When it comes to our wardrobes, most of us have one color that always makes us feel good — and might even yield a few compliments. On the flip side, most of us have at least one color we’ll never, under any circumstances, wear again. Believe it or not, there’s a science behind those color choices, and it’s known in the styling world as “personal color analysis.”
A personal color analysis uses your natural coloring to determine the most flattering tones, contrasts, and hues. From clothing and makeup to hair color and even your jewelry choices, a color analysis can guide you to the shades that best accentuate your natural beauty. At its best, this process can boost your confidence and enhance your authentic self!
We spoke with Amber Thompson, Color Analyst at ExVoto Vintage in Mountain Brook, AL, to learn about the ins and outs of color analysis.
Color Analysis 101
Personal color analysis follows the same principles as an artist’s use of the color wheel to find complementary, analogous, and monochromatic colors. This may sound complicated, but Amber assures us it doesn’t have to be. “The goal is to identify colors that enhance a person’s skin tone, eye color, and hair color, making them feel confident and radiant,” she tells us.
It’s a hefty topic, but Amber walks us through the basics below!
There are TWELVE seasons?!
You may be familiar with the concept of identifying a person’s best-suited colors by one the four seasons — and that’s a helpful place to start, as the seasons help us visualize our ideal range of colors. Amber explains, “Winter and summer are your cool seasons, and autumn and spring are your warm seasons.” This means winter and summer colors will have cooler undertones, while autumn and spring will have warmer undertones.
BUT, when it comes to color analysis, it’s more complex than that. There are actually twelve seasons.
“The four seasons are split up into three sub-seasons, depending on contrast and shading,” Amber explains. “For example, winter includes clear, cool, and deep winter. Someone who’s considered a clear winter typically has clear blue eyes, while a deep winter would have deep eyes and deep-colored hair, allowing them to wear high contrast colors. Both can wear similar colors. However, the shading and saturation of the colors matter.”
The Twelve Seasons Breakdown
Spring — clear, warm, light
Summer — light, cool, soft
Autumn — soft, warm, deep
Winter — deep, cool, clear
These subcategories comprise all “twelve seasons,” which help define the full coloring spectrum rather than just four broad categories. Determining which of the twelve seasons you embody will guide your color palette.
How do I find my season?
Amber suggests starting with these questions:
- Determine your skin tone: Is it warm, cool, or neutral?
- Identify your contrast: Do you have high- or low-contrasting hair, skin, and eyes?
- Assess your wardrobe: What colors do you gravitate toward? Does a palette emerge? What colors do you frequently receive compliments on?
Having trouble answering those questions?
If so, you’re certainly not alone. It can be a challenge for many people to assess their natural coloring. Amber explains, “Variations in skin tones can be subtle, so individuals may find it difficult to accurately assess their own undertones.” Your unique eye and hair color combination and factors, including sun exposure, aging, and hair dyes, all play into a personal color analysis.
It can also be challenging to choose the right colors and the ideal shades and saturation levels of those colors to best suit a person’s contrast levels. This extends beyond our clothing choices and into makeup, accessories, and chosen hair color. Amber says, “Neglecting to consider the overall picture, including these elements, can result in less effective color choices.”
With so many factors to consider, working with a color wheel concept to select the right combination of colors for your palette can get tricky — which is when it can be valuable to book an analysis session with a professional.
What does a professional personal color analysis look like?
During a color analysis session, Amber assesses her client’s natural coloring and then experiments with specially made face cards to ‘try on’ various colors. “We then go around the store with the color card. so you can try on clothing items to give a full visual of you in your correct colors,” Amber says.
Ultimately, personal color analysis is about more than just flattering hues. Amber explains, “The beauty of color analysis lies in celebrating the diversity of individual appearances. There is no one-size-fits-all approach, and personal beauty is multifaceted.”
Amber sees her role as helping women connect with their true selves through personal style. She says, “Personal style, including color choices, is a powerful form of self-expression. Embracing the colors that make you feel confident and joyful is a way to communicate your personality and uniqueness to the world!”
If you are interested in a color analysis, we suggest heading to see Amber at ExVoto Vintage in the Birmingham area. If Birmingham is not near you, check out House of Colour, a business based on training consultants to provide expert help in this area — you can find consultants all over the country, and likely near you!
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