THE RULES OF WEARING COLORS INTRODUCTION TO THE RULES AND COLOR GROUPS There are many different Color Analysis systems to help you determine which colors best suit your natural palette, but unfortunately, both myself and many of my slightly "mixed" looking friends, don't fit into any of them. And if one fits me, it certainly won't work for some of the others, and so on. I always feel like something is missing, and it seems that the typical color seasons are based on the more typical color combinations. So, in other words, if you have the "wrong" combination or intensity, you will have a hard time finding your group. Take me, as an example. My contrast level is in the middle range, I have golden brown hair (the lighting in the photo makes it look a little red), an olive undertone to my skin, peachy pink areas, and cold green eyes (which means they can appear blue-ish, but if you hold something blue next to them, you can tell that they are green in comparison). My dominant feature is warm (so that would rule out "Winter and Summer"), and I have noticed that I need contrast to look my best. Colors of brighter (but not too bright) or equal intensity makes me "pop", and pale hues other than white and grey, does nothing for me. I get compliments in both (some) earthy and golden shades, as well as warm and bright, sunny colors. But olive green, dirty and cool colors wash me out, or make me look grey-ish orange (so that would rule out anything in the typical "Autumn" family). Just from reading up on the subject I would say that I actually look more like a "Soft Autumn" (what my brother is), "Warm Spring", or a "True Spring", but many of those colors are too pale, cool, and/or dirty and "autumn" for me. I am better in green than blue, and my truly best colors are mint, aqua, ivory, sunny golden yellow, bright peachy pink and tomato red. In conclusion, I suit clear and warm enough colors to be a Spring. But, now the problem is that none of the groups that already exist, are quite right (There were several colors in the charts that made me think, "no way" or "not my best"). After that, I discovered an Elements color system that determined that I am a "Fire" (sort of a Spring), but that system neglected some other combinations. Confusing? I know. Which brings me to my next step. To figure this out (with inspiration from the already well researched rules of Color Analysis), I created my own 10 Color Groups system, with a total of 30 varieties. The 10 Groups system is created to identify what type of colors you generally look good in. The 30 Add on's determines your group within the group, ergo, which other types you border to. This will help you specify which hues will be best for your intensity (to give you that right glow), and let you know which other groups you can "borrow" some colors from (without looking bad). Last but not least, which ones to stay away from. Instead of separating everything into a large number of divisions, I wanted to give you an understanding of your colors in such a way that it would be possible to "play" with your hues on a larger scale (or narrow it down). Because we all know we want to wear the colors we like, not only the ones we look good in. The key is to know how to get away with it, so you don't have to end up looking blend in your favorite black dress. DETERMINE YOU COLOR GROUP IN 5 STEPS 1. WARM OR COOL UNDERTONE First determine if you are warm or cold. If you suit gold best, orange-red, ivory, green with yellow in it, and in general warm colors , such as golden browns or other earthy tones, peachy hues, or sunny yellows, you are WARM. If you suit silver best, blueish red, pure or soft white, and in general cold colors, such as jewel tones, icy hues, powdery or bright blue, and berry colors, you are COOL. You also may be NEUTRAL. So if you suit both gold and silver, your next step would be to determine if you look better in warm colors or the cool colors (listed above). A neutral will still have a general preference towards either the warm og cool colors. It just means that you are almost in between groups. 2. CONTRAST LEVEL Now, you are going to decide if your overall coloring is DEEP (very saturated and dark, has a high contrast level, and can handle deep and dark colors well) LIGHT (very delicate, fair, and has a low contrast level. Usually very sensitive to colors, and best in light and delicate tones) CLEAR (very high in contrast or can handle bright colors even if you have a medium contrast level or light hair) PURE (You may have a clear or soft look, but your contrast level is in the middle range, and on top of that you're still a little sensitive to bright, dark or earthy colors) SOFT (neither dark nor light, or all warm nor all cold. Just in the middle to low contrast range. Usually suits soft-muted tones with a little grey or earthiness in them) MUTED (You may have a strong and earthy coloring, but you're contrast level is in the middle range. Also, sensitive to colors that aren't toned down). Kim Kardashian is a DEEP, and has a naturally high level of contrast. Her dark hair, eyes and eyebrows offer that sharp black and white contrast, even with her tan skin. Angelina Jolie is a SOFT, and has a medium level of contrast. Even though she has fair skin and somewhat dark hair, this picture appear to be more grey scale than black and white. January Jones is a LIGHT, and has an overall low contrast level. Her hair, skin and eyes are all similarly light, which makes her look all light grey. (If you have a dark coloring, but have a medium to low contrast level, you probably belong in one of the pure, muted, or soft groups). Your choices are DEEP COOL or DEEP WARM, CLEAR COOL or CLEAR WARM PURE COOL or MUTED WARM LIGHT COOL or LIGHT WARM SOFT COOL or SOFT WARM as in the charts below. This represent your main colors, or season if you may. This are the groups that tell you which colors that are good on you and will get you compliments, what hair color you can or cannot dye your hair, and which colors that are your worst enemies. These combinations are based on contrast level, intensity and undertone of your hair, eyes and skin. Use the charts underneath as a guide for more specific information. It could be helpful to try and think about what element you are. If the colors you look good in remind you of FIRE (warm and clear), ICE (deep, cool and clear), EARTH (warm and muted, deep or soft), or AIR (cool, and light, soft and pure), or maybe you are NEUTRAL (both warm and cold features)? If you are WARM or a mix between WARM and COOL, but look bad in yellow, look at the SOFT groups.
3. INDIVIDUAL NTENSITY The next step is to determine whether you are a "true" (of whatever group you belong to), or if you need an "add on" to your existing group, such as if you are softer, brighter, deeper than the typical look, and so on. If you intensity is slightly cusping towards another group, it would widen your palette, which means that you can borrow some colors from "name-friend" groups, as long as they fit your "profile" (NB! These are not considered makeup free colors though, and is best to use when you look fresh (as if in, not when you need a vacation and haven't seen the sun in more than 6 months). This also means that you can figure out exactly which colors that are the most incredible on you, within your own group. I have discovered 30 variations, but not all groups mix. For example you can be a DEEP COOL dark (dark skin, hair and eyes), DEEP cool true (true, means that you are simply just deep and cool), DEEP COOL soft (your hair or eyes are slightly softer than the typical DEEP COOL) and DEEP COOL neutral (For those who are a both warm and cold, and cusping on the neighboring season). Now, how can you be both soft and deep, you say? Take Ginnifer Goodwin for an example. She looks best in DEEP COOL colors, but she has hazel eyes (slightly softer than brown and black), and her natural hair color is slightly lighter than dark brown. It also appear to be a little ashy. So, combined it makes her overall, a bit softer. These days, she colors her hair darker, which makes her look even deeper, and that makes her more true to her color group. (This doesn't mean that you must color your hair. Being a little off is very interesting and beautiful in a less stereotypical way). Or, maybe you have found your group, but you still feel that you can wear more or less colors than your group offers. A MUTED WARM such as Rachel Weisz, can still be cute in some clear colors, which makes her a MUTED WARM clear, and a CLEAR WARM such Lauren Conrad is often pegged as a SOFT WARM, but looks her best in clear colors. Which makes her a CLEAR WARM soft. People usually fit in two categories. 1. You can handle warmer colors better when you get tan in the summer, and cooler color when you are pale in the winter (Typical for the more neutral DEEP and SOFT), or the other way around. 2. You can only handle other colors outside of your own group when you are tan, wearing makeup, and look fresh (Typical CLEAR, MUTED, PURE and LIGHT). For example, DEEP COOL's such as Kim Kardashian, that are flowing into DEEP WARM, can use DEEP WARM colors when they have a tan (She usually spray tan these days), but naturally, she has a cooler and lighter skin tone, which makes her a DEEP COOL neutral). THE ADD ON'S As we have established before, your dominant or secondary feature can be either WARM, COOL, LIGHT, SOFT, CLEAR, PURE, MUTED or DEEP. The add on is just that extra word that helps you understand you coloring and intensity, to a point. neutral, means that you are so close to another group, cusping right on the edge, so much that you are both groups. (Such as Kim Kardashian in DEEP COOL, Olivia Munn in DEEP WARM, Naomi Watts in LIGHT COOL, Heather Graham in LIGHT WARM). true, means that you are the poster girl for your group. All the rules flatter you perfectly. A real, pure and true..... (Such as Sandra Bullock in DEEP COOL, Julia Roberts in DEEP WARM, Zooey Deschanel in CLEAR COOL, Julianne Moore in MUTED WARM, Maggie Gyllenhaal in PURE COOL, Cameron Diaz in CLEAR WARM, and Busy Philipps in LIGHT WARM). soft, means that you have a softer than usual (for your group), intensity (or contrast level) to your (natural) eyes, skin or hair. You need a little dash of grey to the brightest of your colors to look perfect. It can also mean that you are flowing into one another similar but less intense group. Basically you are slightly warmer and more muted then the rest of your group. (Such as, Ginnifer Goodwin in DEEP COOL, Kristin Kreuk in DEEP WARM, Jamie Lee Curtis in CLEAR COOL, Lily Cole in MUTED WARM, Elisabeth Hurley in PURE COOL, Leslie Mann in CLEAR WARM, Michelle Pfeiffer in LIGHT COOL, Amy Adams in LIGHT WARM). bright, means that you have a high tolerance and need for contrast, such as features that can compete with bright colors and stark contrasts. Can sometimes flow over in a warmer or cooler neighboring group. (Such as, Megan Fox in CLEAR COOL, and Beyonce in CLEAR WARM) clear, means that you can handle some clearer colors, such as some of the CLEAR COOL or CLEAR WARM colors, because you have features that can compete with some more intense hues. But you will always stay on your side of warm and cool. (Such as Eva Marcille in MUTED WARM, and Jennifer Garner in LIGHT COOL). deep, means that you have either deeper and darker eyes, skin or hair, than what is normal for your group (Such as Nicole Richie and Angelina Jolie in SOFT WARM, and Rashida Jones and Leona Lewis in SOFT COOL) dark, means that your overall coring is so "dark", that it seems lower in contrast (but it's not). Even pure colors will be very dramatic on you (and give you a fresh look), in comparison to you dark and sharp coloring. It's a little bit of an optical illusion. (Such as Oprah Winfrey and Eva Longoria, in DEEP COOL, or Solange and Mindy Kaling, in DEEP WARM). E.g. If you are a SOFT WARM deep, CLEAR WARM bright or MUTED WARM clear, you have a higher intensity than what is common for your group, and can pull of darker and brighter colors as well. If you end up being CLEAR COOL true, then you can only use colors that are in fact, clear and cool. And so on... 5. AD IT UP First, think about which colors suit you best. Looks can be deceiving, and only a guideline to help you recognize your group. Your main group, is your "solid", and tells you what colors are the absolute best for you. The add on's are just hints in other directions. Such as if you need a little more of this or that... So, now we know wether you are a DEEP COOL or DEEP WARM, with the slight angle towards being neutral, soft or dark. CLEAR COOL or CLEAR WARM, with the slight angle towards soft or bright. PURE COOL or MUTED WARM, with the slight angle towards soft or clear. LIGHT COOL or LIGHT WARM with the slight angle toward being neutral or soft. SOFT COOL or SOFT WARM, with the slight angle towards deep or light. RESULT Ok! So, this might seem a little confusing at this point. But basically, it is like this. I am a CLEAR WARM soft (without makeup on). My olive skin color goes from a deep tan to light a tan, maybe even grey-green if I am particularly un-fresh. So, since I always have a tan, light eyes and a medium dark hair color, my overall contrast level is medium. Being a softer CLEAR WARM also means that my "makeup free look" should be, CLEAR WARM colors that are slightly muted (has a touch of grey in it), and that you can have a little earthiness to you and therefore suit some earthy and golden shades as well (but never too dirty, dusty or muted). But being a CLEAR WARM and needing contrast, I can look great in really bright colors as well, when wearing makeup to match. The best color for a CLEAR WARM will mirror your eye color, which in my case is, cold green. Also, the soft intensity means that the softer colors, will mirror my clear-soft eyes the best. Conclusion: My best color is a clear but slightly soft, aqua or mint green (blue and a green with a lot of lightness, brightness and yellow in them, so they appear to be both clear, warm and soft). If you like Beyonce is a CLEAR WARM with brown eyes, and a bright intensity, go for the shade of aqua-blue or turquoise that best suits the rest (hair and skin). Blue will bring out the brown in your eyes. If in doubt, yellow and ivory is always great on a CLEAR WARM. They are both clear and warm, and lighter than your skin color, which will give you a ("tan") fresh glow. (These four are my go to makeup free colors. They always save the day) Remember that your biggest no colors are the ones that will clash with either your eye, skin or hair color, no matter if everything else tells you it should be great (e.g. Blue looks great with my skin and hair, but not my eyes)
