Seasonal color analysis organises every person's natural coloring into one of four archetypes — Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter — based on skin undertone and overall depth. Understanding your color season tells you which family of colors creates the most harmony with your complexion, hair, and eyes.
Take the Free Color Analysis QuizEvery color season is the intersection of two fundamental dimensions of personal coloring. Understanding them is the key to understanding why certain colors look effortless on you and others fall flat.
Undertone describes the subtle color cast beneath your skin's surface. A warm undertone has a yellow, golden, peachy, or olive quality — Spring and Autumn seasons. A cool undertone has a pink, rosy, or bluish quality — Summer and Winter seasons. The gold vs silver jewelry question is the most reliable proxy.
Depth describes the overall lightness of your combined coloring — primarily driven by hair color and skin depth. Light coloring (Spring and Summer) means hair and skin are closer together in lightness. Deep coloring (Autumn and Winter) means darker hair creates higher contrast against skin.
Select a season to read the complete palette guide with celebrity examples, clothing tips, and makeup recommendations.
Spring coloring is defined by warm golden undertones and a light, fresh quality. Hair ranges from platinum-blonde to light warm-brown; skin has a peachy, golden, or ivory cast; eyes are often blue-green, hazel, or warm brown. Clear, warm, luminous colors are most flattering.
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Summer coloring is defined by cool, rosy undertones and a soft, muted quality. Hair ranges from ash-blonde to ash-brown; skin has a pinkish, rosy, or cool-beige cast; eyes tend toward blue, grey, or cool green. Dusty, muted, and softened cool tones are most flattering.
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Autumn coloring is rich and warm with deep, earthy undertones. Hair tends toward dark warm-brown, auburn, or chestnut; skin has golden, olive, or warm-bronze tones; eyes are often deep brown, hazel, or mossy green. Rich, earthy, spiced warm tones are most powerful.
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Winter coloring features cool undertones and bold depth. Hair tends toward dark brown, jet black, or blue-black; skin ranges from very light porcelain with pink undertones to cool deep brown; eyes are often icy blue-green or very dark brown. Bold, clear, high-contrast cool tones create the most impact.
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The expanded 12-season system subdivides each of the four main seasons into three sub-seasons based on a third dimension — saturation (clear vs muted) and contrast (high vs low). The resulting 12 types are:
Spring
Light Spring
Warm Spring
Bright Spring
Summer
Light Summer
Cool Summer
Soft Summer
Autumn
Soft Autumn
Warm Autumn
Deep Autumn
Winter
Deep Winter
Cool Winter
Bright Winter
The four-season framework is the foundation — identifying your core season first is the correct starting point for any 12-season refinement. This tool classifies to four seasons; a certified personal colour analyst can help narrow down to sub-season.
Color seasons are four personal coloring archetypes — Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter — each defined by skin undertone (warm or cool) and depth (light or deep). Each season corresponds to a family of colors that harmonize with that particular combination of features.
Seasonal color analysis is the practice of identifying which of the four color seasons best matches your natural coloring. It rests on two dimensions: undertone (warm vs cool) and depth (light vs deep). The tool and quiz on this site use both a questionnaire and optional AI photo analysis to identify your season.
The classic system has four color seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. An expanded 12-season system subdivides each into three sub-seasons — but the four-season framework is the foundation and the starting point for all color analysis.
You have one season, though you may sit on the border between two adjacent seasons. In borderline cases, trying both palettes near your face in natural light reveals which feels more harmonious. The quiz and photo tool can both help narrow it down.
Take our free 6-question color analysis quiz — or try the AI photo mode — to find your season in under 2 minutes.
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