Which colour season am I? The 12 seasons, explained simply
A colour season is a shorthand for three things about your colouring: temperature (warm ↔ cool), depth (light ↔ deep) and clarity (soft ↔ bright).
Springs are warm and clear, summers cool and soft, autumns warm and soft-to-rich, winters cool and clear, each split into three sub-seasons by which axis leads.
The three-question flowchart
Answer for your natural colouring in daylight. This narrows to a family; the sub-season needs a closer look (the analysis does that).
1Temperature: which metal makes your face brighter?
2Depth: your hair and eyes together are…
3Clarity: do you look best in clear, saturated colour or in soft, muted colour?
12 seasons cheat sheet
| Season | Leads with | Feels like | Signature colours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light Spring | Light | warm, light, clear | peach, aqua, butter yellow, cream |
| True Spring | Warm | warm, clear, medium | coral, turquoise, golden yellow, camel |
| Bright Spring | Bright | bright, warm-neutral | hot pink, lime, cobalt, ivory |
| Light Summer | Light | cool, light, soft | powder pink, lilac, powder blue, soft white |
| True Summer | Cool | cool, soft, medium | raspberry, lavender, periwinkle, soft navy |
| Soft Summer | Soft | soft, cool-neutral | dusty rose, sage, slate, taupe |
| Soft Autumn | Soft | soft, warm-neutral | terracotta, olive, sage, camel |
| True Autumn | Warm | warm, rich | rust, mustard, olive, teal, chocolate |
| Deep Autumn | Deep | deep, warm-neutral | burgundy, forest, deep teal, espresso |
| Deep Winter | Deep | deep, cool-neutral | burgundy, emerald, royal blue, black |
| True Winter | Cool | cool, clear, deep | cherry red, emerald, cobalt, pure white |
| Bright Winter | Bright | bright, cool-neutral | hot pink, electric blue, lemon, black |
The 12-season split is a framework, not a law of nature; the useful part is knowing your temperature, depth and clarity.
Why your result feels wrong
You were analysed under warm bulbs
Warm light pushes everyone toward spring/autumn. Daylight only.
Dyed hair or a strong tan
Both shift depth and temperature. Analyse the natural you, or accept a 'right now' result.
You picked colours you like
Preference and harmony are different. Winters often love camel; it still greys them out.
Sub-season snobbery
Being 'between' two adjacent seasons is common and fine. The palettes overlap. Use the shared colours.
Two systems, two names
Different systems use different names for similar palettes. The descriptors (light/soft/deep/bright/warm/cool) travel; the labels don't.
Find out for sure
Find out for sure: your season from one selfie, free
One selfie in daylight and a one-minute quiz. You get your undertone with a confidence level, your colour season, the lipsticks and blushes that suit you, and one look painted on your own photo. No account. Your photo is not stored.
What your season changes
Lipstick and blush temperature, the metal you reach for, the neutrals that don't wash you out (camel vs charcoal), your best 'white' and 'black', and which trends to take in your version: a soft summer's cherry lip is a plum-cherry, a bright winter's is a blue-cherry.
Questions people ask
- Can I be two seasons?
- You sit somewhere on three sliders; a label is the nearest box. Neighbouring seasons share colours, so 'between' is normal.
- Does hair colour change my season?
- Dyed hair changes how you look right now, not your skin. If you dye permanently, a 'current' palette can be more useful than a 'natural' one.
- How accurate is a selfie analysis?
- Good daylight photos are consistent; mixed or warm lighting lowers accuracy, which is why we show a confidence level and say what could be wrong.
- Is this the same as draping?
- It's a faster, cheaper first read using the same signals (skin, eyes, hair against colour). Draping with a professional remains the thorough option.
Watch: the 12 seasons explained, and draping at home
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Related guides
How we analyse: your selfie and quiz answers are read together and reported with a confidence level; the map and proportions are measured from face landmarks in your browser. It’s an AI estimate for choosing colours and placement, not a medical, dermatological or professional colour consultation. Sample faces on this site are AI-generated, not customers.