Keep in mind, that the people that have been used for these charts, all have makeup on, and possibly colored hair, so they may (cheat a little) look a as if they are a different type than they really are. Katy Perry is an excellent example of that, if you have ever seen her without makeup and black hair (it's a little washed out, and her features disappear). Here in the picture above, she has a little bit of makeup on (skin, eyebrows, mascara at least). With little to no makeup, the black hair is a bit too harsh for her, but with full makeup she looks sharp and clear. Also, it is very difficult to make one chart that includes every variation of the color combinations there is, so use the guide, because nothing can replace a good old fashion color analysis. Without it you cannot be absolutely certain of what group you belong to. Find a good size mirror, some color samples (clothes, accessories, fabric samples in colors representing all the groups (pure colors, dark colors, golden colors, muted colors, bright colors, light colors, soft colors, warm colors, cold colors and so on). Make sure you have on no (or very little) makeup, good lighting (day light. Indoor lighting can be yellow and change the appearance of colors), and also best to have a friend with you to get an objective opinion. Good luck :) If my system doesn't find you, then I would recommend the basic four elements (FIRE, EARTH, ICE and AIR). No fuzz and a wide range of colors (The only group I could identify with before, was "FIRE"). For more options and many details, you should try the 16 seasons color analysis system. They even have a Soft Spring (which is new), but the problem with that one was that the soft spring colors didn't suit me. Needless to say, I felt the need to create my own system...version, or what to call it. Stay tuned for the 10 following, detailed COLOR GROUP posts. Photography of me is by www.camillastorvollen.no (My sources are "Color me beautiful", thechicfashionista.com, http://visual.ly/, http://www.truth-is-beauty.com/, the 12 seasons system, the 16 season system, and the basic four element system. I have made alterations and created my own system. Photos in this post are random pictures from Tumbler, Pinterest or borrowed from Google. Unknown source.)
207 Comments
27/11/2014 09:22:35 pm
Takk til deg for hyggelig tilbakemelding, Camilla <3 :)
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K
29/1/2015 05:16:14 am
Just wanted to comment and say that I love your system and how many different categories it has, plus the add-ons make it super versatile and customizable. (: I am Asian and I understand that there aren't very many Asian celebrities in Western media/pop culture, but I wish you could've included more Asian celebrity examples, especially for the muted and soft categories!
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2/2/2015 11:29:37 pm
Hi K :) Thank you so much. I'm glad to hear that you like my system.
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What a fabulous site! I'm so glad I discovered your site and your descriptions, because they make so much sense and are so easy to understand. I am one of those mixed types that are not supposed to exist, being light, warm but soft. I'm always classified as a warm spring or warm autumn, but warm spring is often too bright and warm autumn too muted. So now I understand where I should be placed in your system, and am looking forward to reading more about all the colour types. Thank you!
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12/12/2015 05:36:32 am
Hi, Elizabeth! Thank you so much for that lovely feedback. That makes me happy. Thank you for reading, and have a lovely x-mas! ;-*
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Cas
24/2/2016 03:34:15 am
Thank you so much for sharing all of this information on the color groups! I have had the hardest time trying to figure out my color palette and your site is the FIRST one I've found that actually explains it a little better. I've always looked good with both silver and gold jewelry, with gold being slightly better. However, with my dark hair and eyes, with contract, but not looking the greatest in clear bold colors I could never find a palette that suited me properly. It's been trial and error along the way. So, a big thank you for providing the explanations, and examples of which other color group you might flow into, and be able to share with. I believe that I am a Soft Warm. I was wondering if you are going to finish the last few color groups? I really look forward to seeing them! :)
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24/2/2016 09:53:21 am
Thank you for so much for that, Cas :-) Makes me so happy that you found my system to be helpful. And yes, It really can be confusing figuring out your color type when you have a "typical" look, but you actually don't.
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Tara
1/3/2016 02:52:35 am
I finally found my colors! Thank you so much, I am very excited to go find new pieces that will compliment me. Best to you!
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3/3/2016 07:18:41 am
Thank you so much for that lovely feedback, Tara. That makes me so happy. Best of luck to you on your color hunt.
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Olga
1/6/2016 02:13:26 am
No, you must handle your colors without makeup. That's your seasonal color palette.
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1/6/2016 06:29:41 am
Hi, Olga. Yes, that is correct. Your best colors are those which suit you without makeup. I'm not sure why you got the impression it wasn't, but in case... The mention of "with makeup", is only to underline that your apperance can change with makeup, and you can get away with more for those who want that. Whitout makeup you have one group. You can be borderline other types, and look ok in the colors of your sister group. But, you will still be slightly closer to one of them, and that is your group. I have added info to show how people can borrow colors from other types close to their's, but as specified, with the help of makeup and or hair color.
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Colleen
6/6/2016 09:33:42 am
Amazing work! I've been working for awhile to understand how more neutral types could fit into the existing colour category systems (including myself). Lora Alexander, of prettyyourworld, typed me quite well as a "Dusty Soft Spring." In your system, I think I would be either a Clear Warm Soft or Clear Warm True. But, I'm also bordering on light. So close to a neutral all ways. Looking forward to when you post the best wardrobe looks for these types!
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9/6/2016 01:53:38 pm
Hi, Colleen. Thank you so much for that.
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Colleen
11/6/2016 08:24:34 pm
Thank you Sun! Drew Barrymore and Katherine Heigl seem quite like me, so I think Soft Warm light might be the category. I'll check back for your ongoing blog posts. Cheers, Colleen.
Colleen
4/8/2016 09:02:56 pm
I'm curious, what category do you think Joanne Froggatt fits into? She has an interesting colouring and someone suggested her to me as a close match. 5/8/2016 08:50:48 am
Hi, again Colleen! :-)
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Colleen
5/8/2016 07:44:07 pm
Thank you! : ) That all makes sense.
Colleen
12/3/2017 03:28:04 pm
I had an analysis by one of the top professionals in Toronto. She typed me as Light leaning toward summer. However, the browns in the mini palette she gave me are too cool, the peach & pink too faded and perhaps some purples and greens too cool. The white, light grey and most aquas/turquoises are great. I'm still looking forward to your extended palette posts! Thank you for doing this work. 16/3/2017 03:15:29 pm
Hi again, Colleen :-) It sounds like she might have typed you as something resembling a LIGHT COOL neutral, but you felt summer colors are too cold, and or faded for you. SOFT WARM light might also be to dull for you then, so still sounds like a LIGHT WARM soft. Maybe even a LIGHT WARM neutral, which can explain the summer-spring/warm-cold mix. I have now finished the LIGHT WARM post, and working in the LIGHT COOl, so check it out and see :-) http://www.idealiststyle.com/the-rules-of-wearing-colors.html
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Colleen
16/3/2017 06:03:07 pm
Oh, so exciting! You've included such lovely outfit ideas and mentioned pretty much all of my good colours which didn't seem to make sense together up to this point - light orange, warmer reds and yet, many blues, some warmer & some cooler greens algae to mint, robin's egg blue, pink & peach both, a soft cream, peachy beige, light grey and warmer brown. And those periwinkle/cornflower blues! Gorgeous and perfect. Still tilting a little toward Light Warm soft I think. Thank you again for sharing your passion and talent this way. : ) 18/3/2017 01:56:55 pm
I'm so glad you feel like you have found your color group, Colleen. Being a LIGHT WARM, and soft even, can be a little confusing, because of the color combinations. A LIGHT WARM is not very far from a LIGTH COOL, and not as warm in a typical way, even thought you're a soft. The soft, just adds another layer of hints of autumn, but in a fresh way. So, in a way you could say that you, as a LIGHT WARM soft, is first and foremost a LIGHT, then a WARM, both bordering on LIGHT COOL and SOFT WARM (summer and autumn). The most important thing for this type, is LIGHT and bright colors. The other features defines what then would be your absolute best, out of all light colors. I hope that explanation made sense to you, and that I'm not confusing you further. Color analysis can sometimes be difficult to explain, but becomes very clear once seen.
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Alex
18/6/2016 11:50:47 am
Thank you for posting this! It was quite helpful and cleared up my confusion. Beautiful pictures by the way
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18/6/2016 04:51:03 pm
Thank you for the lovely feedback, Alex :-)
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Sue
13/7/2016 03:19:45 pm
Thanks for all your work on this! I especially like the black and white photos to help see contrast levels.
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14/7/2016 01:16:49 pm
Hi, Sue. Thank you so much for the lovely feedback. It's nice to hear it has been helpful.
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Bec
23/7/2016 07:00:48 am
You say in step 2 to determining your colour that there are six options to for "dominant colouring", which are pure, clear, soft, light, muted and deep. Then why is this not so, i.e. why do I see no option for "muted cool" or "pure warm"? Have you accidentally left these options out, or are simply nonexistent because "muted cool" and "pure warm" oxymorons? If the latter is the case, perhaps you should state that more clearly in the text, and could you also please explain why there are no "muted cool" and "pure warm" in the options?
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23/7/2016 07:56:17 am
Hi, Bec :-)
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Bec
5/8/2016 04:51:11 am
Thank you so much, that did clear it up for me. And thanks for all the work you do on this site, x
Sarah
4/8/2016 12:31:33 pm
This is such a great post! I love the categories and descriptors you've added to traditional color analysis systems since so many of us don't quite fit into 12 or even 16 season systems. Lovely images as well. Are you planning on writing a Light Warm post? I know it's been a while since the other posts, but I for one would love to read it!
