What Are Your Colors For Beauty And Fashion? Here's How To Find Out
Have you ever borrowed a dress that looked stunning on your best friend, but on you it just feels... wrong? Do your coworkers ask if you're feeling sick every time you wear teal? You could be dressing in the wrong color season.
The concept of seasonal color palettes has been around for decades in the fashion world, sped along by guidebooks like Carole Jackson's "Color Me Beautiful," first published in 1981. On her website, Carole Jackson Colors, Jackson explains that knowing your palette can help you determine which shades are most flattering for your clothes, makeup, jewelry, hair, and more. In theory, you can save money and look your best every day by simply shopping within your season!
The concept may be old, but seasonal palettes are making new waves on TikTok, with over 670 million views for the hashtag #coloranalysis. There are now dozens of videos and analysis "experts" promising to help you find whether you're a summer, autumn, spring, or winter. If you feel like getting extremely detailed, there are even subcategories within each of the four main seasons! Of course, you can try to find your palette yourself using the popular TikTok filters (the trick is natural lighting, minimal makeup, and putting your face right up to the edges on the filter), but we recommend figuring out your seasonal color palette from real-life observations.
How to find your color season
According to The Concept Wardrobe, the key to finding your season isn't about choosing your favorite colors or trendy shades. Instead, you'll want to look for the seasonal palette that best matches your natural coloring. It's important to clarify that people of any race or ethnicity can be in any season. It's all about your skin's undertones and the contrast between your features. Unflattering colors will pull redness, eye bags, pimples, and discoloration into the spotlight, but flattering shades will make your face look bright, glowy, and clear. You can still wear your favorite colors, but try to aim for a tone in your season.
Start by peeking into your jewelry box. Does gold or silver make you feel best? Next, take a look at your favorite clothes. If you gravitate toward silver jewelry and blues, pinks, or purples, you're probably a cool skin tone. If you prefer gold jewelry and reds, browns, or greens, you're probably a warm skin tone.
Finally, you'll need to determine your contrast level. One easy method is to take a photo of yourself in soft natural lighting and apply a black-and-white filter. Do your eyes, hair, eyebrows, and lips pop from the image? Or do they seem to blend in? If they pop, you're most likely a vibrant season. If they blend, you're most likely a subtle season. Sometimes it can be hard to judge our appearance objectively, so ask a friend if you need some help!
Summer: cool and subtle
So you think you're a summer? If you have low contrast features, muted blue, gray, or hazel eyes, and light, soft, or ashy hair, it's very likely! It might seem a little confusing, but summer is actually on the cool side of the seasonal palette. Think soft sky blues, frozen rum punches, and hydrangea petals.
When it comes to fashion, pastel colors are a summer's secret weapon; you look amazing in dusty lilac, sage, and baby pink. The best neutrals for summers are soft brown, navy, cool gray, off-white, and peachy nude. In general, you'll want to avoid over-saturated colors like black, kelly green, tangerine, or cherry red, as these can wash you out and make you look a little sickly.
As far as summer makeup goes, lips and cheeks look best in true rosy pinks. Peach, mint, baby blue, and ivory eyeshadows will look amazing too. If you want to wear a bold lipstick or eye look, keep your colors on the cool side of the spectrum and make sure all of your features look balanced (i.e. a bold lip and a bold eye).
According to a TikTok video shared by professional stylists at Curate Your Style, summers can look to celebrities like Barbara Palvin, Jennifer Aniston, Kelly Rowland, Alicia Silverstone, and Lili Reinhart for color palette inspiration.
Winter: cool and vibrant
Winters are one of the most distinct seasonal palettes and are generally pretty easy to identify. Winters have cool skin and often dark hair with striking features that seem to naturally "pop" from their face. If you're a winter, you probably look best in silver jewelry and bright, saturated colors. Think candied apples, cool emeralds, and icy violets.
True winters can also pull off some striking colors like fuschia and royal blue, as long as they stay on the cool side of the spectrum. The best neutrals for winters are black, white, gray, dark espresso, and deep navy. In fact, winters are the only palette where bold black and white are recommended, as they won't wash out your intense coloring. Winters should avoid warm shades like rust, yellow, and olive green. Cool earthy tones like dusty rose might look okay, but they won't compliment your features as well as bold winter hues.
For makeup, winters are one of the best-suited seasons to wear strong, moody looks. Bright red lips, black, purple, and gray eyeshadows, and sharp winged eyeliner were made for you.
Need some celebrity fashion inspo? Kylie Jenner, Kourtney Kardashian, Megan Fox, and Constance Wu are all winter color palettes, according to stylists at Curate Your Style (via TikTok).
Autumn: warm and subtle
If you have a warm skin tone and low-contrast features, you could be an autumn. Autumns tend to shine in gold jewelry, and they look best in colors like those you would find on a breezy day in October. Think moss greens, jammy mulberries, and warm rusty leaves.
When shopping for clothes as an autumn, you'll want to reach for earth tones like greens, browns, deep reds, teals, and warm plums. Autumns are one of the few color palettes that can get away with wearing yellow and orange too, as long as the shade stays muted and warm. Neutrals were practically invented for autumns, although black and white aren't ideal. Instead, stick to chocolate brown, camel, cream, and ivory. Autumns should also avoid cool colors and pastels from the winter and summer palettes, as these can make your golden glow look more like a sickly green.
Neutrals also play well for autumn makeup looks. Highlight your natural beauty with brown eyeshadows, gold highlighter, soft eyeliner, and perfectly matched nude lipstick or glossy lips. Much like summer, you can still wear bold makeup (burgundy lips, yes please!), but the key is to balance your face.
According to Curate Your Style, autumns are in good company with fashion icons like Kaia Gerber, Gisele Bündchen, Beyoncé, and Halle Berry (via TikTok).
Spring: warm and vibrant
Many people get confused about whether they are an autumn or a spring, as it can be tricky to tell the difference. Both autumns and springs look best with gold jewelry and warm fabrics. To help you determine your palette, Curate Your Style says, "Autumns light up in warm, rich, muted colors, whereas, if you're a spring, you'll light up in warm, bright, vibrant colors" (via TikTok). Think zesty citrus, lush green grass, and blooming poppies.
Like winters, springs can pull off bright shades because they have naturally high-contrast features. If you really want to shine as a spring, look for eye-catching hues like salmon, kelly green, and tangerine. The best neutrals for springs include chocolate brown, ivory, creamy nude, and warm navy. Springs should avoid any pastel color, black, and white because these cool shades can make your complexion look dull.
As you're shopping for makeup, remember that true springs look incredible with bold, happy colors. A vermillion, bright berry, or hot pink lip is guaranteed to make you glow. Don't be afraid to opt for gold, lime green, or bright purple eyeshadow either.
Look to celebrities like Rihanna, Gigi Hadid, Blake Lively, and Brittany Snow for some great style inspiration to suit your spring palette.