Curious about the 12 color seasons? Join me as we explore together!
I’m here to share the unique traits of each season, covering everything from eye colors to hair shades. But here’s the deal—it can get a bit confusing.
One expert might say you belong to one season, while another insists on a different one. That’s why I’m here to guide you through it all from the perspective of a makeup artist.
Ready to unravel the mysteries of the 12 color seasons with me?
What's In It for You? 5 Key Benefits
Discovering the magic of colors that perfectly complement your natural features goes beyond surface beauty—it’s a journey of unlocking numerous benefits that enhance both your appearance and inner confidence:
Radiant Skin: Colors that harmonize with your skin tone create a vibrant and healthy glow.
Sparkling Eyes: Opting for hues that complement your eyes adds a lively and captivating sparkle.
Balanced Look: Coordinating your clothes with your hair color establishes a sense of balance and overall harmony.
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Youthful Vibes: The right color choices have the power to conceal imperfections and infuse a renewed sense of vitality, contributing to a more youthful appearance.
Confidence Boost: Colors that align with your natural features not only elevate your style but also boost your confidence and enhance your mood.
Take a Seat in the Makeup Chair: Let's Find Your Color Type
Let’s pretend for a bit that you’re here for a makeup session with me.
However, this makeup session is all about finding your most flattering colors using the 12 color seasons. So let’s pretend we already went over your skin type, and we’re diving right into the colors now.
When it comes to color typing and makeup, we look at your skin color, eye color, and hair color. We start with your foundation shade to find undertone.
Then we use your eye color and hair color to pick complementary colors.
Color Type Questions
We are looking for patterns when we color type people. Healthy, glowing makeup is all about working with your natural coloring and adding complementary colors.
1. What's Your Skin Undertone Letter? C-N-W?
Find your color and then look at the letter on your foundation bottle. When you’re in my makeup chair – we test liquid foundation on your jawline to color match you. Then, once we find your perfect color match – we’ll look at the letters on the foundation bottle.
- C=Cool
- N=Neutral
- W=Warm
- NC=Neutral Cool
- NW=Neutral Warm
What's Your Actual Eye Color?
Figuring out eye color is a bit like solving a puzzle. Take my eyes, for instance. My driver’s license says they’re green, but there’s more blue going on, mixed with a touch of gold that makes a greenish-blue color.
Some days they look more soft blue, other times more soft green, and sometimes even soft gray. They technically fall into a neutral blue-green category, but that’s not an option on a driver’s license. But, it’s totally an option in seasonal color analysis – a very important one at that.
What's Your Hair Color?
Think of your hair color as a stylish accessory in the world of the 12 color seasons.
If your hair leans towards cool tones, you’ve got those natural blues and pinks framing your face. On the flip side, if it’s warm-toned, you’re rocking those natural goldens and reds.
And guess what? You could even have both and be neutral, blending cool and warm tones. It’s like your hair is this built-in fashion statement, influencing the colors that suit you best and adding a touch of flair to your overall look.
What are the 12 Color Seasons?
The four major color seasons are Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter.
Each primary season has three sub seasons. All of these combined make up 12 distinctive color seasons.
- Spring
- Light Spring
- Warm Spring
- Clear Spring
- Summer
- Light Summer
- Soft Summer
- Cool Summer
- Autumn
- Soft Autumn
- Warm Autumn
- Dark Autumn
- Winter
- Clear Winter
- Cool Winter
- Deep Winter
Each of the 12 color seasons have a unique set of eye colors, hair colors, and skin tones.
As you work to discover you color season, you may bounce around between a couple at first. That’s okay, and completely normal.
Ultimately, in the end, your color season is the one that you fall into the most. (Best out three, if you will.)
Eye Colors: All 12 Color Seasons
Unlike hair color and skin tone, eye color is not easily changed by the sun or in the salon.
The fastest way to narrow down the list of 12 color seasons is to cut the number in half with one simple question.
Here it is. Would I describe my eye color as light or dark? If you answered light, you’ll likely fall into Spring or Summer. If you answered dark, you’ll likely fall into Autumn or Winter.
If you’re unsure, don’t worry, we’re going to break it down even further.
Hair Colors: All 12 Color Seasons
Now, narrowing down by hair color is similar to how we narrow down eye color. Decide whether your hair is light or dark.
- Light: Spring or Summer.
- Spring hair is light, warm, and golden.
- Summer hair is light, cool, and ash toned.
- Dark: Autumn or Winter.
- Autumn hair is darker, warm, and golden or amber tones.
- Winter hair is darker, cool and ash or blue toned.
Or, you can simply start with the season you discovered you fit into by eye color to see if it’s the same one you fit into for hair. If it’s not, the next step may be your 2 out of 3 deal breaker.
Skin Tones: All 12 Color Season
If this image overwhelms you at first, don’t worry. It can be an overload at first. A lot of the same skin colors show up in multiple color seasons. That’s why we like to use skin tone last.
Find the color season, or color seasons, you landed in when narrowing down by hair color and eye color. Those are the skin tones you are going to look at closer.
If you are dominantly cool, or in Summer or Winter, you will likely have Cool (C) as your undertone. However, it’s possible to have Neutral (N) or Neutral Cool (NC) as well.
Also, if you are warm, or fall into the Spring or Autumn Color Season, your will likely have Warm (W) and your undertone. However, it’s possible to have Neutral (N) or Neutral Warm (NW) undertones.
Conclusion: 12 Color Seasons
So, there you have it— the 12 color seasons, simplified by your friendly makeup artist!
It’s like having your personal guide to pick the colors that make you glow. From understanding your undertones to embracing your natural hair hues, these seasons break it down.
With a makeup artist’s help, you’re not just finding colors; you’re unlocking your style and showing off your unique beauty. It’s all about making choices that feel right for you, adding a splash of color to every season of your life.
Cheers to simplifying your makeup game and letting your fabulous colors shine!
Next Steps: Complete Seasonal Guides
Finding your color season is all about finding which harmonious colors look the most stunning paired with your natural features. START HERE.