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5/8/2016 08:55:35 am
Hi, Sarah! Thank you so much for that lovely feedback. I'm glad it works for you too :-)
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23/8/2016 01:34:21 pm
Darn it! I could not find myself in any of these. It was so fun to read, but I seem to be a color misfit. It doesn't help that my coloring seems to have changed with age. I think I started out more cool and intense and then got kind of... combination? But I have always looked best in blues, browns, muted greens, black, or white. And I look horrible in any wine, pink, bright red, bright green, grays, and sadly, most yellows. I was born with dark brown hair and can't keep that up anymore, so stuck with lighter shades. Ashy and coppery look equally awful. Sigh.
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Leha Carpenter
23/8/2016 02:17:56 pm
Okay, I spent some more time letting the words soak in, and I am now thinking I'm a CLEAR COOL on the CLEAR WARM side. Because all of my best colors are represented by one of these two groups, but it's just not that situation where you get more choices by being in two groups. It's like I'm straddling, and have fewer choices from either group. Still have no idea what to do with my hair, though...
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23/8/2016 03:29:06 pm
Hi, Leha. I would recommend taking pictures of yourself in daylight and sending them to me on [email protected], so that I can help you pin point your group. If there is no place for you in the system, I would have to upgrade the system, as my goal is to create one where everyone fits :-)
Leha Carpenter
23/8/2016 05:49:28 pm
Thank you SO much!! I sent you an email. :)
Sue d
6/11/2016 06:35:48 am
This is very informative, particularly for someone like me who doesn't fit neatly into a color box. Right now I'm trying to decide if I am pure cool soft or soft cool deep. My hair color is a medium to dark ashy brown, but there seems to be a small amount of reddish brown though the ashy is far more obvious than when I was younger (especially with the silver gray). My eyes are deep soft gray green with a touch of copper near the pupil and my skin color seems to be a neutral beige (appears to have a slight yellow overcast). All of the pure cool soft colors work, but I can wear light gold jewelry. I can wear most of the soft cool, but brown is not my best color, except some of the cooler browns and maybe chestnut brown. I can , also wear some cool leaning terra cotta colors. Blues and berries probably are my best colors, but I can wear lemon yellows and I think rich pastels (mint, peachy pink) look good on me and cherry red. I can look dull in some grayed colors, but charcoal gray is my best neutral. Am I confusing you yet? :)
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11/11/2016 10:50:06 am
Hi, Sue d. Thank you so much for the feedback. If you'd like, you can send me some photos on [email protected], and I can help you figure it out. From your physical description, you do sound like a SOFT COOL deep, and maybe just borderline/cusping towards the PURE COOL. From your observations about what works for you, the door opens for both of them again. But, just because SOFT COOL deep, is the stereotype for your look, doesn't mean that you can't be a PURE COOL soft, cusping on the SOFT COOL instead. Also, the color of your skin, hair and eyes can change a little throughout a persons life, so it is possible to end up something a little different than what you started out as. It won't be a huge change and mostly just a change of sub-group.
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Sue d
13/11/2016 04:38:20 pm
Thanks for your feedback. It confirms that I fall in between these color groups and I'm fine with that. Great site! 15/11/2016 07:25:56 am
You are very welcome Sue d, glad I could help :-)
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erin
11/11/2016 08:39:21 am
Thank you. I am a mixture of Light Warm Neutral and Soft Cool Light. haha The "light" part of me is slightly warm and the "soft" part of me is slightly cool!
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11/11/2016 10:32:31 am
Hi, Erin. That's very interesting. A LIGHT WARM neutral soft. One of those will probably be the dominating one. So, if the LIGHT WARM neutral is the dominating one, it means that you can borrow colors from both the SOFT COOL and LIGHT WARM. More color fun for you :-)
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Andrea
19/11/2016 07:13:43 am
Hey Sun,
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20/11/2016 02:51:24 pm
Hi, Andrea. Thank you so much for your lovely feedback :-) Makes me happy to hear that it's helpful.
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Dana
3/12/2016 11:23:48 am
Very accurate and interesting descriptions.You really helped me in finding my season type.Thank you!
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5/12/2016 05:05:11 am
Hi, Dana :-) Thank you so much for that lovely feedback. I'm so glad I could help. Thank you for reading.
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Queenie
22/2/2017 06:04:41 pm
Hi, I had my colours done by a 12 colour analize. She said I was dark winter. But I'm 66 and totally gray, eyes and skin cooling down. My question is should I change to a softer tone. My dark has never been super dark. I don't feel like this dark winter is me... I'm more medium tone even when I was younger. I've spent so much on makeup that has been trashed because it's not me. Thank you for your help.
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23/2/2017 01:03:02 pm
Hi, Queenie. Yes, your color season can change with age, but usually not by a lot. You could have changed from a dark winter, to a soft or cool winter (Deep Cool soft, Clear Cool soft), but the dark winter might have been off from the start. You could even be a SOFT COOL deep, CLEAR COOL bright, or a PURE COOL clear (since it seems that you might be cool), but hard to know without seeing you.
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Olivia Brooks -Pendlebury
11/3/2017 07:33:31 am
Lovely to read..over the years..I've been told...I'm summer..age 30............age40.....it was Autumn............at 58...another consultant said..I was..blue Autumn.......now at 62..it's a winter....just given up ..and stick to black....
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12/3/2017 01:25:30 pm
Hi, Olivia. From your description, it does sound a little bit like a typical mixed group problem. Not all color systems have all the varieties, as there are systems that have anything from four to 16 groups. My system have 30 types. If you add those seasons you've been typed as, you will get a summer-autumn with a higher contrast level. It does sound like you're a mostly cool type, because of the winter and summer. And then someone thought you had some autumn coloring as well. This to me, translates into a SOFT COOL deep. A SOFT WARM deep, could also be possible, but less likely because it sounds like you have more of a cool toned look. The blue autumn, could possibly be a type of summer-autumn/SOFT COOL. Check out the SOFT groups, and especially the SOFT COOL deep, and see if that fits.
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Andrea
12/3/2017 01:53:35 pm
I haven't turned notifications off for this post, even though my question was super comprehensively answered ages ago. The reason for this is that it is so cute and heart warming to see your dedication and passion for your subject every time you share your expertise to help somebody else, Sun. You are an inspiration, THANK YOU! :-)
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15/3/2017 04:20:59 pm
Hi, Andrea! :-) Thank you so much for that heart warming feedback. Makes me really happy to hear. You made my day!
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Anna
23/3/2017 10:52:29 am
Hi. This is the most helpful advice about color palettes I've seen, but I'm still stuck! I have olive skin that tans darkly, green eyes and dark ash brown hair. The soft palettes make the most sense. The closest coloring I can think of is Irina Shayk - I'd love to know what you would type her as?
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5/4/2017 11:36:41 am
Hi, Anna. I'm so glad you like my color system. Thank you for the kind feedback.
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5/4/2017 11:41:02 am
Correction, the CLEAR COOL bright/soft, was supposed to be a CLEAR WARM bright/soft. The last question I answered before this, was still in my fingers, as it was about CLEAR COOL :-)
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Anna
9/4/2017 12:04:02 am
Ah thank you for that great info, you're brilliant. 11/4/2017 11:01:09 am
I'm so glad we figured it out. Your explanation does sound like typical SOFT COOL deep issues and solutions. The one about highlights needing to be warm toned, is so on point. Just look at what happens to Jennifer Aniston when she goes too cold and blonde. Sarah Jessica Parker however, is an expert at picking just the right way of doing blonde, the caramel way. And she has even a higher tolerance for blonde than most SOFT COOLs, especially being a SOFT COOL light.
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Dani
29/3/2017 10:17:56 am
this is such a great source - i'm curious, how would you link all of these categories to their season counterparts? i'm not familiar enough with color theory in general to be able to figure it all out and i'd love more information from other sources to round out my understanding.
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5/4/2017 11:20:10 am
Hi, Dani. I'm so glad you found my color system to be helpful.
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Dani
5/4/2017 10:35:01 pm
thanks so much for taking the time to write all this out Sun! i continued my research after my comment here (sort of consumed my life for a few days) and settled on soft cool deep for myself, so i'd say your assessment was pretty bang-on! what really sealed the deal for me was seeing kristen stewart in soft cool everywhere; when her hair is a bit darker and warmer, we could practically be coloring twins. and after looking up soft summer (what i assume to be the seasonal equivalent of your "soft cool"), i found a lot of folks who look very much like me. it also helped to know that the soft cool category was one of the most misdiagnosed. i do feel comfortable there. i look really awful and washed out in oranges and warm browns, at least on my face, and tend to need very soft, delicate makeup unless the more intense colors are isolated to a single, small area. even with my warm hair, i can't pull off warmer shades very well. i think i look good in both deep and soft shades alike, and they seem to play up the medium contrast in my features in a very flattering way. dark lipstick colors in particular really bring out my eyes, which isn't something that happens a lot with clothes that aren't khaki or olive green, ha. 6/4/2017 09:37:08 am
Hi again, Dani. I'm so glad that we figured it out. Kristen Stewart, yes that makes a lot of sense. I have also seen many SOFT COOL and SOFT WARM typed as DEEP or CLEAR types, as they do have darker coloring, but not really a high enough intensity. Mariah Carey, Rashida Jones, Rihanna, Angelina Jolie, Katie Holmes, Adriana Lima, are just few of the people I have seen typed as a high intensity group, when they are actually SOFT COOL or SOFT WARM. Yes, soft summer, is pretty much the same as SOFT COOL. You may find that I define some things differently, but it's the same season in most ways that count. Also, you can find that your color group may be named anything from, soft summer, summer-autumn, neutral, soft muted, indian summer, soft muted summer, and so on, depending on the color system.
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Alisa
12/4/2017 11:01:49 pm
Hi!
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Alisa
12/4/2017 11:42:31 pm
Oh and one more thing, I've also thought that I might be a Light, because of my fair skin and hair (especially when the sun makes it more blonde). I have also quite fair eyebrows so there's little contrast on my face.. Maybe Light warm neutral, since I can do well some blues and depending on the light I look more warm or more cool (for example my hair can look more ashy indoors, but the sun reveals it to be golden and that it has a lot of reddish undertones). It has been always a struggle to decide whether I'm more warm or cool.
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16/4/2017 01:12:25 pm
Hi, Alisa. I'm hoping to finish the SOFT color group posts some time this year, I'm currently working on the PURE COOL, so it's them next after that. Thank you so much for that lovely feedback about the website, that makes me happy to hear :-)
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Alisa
6/5/2017 09:13:44 am
Hi again, 7/5/2017 11:16:38 am
Hi again, Alisa! I'm so glad I could help :-)
Coolsummer
7/5/2017 06:35:15 am
I like the way this was set up - now I can compare my tone with real people I google their pictures to see them in different lighting and look at my own pictures and see the depth of the tone, now I know I am definitely cool and not warm. Is it possible to show what colours are the boxes? That would be so helpful, especially with the lighter colours.
