three Winters apart
| Sub-season | Temperature | Lightness | Intensity | Contrast | Signature color |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deep Winter | Neutral to cool | Dark | Saturated | High | Cool Burgundy |
| True Winter | Very cool | Medium to dark | Saturated | High | Fuchsia |
| Bright Winter | Neutral to cool | Medium | Very bright | Very high | Fuchsia |
Makeup and hair
Winter makeup, hair and jewelry in short
The broad lines change from one sub-season to the next. Here are the basics for each.
- Lips
- Burgundy, cherry, plum, deep red. A dark lip comes naturally to you.
- Hair
- Cool dark brown, black, very dark brown. Avoid golden or coppery tones.
- Jewelry
- Silver, platinum, white gold. Onyx, garnet, sapphire.
- Lips
- Raspberry, fuchsia, blue-toned red. Cool reds are your reds.
- Hair
- Black, cool brown, ashy dark brown. Gray or white hair looks superb on you.
- Jewelry
- Silver, platinum, white gold. Diamond, sapphire, emerald.
- Lips
- Fuchsia, bright pink, clear red. A bold, radiant lip is your best asset.
- Hair
- Crisp, shiny colors: cool brown, black, or a very light, cool blonde. Avoid blended, golden effects.
- Jewelry
- Shiny silver, platinum, graphic pieces, brilliant stones.
Head to head
Which Winter are you? Three checks
Settle the season first
Winter and Summer are both cool seasons. The two-color test below tells them apart.
Find the trait that leads
Each Winter sub-season leads with a different trait.
- Deep Winterdepth
- True Wintercoolness
- Bright Winterintensity
Take the quiz for a first hint
The quiz can’t see your skin react to colors, so read its answer as a hint, not a verdict. Take the free quiz
Winter or Summer: the two-color test
The two-color test. In daylight, with no makeup, hold a piece of fabric in each of these two colors up to your face. If the fuchsia gives you radiance and the powder pink looks washed out, you lean Winter.
Can’t see the difference? That’s common: we all see through our own taste. Read the Summer page too, or let the quiz give you a first hint.
Go further
Not sure you’re a Winter?
The quiz shows you your likely season and a sub-season hint, with no sign-up. A first hint, not a verdict.
One guide per sub-season
Full palette, capsule wardrobe, makeup, hair and a shopping list for each sub-season. Not on sale yet: join the waitlist.
How the method works
Twelve sub-seasons instead of sixteen, the three things we look at, and why a quiz is only a first hint.
Questions
Winter color season: your questions
Can a blonde be a Winter?
Yes. Blonde Winters are rare, but they exist. Hair color is never enough to rule out a season: how the skin reacts to colors decides.
Are deep skin tones always Winter?
No, and it’s a myth worth fighting. Deep skin tones show up in all four seasons. Placing someone in a season based on their skin tone is a flawed method.
What’s the difference between Deep Winter, True Winter and Bright Winter?
Deep Winter needs dark colors first. True Winter needs clearly cool colors first. Bright Winter needs very bright colors first, and maximum contrast.
What are the main Winter colors?
Black, Pure White, Royal Blue, Fuchsia, Raspberry Red, Emerald Green, Violet and Glacier Blue. Each of the three sub-seasons has its own version of this palette.
What colors should a Winter avoid?
Golden beiges, orange, mustard, warm brown and khaki near your face. They turn your skin yellow. Nothing is off-limits: if you love one of them, wear it away from your face.
Gold or silver: which metals suit a Winter?
Silver, platinum, white gold. Vivid stones: sapphire, emerald, ruby, diamond, onyx.
What lipstick colors suit a Winter?
Deep Winter: Burgundy, cherry, plum, deep red. A dark lip comes naturally to you. True Winter: Raspberry, fuchsia, blue-toned red. Cool reds are your reds. Bright Winter: Fuchsia, bright pink, clear red. A bold, radiant lip is your best asset.
Think you’re a Winter?
Start with the free quiz. It shows you your likely season and a sub-season hint in two minutes: a first hint, not a verdict.