Eight Sub-Seasons Guide
Traditional seasonal color analysis classifies people into Spring, Summer, Autumn, or Winter — but people within the same season can differ a lot. Two warm Springs may need opposite treatment: soft peach flatters one, while only a saturated coral-red does justice to the other. Modern analysts therefore split each season by value (light–deep) and chroma (clear–muted), producing eight sub-seasons. Below is each type's keyword profile, typical coloring, and signature palette. Not sure which one you are? Take the test, or read the introduction to seasonal color theory first.
Arrived here with a result like True Summer or Dark Winter? See how the 4-, 12- and 16-season systems map onto these eight types.
If your result keeps landing between two of them, see how to break the tie.
→ Read the full Light Spring Style & Outfit Guide
Keywords: warm, light, clear. Skin tends toward warm ivory, and the overall impression is bright yet gentle. Clean, luminous warm pastels — peach, soft coral, cream yellow — bring out a rosy, translucent complexion and a lively, elegant charm.
Jewelry: light polished gold or rose gold. Hair: milk-tea brown, honey gold. Lips: coral pink for an instant glow.
→ Read the full Bright Spring Style & Outfit Guide
Keywords: warm, high saturation, luminous contrast. Defined, sparkling features with strong natural contrast — the type best equipped for vivid warm color. Clear brights like vibrant coral, golden yellow, and teal instantly light up the skin; dusty muted shades, by contrast, drain this type's radiance.
Jewelry: polished yellow gold. Hair: caramel brown, rich copper. Lips: vibrant coral orange.
→ Read the full Light Summer Style & Outfit Guide
Keywords: cool, light, fresh pastel. Skin often has a pink or cool-white base. Gentle pastels with a whisper of cool gray — lavender, baby blue, sakura pink — keep the whole look fresh, clean, and serene, like an early-summer morning sky.
Jewelry: bright silver, white gold, light pearls. Hair: cool ash brown, dusty soft brown. Lips: sakura pink or mauve.
→ Read the full Soft Summer Style & Outfit Guide
Keywords: cool, muted, dusty velvet. Low-contrast coloring with a misty, grayed beauty. Desaturated shades with a velvety gray undertone — dusty rose, steel blue, sage — soften facial contrast and build a refined, intellectual, quietly luxurious presence. This is the home turf of the Morandi palette.
Jewelry: matte silver, gray pearls. Hair: matte gray-brown, cool blue-black. Lips: dusty rose, mauve.
→ Read the full Soft Autumn Style & Outfit Guide
Keywords: warm, muted, earthy softness. A gently warm skin quality that harmonizes with grayed earth tones — oatmeal, khaki, sage green. These mellow colors, reminiscent of fallen leaves and warm sand, underline a graceful, scholarly, softly feminine aura.
Jewelry: matte gold, brushed brass, amber. Hair: chestnut brown, warm maple. Lips: milk-tea nude, Thai-tea brown.
→ Read the full Deep Autumn Style & Outfit Guide
Keywords: warm, deep, rich earth. Skin leans warm wheat or golden. Rich, weighty colors drawn from soil and deep forest — terracotta, olive, mustard — project an elegant, composed, quietly regal maturity that lighter shades cannot deliver on this type.
Jewelry: brushed brass, matte gold, wood and amber. Hair: deep auburn, dark chestnut. Lips: brick red, maple red.
→ Read the full Cool Winter Style & Outfit Guide
Keywords: cool, clear, high contrast. Crisp, defined features with deep hair and eyes — the natural wearer of true primaries. Pure, polarized colors such as royal blue, true red, emerald, and stark black-and-white amplify a striking, aristocratic presence; ambiguous in-between shades only dilute it.
Jewelry: polished silver, platinum, diamonds. Hair: natural jet black, blue-black. Lips: ruby red, berry pink.
→ Read the full Deep Winter Style & Outfit Guide
Keywords: cool, deep, dark velvet mystery. Hair and eyes are typically deep black. Low-value cool shades — burgundy, navy, dark plum, charcoal — pull focus to the features and radiate a magnetic, enigmatic intensity.
Jewelry: silver, obsidian, black pearls. Hair: blue-black, deep cool chocolate. Lips: plum, dark wine red.