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7/5/2017 10:09:38 am
Hi, Cool summer! :-) I'm so glad you found it helpful. Which boxes are you referring too? I didn't quite understand the question. If you mean that the close up on the PURE COOL type "box" doesn't work, it's because I'm unfortunately not done with it, and haven't published all of them yet. Still working on finding photos to illustrate the text and editing it. I'm really hoping to be able to finish it this year, as the one I'm working on finishing right now is LIGHT COOL. So, PURE COOL is next. If you're looking to see the LIGHT COOL post, it's luckily finished soon :-)
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Jade
24/5/2017 03:56:15 pm
After a lot of analysing, I have concluded that I might not exist OR I am a CLEAR COOL deep? The reason being I have naturally dark brown hair and eyebrows (like Jennifer Connelly), going grey at the front/ slate grey, dark musky blue eyes (closest to Katy Perry's) and fair skin (with blue, green AND purple veins). The only colour I stick to is black and brown I don't know about. I sometimes think I share colouring like Megan Fox appears to have but I know hers is often dyed darker. Please help, your expertise is very much needed.
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9/6/2017 12:23:47 pm
Hi, Jade :-) The CLEAR COOL and The DEEP COOL are both winter groups, so if you are a CLEAR COOL deep, that would mean that you're probably a DEEP COOL soft, or a DEEP COOL true, or maybe a CLEAR COOL true. CLEAR COOL bright could also be an option.
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Fay
26/5/2017 02:15:22 am
Wow. This is the only website that allowed me to finally find my tone and what my colour ranges are. You have no idea how glad I am.
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5/6/2017 03:06:18 pm
Hi, Fay! Thank you so much for your lovely feedback, that makes me so happy to hear. You are very welcome, and thank you for reading.
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Marielle
23/6/2017 06:19:26 am
Cold olive skin?
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24/6/2017 12:36:06 pm
Hi, Marielle! :-) Olive skin is actually in it's true form is usually on cold toned groups. So, you could say that true olive skin is cold. However, it's more of a neutral shade and darker skin tones often have more than one undertone, and typically light skin tones only one. So, olive skin can have both a green undertone and a peachy or yellow one, that can make it warm. If you have a cold toned olive skin, and can only use silver, that sounds about right. If you can only look good in silver and have a high contrast level, you are possibly a CLEAR COOL true/soft or maybe even a PURE COOL clear. A DEEP COOL and SOFT COOL are neutral groups that look their best in silver, but ok in gold. A LIGHT COOL also looks their best in silver, but gold won't be bad. Another option is the DEEP COOL soft, as they would do silver best, bronze ok, and gold can be difficult for many of them (individual). I would say that from your full description, I would say you're likely a DEEP COOL soft, CLEAR COOL true/soft, or a SOFT COOL deep. As all these types can have a look that gives a high contrast level, have olive skin, blue-green eyes with a high contrast (usually in a not in a bright way, but in a slightly deep way). The fact that you're fair skinned, but can tan well, is also a good match for these types. Since very dark hair colors has gotten difficult for you, it points again to the SOFT COOL deep the most, and then a little to the DEEP COOL soft and CLEAR COOL soft. Very dark or light hair can become aging for anyone, but these three are the ones out of the darker groups that would notice that them most, since dark hair should be natural for them (DEEP COOL and CLEAR COOL). Hair color can often change as we age in other ways than just going gray. It can also darken, as most blondes go at least dark blonde, red heads can go lighter or deeper (losing some red is not uncommon for some softer red heads), and light brunettes go darker brown and so on, with age and adulthood. Black hair will stay black until grey, or lighten in the sun, but anyone else can change.
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Marielle
28/6/2017 10:20:28 am
Thank you so very much for taking time. This is such an interesting topic. I have been reading about colors for so many years and still I have been doing so much "wrong". I learn a lot from your site. Reading more than once. 😍 2/8/2017 03:59:56 am
You're very welcome, and thank you so much for reading :-).
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T.G.
6/7/2017 11:12:43 pm
Thanks so much for all the work you put into this!! Was just about to give up on color analysis... but it turns out I am an African-American "DEEP WARM neutral"! I always knew I looked good in coral pink & warm beige! Because I would rarely see others of my skintone wearing those colors, I'd occasionally doubt myself if I really looked good in those shades... But then I would get loads of compliments wherever I went as well. Knew I wasn't crazy!
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5/8/2017 01:55:02 pm
Hi, T.G. Thank you so much for your kind words. I'm so glad I could help. Yes, It is very possible to be a African-American "DEEP WARM neutral". It's actually even more common to be a DEEP neutral, in darker skin tones, as black skin tones usually have more than one undertone. Could be both red and yellow undertone for example. From what you are describing, it does sound like those are your colors too. As for celebrities, I haven't found any I am 100% sure of yet, but I'm working on it. I have however found a DEEP COOL neutral with dark skin. It's the model, Almina Estevao. Maybe that can help you a little? The rules are the same however. You look good in both DEEP COOL and DEEP WARM colors. If you're a DEEP WARM neutral like you and Olivia Munn, the WARM colors will be a little better and more natural looking, and DEEP COOL colors will still look flattering although just a tiny bit off, because they don't blend just as well with your skin tone. So, that's how you can tell.
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T.G.
8/8/2017 09:37:09 am
Wow! Thank you SO much- you have no idea how much this helps! You know what's crazy, I was just watching a show with Gabrielle in it & I kept thinking to myself "her wardrobe is so similar to mine"! What's even crazier is that Munn and Union are close friends! So I think you may be right! Sorry to nag... But you are so knowledgeable! What would you recommend makeup-wise? I wear nars annapura (medium neutral peach), bareminerals golden nude, & sephora's cedar foundation (deep tan beige w/ golden undertones). Currently I use Mac's Warm Soul blush, but I'm having the HARDEST time finding a natural looking lipstick (besides those toffee colors). Most are too deep, mauvey, or muted. I would like to find something that's not ridiculously light or contrasting, but isn't just deep brown or loses that warm beige-y undertone that I know flatters me best for my everyday makeup. Thank you again!! Ah.. Being biracial certainly has it's pros and cons! 15/8/2017 02:35:23 pm
You're very welcome, and I'm so glad I could help. The fact that you feel like you and Gabrielle Union have the same colors/look/impression is a really good sign. I think it's safe to say that you can use her as your color muse for inspiration. I think representation is so crucial in self-acceptance and as a source of inspiration. Yeah! That's really fun! :-) If they knew, they could share their wardrobes.
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T.G.
15/8/2017 03:45:34 pm
Yes that's exactly the type of shade I'm looking for! Such great starting point- thanks so much!! And what you said about having equal representation is so, so true Sun. (Just for fun, I thought I'd mention that I believe model Jasmine Tookes is a DEEP COOL or WARM neutral as well. At least via my Insta-stalking skills haha 😅) 25/8/2017 02:24:58 pm
You're very welcome, I'm so glad I could help! Thank you and your great insta-stalking skills for the tip about Jasmine Tookes. I will add her to my list :-)
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V.N.
2/8/2017 08:39:06 am
Hi! A deep warm soft here!! Thank you for this because before your blog LITERALLY no color analysis addressed me. Like the commenter above, I would love know if there are any another DEEP WARM soft celebrities I can refer to, as well as what kinds of undertones should I stick to if I want lighten my hair a tiny bit? And of course any makeup recommendation are welcome! Thanks in advance!!
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6/8/2017 12:30:49 pm
Hi, V.N! Thank you so much for that lovely feedback. It makes me really happy to hear that my page has been helpful to you :-)
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Sifra
5/8/2017 05:42:59 am
Hi Sun!
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5/8/2017 06:18:25 am
Hi, Sifra! Thank you so much for that lovely feedback. That warms my heart.
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Sifra
13/8/2017 10:05:06 am
Hi Sun, 15/8/2017 03:14:40 pm
You're very welcome! The fact that neon colors, as well as orange and yellow can be difficult, but in general bold shades still look great on you, is another good indicator that you are a DEEP COOL soft. Not all DEEP COOL softs have the same sensitivities, but they all have at least one difficult color that should otherwise look great. Almost always pure white. They can usually use pure white or these colors on accessories, shoes or in prints, but need to avoid large surface areas of the color. This means that the color is right for them, but somehow they're just a bit too soft for a lot of it. It's usually a clash with the skin tone, that's not typical for the type, or could be lighter hair and eyes that usual.
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Sifra
16/8/2017 06:21:57 am
Hi Sun,
Ptah
5/8/2017 06:17:46 am
Thank you so much, Sun, for putting this enormous effort in collecting and presenting such a detailed and big scope of useful information! It gives much better understanding of the colouring system!
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5/8/2017 06:41:20 am
Hi, Ptah. Thank you so much for your kind words. That means a lot. Yes, It has taken quite a while to post the first arven groups, and the other three are about half done. I usually take my time and do a lot of reaserch and test things out in real life before I post and finish writing them, so that's why there are such long breaks between each post. I usually post one each six months (sometimes less), also because I work on other things in between. I just finished and posted The LIGHT COOL and the LIGHT COOL best looks. The next one I will post is the PURE COOL, sometime this fall. So, you don'y have to wait for a very long time. I'm currently in the reaserch faze, just making sure all my estimates are accurate and that I didn't miss something. This to make sure that I include all variations, as many races as possible. For example, there are black PURE COOL clears, so I have to find examples of that version too. So, Yeah! I would estimate that it will be posted sometime after the start of september, but before desember. The PURE COOL clear, is a PURE COOL flowing into the CLEAR COOL, and can borrow some colors from that group. Other than that, PURE COOL colors should work perfectly on you. This sub-group have a slightly higher contrast level, can look great with darker hair, but has a sort of softness filter to all their colors, even If they have natural black hair. It's the feeling of that their dark coloring feels softer than they're appear to be. Still they're not a SOFT COOL deep either, because PURE COOL colors and brighter work perfectly on them. I hope this sneak peak helped a little :-)
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Ptah
9/8/2017 01:25:17 pm
Thank you for the sneak peek, Sun ;) Looking forward to the full article!
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15/8/2017 02:03:31 pm
You're very welcome, and thank you for reading :-)
H.N.
14/9/2017 08:17:22 am
Hi! This is going to be a VERY long post haha! I noticed commenters giving examples, so I'll do the same. I really want to figure this out! I'm half-AfricanAmerican, half-Dominican (Hispanic). Mom with cocoa-y skin & dad with light, almost-pasty yellow skin. I'm inbetween medium-tan and medium-deep, but in photos my skin tone appears either very flaxen/translucent or very saturated & orange. I look darker/tanner than the foundation I wear, if that makes any sense. In foundation, I've been told that I'm: warm yellow, gold/yellow, or yellow/peach, or neutral peach. Overall, warm to warm-neutral. At Sephora I'm matched for #4Y10, the most yellow possible for my skin depth. Twice I've had foundation called caramel, one was bit too brown & red, the other too olive-green. My concealer is LA Girl ProConceal Warm Honey. Keywords in my foundations are: tawnied beige, amber, nude amber, bamboo, etc. I'm also smack inbetween BobbiBrown SkinFoundation shade 5.75 (golden light brown w/ olive & yellow undertones; dark skintones) & 6 (light brown w/ peachy yellow undertones; med to dark skintones). I have deep brown-black eyes that noticeably reflect in photos. Sometimes they don't, but occasionally they reflect somewhat blue-ish like this Afro-Latina blogger here (I'm a bit darker than her): https://www.instagram.com/p/BVAbTSdjxsf/ . Same with my hair. At first glance it looks black but upclose it's a very off or soft black-brown color. In photos, you can see the golden-tint / truffle look. There's no clarity in my eyes but they have a "jelly-ish" look, if that makes any sense. My appearance is textbook DEEP WARM/COOL DARK but none of the DEEPs look natural on me, not even the DEEP neutrals or DEEP softs. I've heard of reverse Clear Winters- those without clarity in eyes but in the hair/skin instead. I am starting to think I'm a similar "wildcard" type, except I'm not cold undertoned.
