What is Color Analysis?
Have you ever tried on a top that you just loved and looked in the mirror only to be startled by how that color just does not work on you? Or maybe growing up, your mom told you that a certain color made your skin “sallow.” (Moms love that one!) Maybe you’ve dyed your hair the latest “it” color, only to walk out hating how pale you look with it. Well, you’re onto something!
Unknowingly, you’ve stumbled into seasonal color analysis. Because, yes, there really are certain colors that will flatter your natural features! Your overall appearance, specifically your undertones (which trips people up – undertone is not the same as overtone), and how your features like your eyes, skin, and hair play together will land you in one of twelve seasons, complete with a palette of colors that will best harmonize with your looks.
When Did Color Analysis Start?
Color analysis is not new. It dates back to the 19th century, with the introduction of which colors were “becoming” on brunettes and blondes. There’s a long history that follows, but our modern understanding of personal color analysis is thanks to Carole Jackson’s book, Color Me Beautiful, published in 1980. Jackson’s system is based on four main seasons, winter, spring, summer, and autumn. This is the same system that many of our clients or their mothers were typed in during its heyday. (It’s also the one our own mothers were thinking of when we excitedly shared our obsession with personal color analysis and our intent to start the color key!)
Why Twelve Season Color Analysis?
If you’ve followed us on Instagram, Pinterest, or YouTube, you know that we don’t follow the four-season method. Instead, we use twelve seasons, first introduced by Mary Spillane and Christine Sherlock. The 12-season system breaks each of the four “main” seasons into three subseasons, as detailed below:
Winter:
- Deep winter: deep, cool, rich
- Cool winter: cool, bold, clear
- Bright winter: bright, cool, vivid
Spring:
- Bright spring: bright, warm, clear
- Warm spring: warm, bright, fresh
- Light spring: light, warm, breezy
Summer:
- Light summer: light, cool, breezy
- Cool summer: cool, bold, smoky
- Soft summer: soft, cool, hazy
Autumn:
- Soft autumn: muted, warm, hazy
- Warm autumn: warm, earthy, rich
- Deep autumn: deep, warm, rich
Why do we believe that the 12-season system is the best one? Not only does the original model of four seasons not account for people of color (if you have darker than medium brown hair, you are automatically a winter or autumn – which is where the misinformation that all dark-complected individuals are deep/dark autumn or winter originates from), but it also doesn’t really “fit” most people.
The four-season system doesn’t have a great option for a light blonde who is swallowed up by the warmth and brightness of spring and may, instead, be a light summer. It doesn’t account for a black woman who has ultra-bright features and can handle vivid hues, who may be a bright spring. The nuance of niching down didn’t exist in a four-season system. With 12-season personal color analysis, we can confidently say that there is a palette of colors (from your season) that flatters each and every person best, no matter their race, complexion, age, or gender.
How Can I Find My Season?
If you’re ready to love what you see when you walk – we mean strut – by the mirror, you’ve gotta find out your season. You can take the FREE quiz to get a bit of guidance here. But the only way to know for sure is through a professional color analysis. Book yours here.