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H.N.
14/9/2017 08:25:24 am
Cont'd.....
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Hana N.
15/9/2017 03:51:19 pm
(Whoops! Just realized I made 2 typos... 1- That Tarte Peaceful blush is actually a "soft nude peach", according to Tarte's website. 2- At the top of this post where I said the "the Instagrammer in this 2nd link", I meant to say in the 1st link!) Thanks again for all the time you've spent on this system! It's truly incredible!
Hana N.
20/9/2017 03:30:20 pm
Hi! Hoping that giving more references is helpful (instead of annoying haha)! Here's some wardrobe items I own in real life that flatter me: this purple top, which is a bit more purple in person ( https://tinyurl.com/yazllan8 ). This pink ( https://tinyurl.com/yc2g7nvk ). This pink bra colour. The pants might work too, but it may be pushing it in terms of lightness for my own intensity (https://tinyurl.com/y9agfr9p). Website says the bra shade is "evening blush" but it's more like the pink you have in "light warm". I usually have a harder time with true "blush" shades. This shoe shade (https://tinyurl.com/y9o3tafl). This light gray shoe (https://tinyurl.com/y8t7te4k). Certain medium/medium-deep grays are really good too. This shade of brown jacket ( https://tinyurl.com/ydht2gnb ). I'm undecided about the shade of this purse I have. It's in the right direction, but it can feel a bit overwhelming & too brown at times ( https://tinyurl.com/ydxvzxkt). Planning to purchase this purse instead, which is a bit rosier-gold in person (https://tinyurl.com/y93zcy3y). I have this bralette & it's a flattering army green, without being too dark or dull/dusty (https://tinyurl.com/y8w2376l). I have a sports bra in this EXACT shade Alicia Keys wears here. It's very flattering on me & a go-to shade. (https://tinyurl.com/ycehc9d2). Here's a weird blue-green for you. I have no idea what this shade is called but I just color-matched my favorite chambray shirt to this EXACT shade, which sits so beautifully on me... So hard to find instores though (https://tinyurl.com/yam9u7u3). I have this teal top & love the shade, also gets many compliments (https://tinyurl.com/y77hyln3). LOADS of compliments on this heel, which is ALOT more yellow in person. The shade in person is flattering, but it's that intensity they sits really well on my skin (https://tinyurl.com/ycznrdb7). Actually, I'd say this gold, in-person, is my best gold, and bronzy-gold is RIGHT after. Here's a unique one: I have this tank, and it's almost right, but it's a bit too greyed of a green for me (https://tinyurl.com/ydxnrkhb). I have a green sports bra in similar but slightly different shade. The sports bra runs EXACTLY this shade that Alicia Keys is wearing (https://tinyurl.com/ybnj9p6z), and it's perfect! Not all taupes work for me, but this swimsuit's shade of taupe is gorgeous on me (https://tinyurl.com/y9w9f7v8). Again, very similar to what Alicia Keys wore in a music video (https://tinyurl.com/y742r8eh). Also have this lighter taupe hat, which is a go-to shade for me (https://tinyurl.com/y78zqve7). I get constant compliments on this shirt's color, which is a bit more green in person (https://tinyurl.com/y8mcr5bq). In person it's actually this exact color (https://tinyurl.com/y8r8ojfa), but I'd say my shirt's intensity is more light-medium/medium than what she's wearing here. This shade is somewhat similar to strange green-blue I mentioned earlier. To reiterate- @Aliciakeys, @MoriahMurrell, and possibly @sonjdradeluxe or @nikishabrunson are the closest color group twins I have seen. And that's hard to come by. Thank you again! 8/10/2017 12:54:58 pm
Hi, Hana. Sorry it has taken so long for me to respond, but I wanted to make sure I had the time to go through all of your messages properly. Thank you so much for that lovely compliment. That makes me so happy.
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8/10/2017 12:58:47 pm
Part 2. of reply.
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Hana N.
9/10/2017 11:09:20 pm
Wow, THANK YOU!! You're so insightful!! And don't apologize for not replying immediately! I dropped such a truck load of random information on you -with absolutely no pictures of myself- and you still brought SOOO much clarity. We're getting really close now!
Hana N.
10/10/2017 09:29:31 pm
Oooh! And here's one more really flattering red (https://tinyurl.com/yb9qf8fr)... Just for good measure! ;)
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Hana N.
11/10/2017 10:30:38 am
Okay, okay- last one I promise!! In my earlier message, I mentioned how these are just okay (https://tinyurl.com/yazcofn9 and https://tinyurl.com/ybuqt285). These camel-y shade pants are much better (https://tinyurl.com/y7kq8a26 and https://tinyurl.com/ybb8so6n)!
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Hana N.
12/10/2017 10:21:48 pm
OMG I am SO sorry! I just realized I posted the wrong link! When I said "here's one more flattering red" I accidentally put this link (https://tinyurl.com/yb9qf8fr). I meant to put this link: https://tinyurl.com/y9j2jr7s . This is a red camisole I own that's REALLY in the right direction and sits refreshingly nice on my skin. (Even though I've always noticed there's something about it that could be improved by just a hair... Either it could be made a little warmer or possibly it's not tinted enough, as I read in your LIGHT WARM write-up a while ago.) Thanks again!
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7/11/2017 09:38:04 am
Hi again, Hana :-) I'm so glad it was helpful.
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Hana N.
9/11/2017 10:33:46 pm
Sun! Thank you so so so much for all you've done for color analysis and what you've done for me as well. Most people would NOT have analyzed Alicia objectively. I've seen her listed as DEEP WARM so many times. Thank you for investing in a color system that truly fits EVERYONE.
Barbara
13/10/2017 07:11:28 pm
Hi Sun
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26/10/2017 05:59:08 pm
Hi, Barbara. Sure, you can send me your photo at [email protected].
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Barbara
3/11/2017 09:01:10 pm
Hello Sun 4/11/2017 01:44:02 pm
Hi, Barbara. Yes, I have received your e-mail and will reply soon.
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Barbara
4/11/2017 07:29:52 pm
I received your reply. Will drape those few colours you mentioned to pin point season more accurately. I would be very interested in purchasing your colour fans when they are available. The ones we can take shopping in our bags would be ideal. Thank you so much once again. I look forward to reading more on your blog as you update/complete sections :)
Hana N.
16/10/2017 08:39:02 pm
Hi again... I'm hoping more info = more helpful! I've been improving my makeup & thought I should update you (these are better than my previously mentioned makeup). For blush, I updated to Dior Coral Cruise #676 (popular LSp blush) and Tarte Captivating blush. Captivating is, once again, a blush that's a hair too red. Now, I've only had 2 blushes be too orange on my cheeks- Too Faced "I Will Always Love You" and my newest blush, Dior Coral Cruise. Dior blush is only a HAIR too orange, and really gives me that warmth I need- plus it sits on my cheeks similar to the way that I naturally flush. The warmth overage is a smaller gap than the amount of redness Captivating gives me. So I reach for Dior a bit more often, even though I do enjoy the peachy brightness that Captivating offers. And yet AGAIN, after trying on Captivating, I search it on YouTube and the first person that popped up was @sondjradeluxe! And she was one of the only african-americans using the it! I wish I understood the connection haha... Onto lips. I tried that NYX Sierra lippie you mentioned in comments before: too bright for my face. The same way that Lolita II looked on me. Same with Laura Mercier Creme Smooth Mango (popular LSp lippie), but this was not nearly as stark. Next, I tried Benefit's Punch Pop in Mango. Applied fully, this was too bold on my face BUT I did find that I can use this as an everyday lip by dabbing some on instead. What I love about this Benefit Mango (via dabbing) is that the color SINKS into my skin, looks natural, healthy, and really clears/brightens my face. This is the first time this has happened to me, since literally every lipstick I try on sits unnaturally on my face. Next, right after Benefit Mango is Chanel Liberte Rouge CocoShine #46 (popular LSp lippie)- so happy I found this. I can apply this fully. Even though this sits "atop" my lips just the tiniestttt bit, it's one of the best lippies I've tried on. Although I'd say the freshness of Benefit Mango beats it. Next, Stila Kitten Lip Glaze- just okay, didn't really do anything, not bad or good. But I could wear this lippie in public if I had to (which I can't say for most lippies haha). Smashbox Chai (dupe for popular SW Deep lippie) is getting closer to level of warmth & yellow I need, but again too brown/dark and sits unnaturally. I can't tell if the color is too brown for me, or if I don't suit low contrast on my face. (But at the same time I can't wear most bright lippies??) Chai is the brand's recommended nude for medium to deep skintones.... Brand recommendations for my skintone never seem to work... And of course I came across some lippies that were simply too light. Since my mother is not the same colouring as me, and beauty dept. people give me terrible colors- trying to figure out beauty has been a very independent process. I may not be there yet but I am certainly getting alot closer... all thanks to you!! P.S. here's some more colors I recently discovered flatter me: https://tinyurl.com/yct97frc , https://tinyurl.com/yallwac5 , https://tinyurl.com/y84ea4of (Alicia heels, 3rd, this is would be max brightness though), https://tinyurl.com/ybzllqlp (turtleneck & boots but I'm not sure I'd do large quantities like this), https://tinyurl.com/y97a6qj2 (gray/silver part), https://tinyurl.com/zd3hjls (aqua blue), https://tinyurl.com/ydcutac5 (purple on right), https://tinyurl.com/ybx4768b (blue jacket), https://tinyurl.com/yb9gh2k4 (dress although it's a touch too deep), https://tinyurl.com/yacjhv4z (max. darkness teal, possibly a sister group shade).
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Hana N.
20/10/2017 12:37:12 am
Hey Sun! Let's start completely fresh, clean slate. I decided to make an updated grid of the colors I am MOST confident of. Here it is! https://tinyurl.com/ya25z4au These are the colors that look like they belong on me & are in the direction of clearing my skin. I realized I've been figuring out my coloring these last few weeks and I've dragged you along with me for the journey. It was one big S.W., L.W., and C.W. jumble at first. I can pull off a relatively wide range of shades without it looking inherently "bad", so it took these past few weeks for me to get "an eye" for what colors really make my skin glow the MOST. (For example, of the first pics I sent you, the ones I was least confident of were the rusty-orange and the 1st yellow. They aren't bad, but they were the best I knew of at the time).
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Hana N.
21/10/2017 01:29:34 pm
Whoops I forgot to mention- on my grid, the square I'd say I'm least confident of would be the pink-y lips. It's a bit too dark/cool, but it's in the right direction of having some freshness. Also, I just tried on Revlon Siren (popular True Spring lippie) and WOW. I've almost become comfortable with how badly DEEP & LIGHT makeup swatch on my hand, let alone my face. This swatched so well. Siren was still a little too stark on the face, but the amount of starkness was MUCHHH lower than I'm so used to experiencing with all DEEP, most LIGHT, & many BRIGHT lipsticks. For now I'll stick to lightly applying Benefit PunchPop in Mango. But there's something about the intensity of Siren that was so much closer to being in the right family of colors. It didn't sit "atop" of my lips like usual, and it meshed REALLY well with my skin. It almost looked like the color was on me naturally, coming from within- which I've never had happen before. I just need it to be a little bit less stark. (If only I could find something inbetween the two of these lippies!) I'm so glad I'm starting to hone in on my colors though!!
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7/11/2017 09:57:17 am
Hi, Hana. I only saw this after I replied above. 7/11/2017 09:59:11 am
Meant bold, not bright about the Sierra lipstick.
Gisela
31/10/2017 05:36:34 am
Hi Sun,
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2/11/2017 12:26:49 pm
Hi, Gisela. Thank you so much for that lovely feedback.
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Hana N.
10/11/2017 08:13:42 am
Cont. Part 2....
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Hana N.
12/11/2017 11:44:58 am
Hey! I just realized after all this time that you have an email address for your blog. Would you it be helpful if I can send you pictures of myself? I'm clearly no pro at this color analysis thing, so feel free to let me know what is easier for you! (And gets me out of your hair haha! :) Thanks again for all your help thus far!!
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19/11/2017 04:49:11 pm
Hi, Hana. Sure, do that and we can see what we can figure out. I do offer online color analysis and other analysis packages using photos over e-mail. So, send me an e-mail for starters, and we'll see what we do.
Hana N.
19/11/2017 10:20:09 pm
Thanks Sun! Just sent you an email!
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Danielle
13/3/2018 03:00:15 am
When are you doing last color group posts? You had written somewhere that soft warm would be done last fall... Im still waiting for it. Please don't forget it.
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16/3/2018 10:31:16 am
Hi, Daniella! Thank you so much for your comment. I have not forgotten, I promise :-). There has just been some delays unfortunately. However, after getting several request like this, I have now put finishing the next one (PURE COOL) on the top of my to do list. It looks like I’ll be able to finish it by the end of this month. After that SOFT COOL and SOFT WARM are next in line. They are both half way done, but I need to do more reaserch to make sure everything is accurate :-). Thank you so much for your patience, I know it must be anoying to wait this long for your group who unfortunately is among the last to be done. Mostly because it needed the most reaserch, as I’m making my own version of the traditional color system. These posts also takes a really long time to write and to reaserch who to use for examples to make sure I include as many different looks and etnicities as possible. I hope it will be worth your wait once it’s done, and thank you so much for reading.
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16/3/2018 10:37:31 am
Sorry! Danielle! My phone went all Italian on me, and autocorrected your name to Daniella.
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Cara
26/3/2018 01:34:37 pm
Thank you for great site!
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5/5/2018 10:23:20 am
Hi, Cara. Thank you for the positive feedback :-).
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Nicole
28/3/2018 05:14:23 pm
Hello Sun, quick question. I enjoyed the sneakpeek of your face shapes blog. Would you consider JLo an angular round face shape? I once saw her somewhere as an upside down diamond. My face shape is also similar to Alisha Boe and Tina Kunakey (which is scary considering Tina & I share the exact same colouring too- if you have any idea what her season is since I do not see anyone like her here on the colour blog). As for the shape- youthful but occasionally masculine, longer than it is wide, stronger jawline, flat but longer forehead, peekaboo cheekbones w/ heavy cheeks, and the nose bridge appears more prominent and "carved out". Thanks!
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5/5/2018 10:52:08 am
Hi, Nicole. Jennifer Lopez is very hard to type, but after looking through a ton of photos of her, I think she's just a very balanced diamond shape. When in doubt, go by what styles work best with her face. She's just one of those non dramatic versions, that start to lean towards other types, which makes her very balanced. So, she's a diamond shape, flowing towards a square face shape. The same way Olivia Munn is a diamond shape flowing towards both round and triangle shaped. Very few people are a very dramatic version of their face shape, and there are lots of variations of each type.
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Nicole
9/5/2018 02:45:08 pm
Hi Sun, 12/8/2018 11:37:20 am
You're very welcome!
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Nicole
17/8/2018 02:49:20 pm
LOL clearly I'm not good at this analysis business. I keep putting people in shape categories that are close but not quite. But I am confident now that I have an angular round face shape. That description made it even clearer for me! And interesting that Sophie Atriz is a column! I can see it. I can see that for myself as well. Many of my most flattering clothing items match what you have on the Column page. Thanks! This blog has such intriguing content and a fun discussion board! I appreciate the work you put into this website! 3/10/2018 10:25:02 am
Hi again, Nicole! Thank you so much for your kind words, and I'm so glad you figured it out and where you fit in. If you want to see more of what an Agular-Round face looks like, you can just look at more photos of me (on the blog or on the Idealist Style instagram/facebook), or of Aubrey Plaza and Devon Aioki.
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2/5/2018 02:40:52 pm
I love this description and think I might finally have a handle on my personal coloring. I have always thought I was between winter/autumn, but have never been clear. I can wear black/red and white but think that I lean toward warm tones in most colors. Based on this I am pretty sure I am deep warm neutral. I can wear gold or silver (and wear both in jewelry). I have dark brown hair that is dyed with warm tones. I have dark brown/chocolate brown eyes. I tan easily and seem to have warm tones. Thanks for this detailed description.
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5/5/2018 11:20:26 am
Thank you so much for the lovely feedback, Robin. I'm so glad I could help :-)
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Fayee
5/7/2018 06:09:39 am
Oh, this is a great piece of writing!
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12/8/2018 01:22:40 pm
Hi, Fayee! Thank you so much for that lovely compliment, and I'm so glad it was helpful to you. <3
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Martha
5/7/2018 11:22:59 am
Hello. You have a beautiful blog here! Do you have any tips for a Rebecca Romijn type of soft spring? I see that your blog and Lora Alexander's "Pretty Your World" has 2 categories for soft springs. Lora Alexander's categories are Sunlit SS and Dusty SS. She has many Sunlits listed but I only resonate with Rebecca, who is the only 1 listed Dusty SS. My only good colours are the coolest or least autumn ones on your clear warm soft page. I wear warm blues, pinks, reds, light grey, turquoise, & rich or lighter yellows best. But I'm not a bright spring or winter. I considered True Spring. I recently bought a warm light-medium pinky coral shirt which was not soft. It did seem to suit me equally or a bit better than some of my softer colors which are occasionally too heavy. But I have more of a tanned skintone than the True Spring ladies you have posted, plus I don't think I'm Light Warm. Is it possible to be a True Spring only, one that doesn't flow into Light True? I see Cat Deely wears the deeper, non traditional colors of True Spring. Or perhaps, do you know of any cooler soft springs or darker true springs who are not listed here on your blog? I'm either the coolest toned soft spring ever or the deepest true spring ever!
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2/10/2018 09:14:19 am
Hi, Martha! It looks like Rebecca Romijin is a LIGHT WARM true. I'm not familiar with Lora Alexander, but it sounds like you feel like you might be a CLEAR WARM true or soft? I think it also sounds like you might be a LIGHT WARM as you mentioned, but yes you could also be a CLEARM WARM true, and not flow anywhere. Most true types, don't actually. Have you considered being a LIGHT COOL, as a LIGHT COOL is not only a light summer, but pretty much a mix of spring and summer. Or if you are a SOFT COOL light or deep, as that summer-autumn has less autumn then the SOFT WARM. You could just be a true spring too, but it sounds like you feel like those colors doesn't fit with you perfectly either. If you are darker than the women in the post, it's just because I haven't found a CLEAR WARM true with your exact colors yet. It's still possible for you to be one. Most darker skinned CLEAR WARMS are either bright or soft, but it is not impossible to be a true. If you feel softer than a normal spring, no high contrast, but also no extra warmth, it sounds like a CLEAR WARM true or a LIGHT WARM true or neutral. :-)
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Martha
5/7/2018 04:47:21 pm
Hello again. I realize I did not give much information to go off of earlier. I tried to remember the other listed Dusty Soft Spring I saw years ago. After an hour of scouring the internet, I finally found her: Sonia Rolland. She is the reason I began to consider Dusty Soft Spring for myself years ago. But looking at her today she looks more True Spring than anything. I hope you find this helpful!
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Martha
12/7/2018 03:06:42 am
Hello Sun I hope you are off to a lovely morning. Today I have found a clearer example for you. I hope I have not confused you. I am new to this type of messaging technology. These Dusty Soft Spring colors here are exactly my colors. My brighter pinks and best types of peach are at the bottom of this board on the dotted chart- https://pin.it/woy3p64inkou22 . Do these colors belong to your Light Spring Soft or are these colors the least intense, most neutral shades of Clear Warm Soft? Despite my tan skin tone and lack of blue eyes, I suit these colors slightly better than the typical intense soft spring colors. I am thinking the colors in the link are the medium colors of Light Spring- if there is such a thing as lightened medium colors! I see your exquisitely written Light Spring page description says "warm, medium to light colors". Thank you once more!
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2/10/2018 09:44:36 am
Hi again, Martha! I checked out Sonia Rolland, and although there weren't enough photo color info online for a more accurate read, it looks like she might be a CLEAR WARM true or a CLEAR WARM soft. Also, the dusty soft spring colors on the pinterest you sent, looks a lot like a LIGHT WARM soft color palette. Very pale, but still colourful shades that are not extremely dusty again, are often too dull for a CLEAR WARM, so if very light peach and yellow and so on looks the best on you, best to look at LIGHT WARM options. If saturated and clear, saturated and bright, or saturated and dusty or extra warm is your best look then it would be one of the CLEAR WARMS. The colors on the dotted chart are definitely LIGHT WARM soft colors. A darker colored LIGHT WARM soft, will be able to look good in a lot of colors that's not their best, because of their stronger coloring. However, they will still look their absolute best in the LIGHT WARM soft colors. That's how you find out, as this type can be really hard to pin point because of the appearance of contrast when in reality there is a softness to it all. Here are the best LIGHT WARM soft looks post https://www.idealiststyle.com/blog/best-light-warm-soft-looks. I'm going to make a separate chart for all the sub-groups too eventually, so you don't see the full range of colors for the LIGHT WARM soft on the chart, but just imagine the LIGHT WARM colors all with a light dusty veil over them, and then added some warmer spring colors too, also with a dusty soft veil over them. The best colors for a LIGHT WARM soft, would be anything from dusty light mint and peach, to soft yellow, and some golden browns, and neutral light pink and so on. The LIGHT WARM is a bit colder than the CLEAR WARM to begin with, so the LIGHT WARM will pull off light blue tones better too, as the LIGHT WARM is a mix between light spring and summer. The Light Summer/LIGHT COOL and the Light Spring/LIGHT WARM are flowing into eacother, is is almost a spring-summer type. Still spring or summer first, but they are flowing into each other and have a lot of simiarities. I hope this cleared things up :-) Check out the LIGHT WARM soft and the LIGHT WARM neutral. Here's the neutral best looks post too. https://www.idealiststyle.com/blog/best-light-warm-neutral-looks
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Fotini
14/7/2018 05:15:02 pm
Greetings from Greece, I'm very happy about your post, it's the only one which actually helped me understand which colors suit me Best and how to do my makeup pop. Thank you very much! But I'd need your help please. I think I am a Clear cool,but I'm not sure about the bright part, my natural hair color is ashy light brown, but I dye them an icy platinum blonde and my eyes are brown, but I usually wear grey blue contact lesnses, my skin looks very White in Winter and spring but I turn completely black in Summer! Best colors for me are definitely A very vibrant blue, a very dark but clear green, almost all reds( Especially lipsticks), fuschia, Black's a favorite white too, I look redicoulusly funny in yellow really and orange I think, I look ok in ashy brown color and good in olive green. I could send you pictures if you wanted to.
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2/10/2018 11:01:25 am
Hi, Fotini! Thank you so much for your kind words!
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Martha
19/7/2018 11:42:17 pm
It is a big hit when I wear a polish by the name of Sally Hansen Coral Reef. Namasgrey of Sally Hansen. I enjoy Essie At The Barre, but it's a little too grey or too brown, perhaps a notch too dark. It is not starkly dark or wrong; I have gotten a few compliments on this colour. But there is some excess darkeness or brown in it that is unnecessary for my skin tone. This is probably a color from my sister group. And my favorite polish is Couture Curator of Essie. I don't understand why but I receive even more compliments on this colour when someone young ( with a steadier hand) helps me layer Couture Curator on top of Revlon Cardshark polish. Cardshark appears to be a whitened or lightened pink but I usually do not wear that color alone, only paired with other colours.
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Queenie
26/7/2018 01:49:27 pm
Hi, I’ve truly enjoying your website. My question is age. Im67 with salt and pepper hair. Younger I was draped a dark winter who could wear brights. I have ivory skin (N) and have a gray green brown with rust eye. Hair was mousy then dark. So question is,,will I still be a deep, or soft, or warm.? I’m totally confused for when I had dark hair I could wear both warm and cool with matching makeup. Now not so sure where I fit in.
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3/10/2018 09:58:49 am
Hi, Queenie! Thank you so much for your kind feedback.
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Martha
27/7/2018 10:00:04 pm
Goodness gracious! My granddaughter and I agree these updated colors here are more accurate and undoubtedly the best representation of my best colors https://pin.it/fzhz235u3nv5vo . I've never come across so many of my best colors like this in my lifetime. Dusty Soft Spring was the closest I had found before but I was still having some issues with Dusty SS. But finally, I’ve found the colors in this new link are perfect for my skin warmth and intensity. The blues, peaches, purples, light grays, reds, and minimal browns in this link are a perfect match. These also match my best polishes I was trying to describe a few days ago. But this is driving me and my granddaughter crazy now! Simply put, these are my exact colors but what color group do these belong to in your system?! My granddaughter says to please disregard my previous Dusty SS link and my previous messages. She insists it would be more accurate and simpler if you could please take a quick look at only this new link. We cannot figure out for the life of us which group these colors belong to! I'm full of gratitude and very looking forward to hearing back! I have an upcoming blind date and I would love to understand my coloring before I go clothes shopping for my night out! Here is the link once more https://pin.it/fzhz235u3nv5vo
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Martha
14/9/2018 02:57:17 pm
Hello Sweet Sun! At this point, I have determined that I'm a Clear Warm Soft flowing into Light Warm Soft. (There's a chance I might possibly be the reverse -LWS into CWS- but I at least know for certain that those are the 2 groups I flow into.)
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Martha
18/9/2018 06:54:00 pm
Oh my goodness! Morgan DeBaun is even closer to my coloring!! Amazing. Please take a look! She has the same extra-warm yellow undertone paired with clarity, lightness, and brightness- saturation to the skin/eyes! My skintone and clarity is actually closer to Leslie Mann's and the PrettyYourWorld Dusty Soft Spring Model in the yellow top (I'm closer to them more than Stefi's coloring, even though I am tan skinned). But I see Morgan DeBaun has that "soft/dusty lightness" in the skin while still being very bright skinned. And she's rather sensitive to deep colors, like myself! So estatic!! I'm also considering Roxane Gay and Monique O'Grady for CWS to LWS (or LWS to CWS)... but they're nowhere near as close to my coloring as Leslie Mann, Morgan DeBaun, and Stefi Celma!! 2/10/2018 10:36:44 am
I meant LIGHT WARM, when I wrote LIGHT COOL in the previous reply. Also, I meant chance, not change :-) 26/1/2019 02:57:03 am
Hi again, Martha! Sorry it has taken so long to reply. Lots of comments to reply to these days. I’m so glad I could help and what you’re writing makes me so happy to hear. I have written down the names you mentioned and will definetely check them out and add more examples of the CLEAR WARM soft ladies. 2/10/2018 10:27:22 am
Hi again Martha! I'm so glad you figured it out. The colors on the pinterest you sent now does look very spring like, and could be both CLEAR WARM soft and LIGHT WARM soft/true, depending on the rest of the colors that suits you. CLEAR WARM soft does sound very light considering you said you have similar colors to Sonia Rolland. I'm a CLEAR WARM soft too, and it is a very hard type to figure out, because there is a fine like between not warm enough, and then too warm, dusty enough, but then too dusty, and so on. The trick is to think that you best colors are spring colors that have a soft veil over them, and spring colors that look like autumn colors, but aren't because they are actually more saturated and fresh, they just look earthy. Your keywords are warm, golden, soft, and medium saturated shades. They should feel warm, look fresh, and not be too bold or too dull. This is one of the most difficult types to shop for, as these are not the typical colors brands do, so when you find your best shades in the shops buy it and slowly build your best colors wardrobe.
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Martha
12/10/2018 10:36:32 pm
Well thank you Sun! I was not expecting so much helpful information, let alone a reply for each of my messages. That is so kind and so professional. (I'm a bit of a chatterbox in person and I notice that tends to translate into my online messaging as well :)
Martha
19/10/2018 01:50:13 pm
Oh and I almost forgot to mention Annabelle Mandeng for Clear Warm Soft as well! 19/8/2019 04:42:09 pm
Hi again, Martha. Sorry for my late reply. There has just been so many comments that I've only now been able to get to this comment now. 10/8/2018 12:34:14 am
Hello there Sun! 🤗💝💖❤. I have dark brown/black hair {depends on how your eyes see my hair colour}, dark brown eyes and fair skin with reddish undertone. All counts to cool undertones plus high contrast equals winter. I'm not sure whether I'm a deep cool or clear winter. You may want to look at the pictures of my face 😀😊. Thank you so much for your help! 💙💚💛.
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3/10/2018 10:08:01 am
Hi, Natasya! :-) A good way to figure out if you're a DEEP COOL, which is a Winter-Autumn, or a CLEAR COOL, which is a true winter, is to test the warmer looking shades on the DEEP WARM chart and see if it looks good on you. Especially the orange and chartreuse green shade, and try and see if both gold and silver work on you or not.
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Mel
26/9/2018 06:45:30 pm
Wow! So many options, and I cannot choose which category I am. I often have issues with cool versus warm, and people usually label me a middle of the road "neutral". I had bright blonde hair as a child, then it became dirty blonde, and now it's very dark neutral/ashy blonde. My eyebrows are fairly dark but thin. I sometimes even use a soft black pencil to fill them. My eyes were blue as a child, and now they're green/hazel but still show blue if I'm wearing certain colors, and they have a slight warmth around the iris. My skin has always been light neutral ivory but has changed to almost light olive over the years. I have lots of yellow in my skin. I burn easily, then it turns to tan. I know people respond very well to me in cornflower blue, but I'm not even sure what else. I like wearing black, but maybe it's actually too stark.
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2/10/2018 10:49:03 am
Hi, Mel! From your description it sounds a lot like you're one of the neutral groups. Probably SOFT COOL light to deep, or maybe even SOFT WARM. If you're a SOFT COOL deep, soft cool colors are your best, but getting away with darker colors is not very difficult for this type either. Black is not the best color, but most people can pull it off if they focus on making sure they have the right hair color and makeup, to balance it with.
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12/10/2018 12:34:40 am
i cannot understand my skin contrast. i believe i am cool tone .silver is best on my skin. could you please help me. i went to an analyst colour and she told me that i am summer. but i dont believe it. maybe autumn or winter. but deep winter or deep autumn. please help me.
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12/10/2018 12:53:52 am
i believe that i am a deep winter because of colours and because i look auful on blonde hair. my only problem is that black colour is not one of my bests. just blue dark.
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26/1/2019 03:19:18 am
Hi, Konstadina!
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Brianna
12/11/2018 07:42:20 am
This system is so amazing! I love it! I always had trouble trying to figure out the "four seasons" thing and never really felt I fit into any of the categories. Your system makes so much more sense to me.
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26/1/2019 03:33:48 am
Hi, Brianna! It sounds like you might be a neutral group, SOFT COOL deep, as you have a yellow tone to your skin even though you’re mostly cold. If you look your best in silver, but gold should be ok? You feel like you might be a soft wiinter or a hight contrast summer. Guessing the soft cool clear was meant to be soft cool deep? So you’ve aldo guessed that one. These sound like typical traits of a SOFT COOL deep. A SOFT COOL deep is a summer with a drop of autumn in it and a deep colored look which makes them often appear like a either a deep, clear, or pure group. The SOFT COOL light, will usually look a bit more like a PURE or LIGTH group. This means that you are a neutral group and a cold toned group with a drop of autumn in you, a deep summer-autumn. This can often look like a darker summer or a softer winter. It all comes down to which of the colors on the charts look good on you. Are some earthy tones good? That means SOFT COOL deep. Are summer colors and soft prints in these colors the best on you? That means PURE COOL clear. Are high contrast bright colors and icy colors the best on you? That means CLEAR COOL soft. I know one CLEAR COOL soft with the same features as you, but she knows for sure she looks her best in bright and cold colors.
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N.L.
9/1/2019 07:09:02 am
Any thoughts on Zendaya’s body shape? I didn’t realize how much I had given up on understanding my own body shape until I saw her in Allure Magazine with substantial curve. After having seen her as skinny with extreme pin legs before (combo of very long + very thin legs). I have similar upper body as well. I don’t see any other celebs with that shape but it’s the same as mine!! The combination feel rather uncommon.
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5/6/2019 07:03:15 am
Hi, N.L. Zendaya is a very slender Cornet. Many Cornets can have curve too, just look at Naomi Campbell, they just have a different type of curve. Usually they will have shoulders as their widest part, small to medium chest depending on their body weight, a long and slender waist, and the curve will usually happen as a thigh thing. The Cornet is an athletic looking body type, so they often have strong legs too. If they have a very large chest, it starts to become a Goblet. If theres a lot of thigh and hip curve without lower legs, than it's time to start looking at the Cello or Vase. With lower legs being heavy, then look at the Skittle. A Cornet will usually stay a Cornet no matter the weight and very slender bodies can be hard to type because you can't really tell where the muscle and fat goes. However, in Zendayas case, I think she is a Cornet. It could sound like you're a very slender or fit Cello, if not the same as Zendaya.
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Jasmine
23/1/2019 05:02:15 am
Hi sun ^^" Its' me.
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31/7/2019 12:16:24 pm
Hi, Jasmine :-)! Just saw your comment here. I will continue the reply on our other message thread. ;-). But good to add this info too. Just a lot of comments to comb through here on the blog, so I often take a while to reply here.
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Mascha
8/3/2019 06:31:09 am
I'm unsure whether I am light cool soft or soft cool light. Please plan to do soft cool soon to help me decide :)
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14/4/2019 11:40:54 am
Hi, Masha! I'm very sorry the SOFT groups aren't posted yet, but there has been some problems with the web page I'm using through weebly.com a long time now, so it will still be a little while before these problems with the layout is fixed and I can start posting elaborate posts as color analysis post again. The three remaining posts will be posted though and are not far from ready to be posted! I'm sorry I couldn't give you a better answer.
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Al Richards
14/4/2019 08:33:35 am
Your system is very interesting, and in parts more easy to identify with than many others. HOWEVER, it would all be a lot easier still if you got the palettes and their descriptions sorted out - at present they are all totally mixed up. It has been like this for over a year now!
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14/4/2019 10:00:56 am
Hi, Al Richards! Thank you for your message and letting me know, as this is the first I've heard of this issue. Do you mind me asking where it looks mixed up? If it's this post only, I've tried to look at it from different devises and it looks normal on a computer. However, I found that some things looked a bit mixed up on my phone. So, as it's normal on the website on a computer, it looks like it might be a problem with the mobile view of the website I'm using. So, hopefully it will look they way it should if you use a computer or ipad. I will do some tweeks and see if it helps the mobile view, and if not I will contact the website I'm using and get them to look into it so they can fix it. There was a problem with the website I'm using about 6-8 months ago and it could possibly be from that, as I've had to go through every post I've ever posted and fix them all manually to get the layout back to normal. So, it's probably due to that. If you see other posts that has a weird or messy layout, it's because I haven't gotten through all of them yet.
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SugarRush
9/6/2019 02:16:24 pm
Hi Sun, thankyou so much for the content on your site! It is super helpful and so detailed!
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14/10/2019 02:07:22 pm
Hi, Sugarrush! Thank you so much for your kind words. That makes me so happy to read.
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Melina
17/8/2019 08:42:01 pm
Hola! Thank you for this system, Ms. Sunniva! I subconsciously always knew I way outside of the typical color seasons, so I never even stop to deal with those systems because I always knew it was wayyy off. But your blog is on point!!!! Lol, I’ll fight anyone who disagrees! I think the number of mixed race and minority commenters you have in the comments here (and minorities on your color season pages) is a testament to that! Meanwhile, I’m waiting for other color analysis “professionals” to realize that black and minority springs exist... anyways, I do have a question: I am more than confident that I am a clear warm soft, and my secondary coloring is light warm soft. But I would say my contrast level is a tiny bit higher than Dominique Reighard’s contrast level. Is that possible according to your system? Or is the contrast level less determinative of season than the skin undertone?
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18/8/2019 10:46:27 am
Hola, Melina! You comment made me so happy, because this is exactly why I made this new system. I never fit in, my sister didn't fit in, and soooo many mixed or people of color never fit in traditional systems. So I really wanted this color system to include everyone.
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Melina
22/8/2019 08:56:00 pm
Hi Sunniva! I just noticed that I did not hit reply on my last message. I accidentally created a new thread instead. Sorry about that!
Melina
28/9/2019 09:47:22 am
Good afternoon, sweet Sun! I noticed it’s coming up on 2 months since we last talked. In light of our previous discussion (which was rather quick paced and consisted of replies within days of each other)... I’m worried I may have offended you by sharing my personal link in my last message. I can see how that might’ve have been out of line, and I want to apologize if that is that case. You have already helped me so much and I am grateful for that alone! 28/9/2019 09:15:38 pm
Hi, Melina! Oh, don’t worry, all is well. I just have so many comments to reply to that it can sometimes take me a while to reply. Especially if it’s questions that needs a little thinking and focus. :-) I always want to make sure I have the time to read and answer everything properly, so I can give the best and most helpful answers possible. I have reply to comments days where I only do that, so it can often be some months in between and before I get through all of them. I try to do them somewhat chronologically, so people won’t have to wait too long. So some times I’m all caught up and reply fast to new ones, and sometimes a bit behind. So, I’m just a little behind right now, but I’ve seen your comment and I save all the notifications so I remember to reply.
Melina
17/8/2019 08:43:17 pm
.... I hope all of this made sense! Haha :) So, overall, I have 2 questions. Question 1.) Is it possible to be a Clear Warm Soft who flows into Light Warm Soft, if my contrast level is a little bit higher than Dominique Reighard’s contrast level? Question 2.) Have you analyzed or identified any other Clear Warm Soft -to -Light Warm Soft people besides Leslie Mann? Especially any black, Latina, minority, or mixed race ones! ... Thanks so much!!
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Melina
18/8/2019 01:29:32 pm
Thanks for your response! You provided so much insight- I’m am now 100% confident that I am Clear Warm Soft. I can definitely see myself having that “illusion” effect as you mentioned. I really don’t suit autumn colors outside of the spring versions of autumn colors though... so maybe I am truly a Clear Warm Soft with no suitable secondary season. I’ve heard people only belonging to one color group, with no flow into other seasons.
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Melina
29/9/2019 01:19:19 pm
Hi Sun. I understand now- that is a relief to hear! Thank you for saying that. I appreciate it. After reading your reply, I’ve just decided to upload an image of what I consider the best looks on Sasha Lane (colorwise, contrast wise, and style wise). I’m hoping this will save you the time and energy of having to heavily research her on your end. She has a similar enough coloring to me that I was itching to research her... especially after I had that “aha” moment upon first seeing her on Youtube. So basically I’ve seen her in alot of photos/colors at this point LOL :) She’s definitely a soft spring type and I can see a theme to her looks, I just don’t know which one it falls under. Maybe both. Hoping this helps! Best wishes, Melina
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27/5/2020 03:28:47 pm
Hi, Melina! I'm so sorry you have waited so long for a reply. I just noticed that the reply I wrote last fall, about a month after my last comment here, never posted. My cat stepped on the button on the plug for my computer and turned the power off, but it looked like it had posted when I checked, and I now just saw it didn't. So something weird happened in that incident.
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Melina
28/5/2020 12:54:50 pm
Hi Sun! No worries. Considering the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic that has hit us, I’m just glad to see you are staying healthy during this time! Thanks so much for your reply- I didn’t realize color analysis was so detailed! There’s so many factors to coloring, & your reply really helped me understand contrast better. There’s been so many instances where I see someone who is a warm soft season like me. They technically have a eye, hair, & skin color of the same depth as me, yet we will have differing contrast levels. My eyes definitely have the very clear going-inward look as you describe. My hair is deep but not very prominent against my skintone- despite my hair being multiple shades darker than my skintone. The contrast difference between Dominique & Sasha that you explained is also very eye opening.
Laurel
12/2/2020 01:02:25 pm
Great article! I still am uncertain where I fit in, but am leaning towards Pure Cool Soft. To help me decide, can you think of a celebrity who fit this description? Thanks so much!
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15/10/2020 08:54:56 pm
Hi, Laurel! Thank you so much :-).
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T.N.
7/9/2020 03:04:41 am
Hi! Quick(ish) question! Which body shapes from your system looks best in jogger pants like these which I just bought? https://www.lyst.com/clothing/danskin-drawstring-waist-jogger-pant-1/ . That’s basically the only thing I know looks good on me lol. I guess something like this is flattering too, especially if I wear tight black/dark leggings with it- https://pin.it/6eJazJl . Which is interesting because it’s great for me but it’s making this model’s body shape look bad. Lastly, most any sheer shirt with an open back (or crossing tulip back) like this is good for my shape plus it highlights my backside and legs - https://pin.it/2pcs5mE . Other than that... I’d say I have “nice” long legs, and tummy paneling/ruching has always been good for my shape. Many halter necks are good too- especially halternecks under an unstructured, low neckline tee shirt. Bandeau shapes are fine, but they’re a bit underwhelming and leave something to be desired- not my favorite but I’ll settle for it when it’s the only option. Finally, I thinkkk I look better with dark colors on my pants & lighter colors up top. (But I am sensitive to dark colors, so I might just be doing that to keep draining dark colors away from my face.)
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T.N.
7/9/2020 12:06:54 pm
Wow I mentioned the good and totally forgot to state what’s bad for my shape! Here’s a perfect example of a v-neck I bought online that I expected to be fine, but it ended up being very bad for my shape. It drops straight down, is straight hem at the bottom, and the shirt hem ends below my waist around the widest part of my hips. Ugh🙄 https://pin.it/KnM7Iuz . Tanks are usually good but v-neck tanks with straight straps that sit towards the center (straps close to my neck instead of outwards closer to my shoulders) are terrible. Also big/stiff flutter sleeves are usually bad, especially if the shirt is just straight or has a higher neckline. I think caps sleeves might be better than flutter sleeves for me. Sleeves & peplums with a v-neck like this are great though: https://pin.it/SnDqN2H . Again, this looks great on me but not on the model’s body shape: https://pin.it/1rs90NI . Gentle scalloped mocknecks have been successful before (actually scallops/scalloping in general works great for my body shape). With mocknecks, it’s best when it’s longsleeve and slightly more fitted, hemline ending right above the hips, maybe a bit sheerer/thinner type of material. High neckline are either really good or really bad- no in between. I particularly like high neckline for tank tops when it’s neck framing in a loose, soft drapey material with curved armholes and a rounded hemline.
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T
3/10/2020 06:41:41 pm
Was really feeling what you were saying until I realized 95% of the women you posted here were white women and I find it difficult to use when I can’t compare my skin tone to the women you have shown.
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7/10/2020 03:31:11 pm
Hi, T. I'm a little confused by this comment, as when I did the math to check if I had completely missed the mark, it was not 95% white women in this post. However, the point is that you were clearly disappointed you didn't see anyone who fit your colouring. I get that would be frustrating, as it has been the same for me. Not sure if you were looking to get help or not, but in case you wanted help. Here's some info that could help, and also a few questions from me.
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Catherine
13/11/2020 11:27:43 am
Hi! What body types looks bad in a dress like this? I’m trying to shop this winter with my body shape in mind, but I can’t try things on in-store because of Covid right now. So I’m trying to find my shape via items that were bad in the past, and this is definitely one.
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Catherine
13/11/2020 02:00:20 pm
On the other hand, a dress like this is MUCH more flattering on my shape. https://pin.it/7a2EqMp
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Catherine
17/11/2020 01:14:13 pm
This fit-and-flare dress with these straps is also a good dress for my body shape: https://pin.it/62vKP7a
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Catherine
19/11/2020 08:06:02 pm
Lastly- outfits like this are very good on my body shape!
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Catherine
22/11/2020 07:59:25 pm
I’m a goblet body shape! Thought I was a Cornet & then a Cello. I just needed to think out loud by commenting a bunch to figure it out lol. Thanks for your patience there. Those lower cut tops are great for my shape but I’m a more modest personality. So your goblet post gave me a bunch of fresh inspo to work with. Thanks for creating your system because no one else seems to acknowledge my body type! So relieved to see other goblet-shaped women beautifully embracing their shape. Inspires me to do the same!
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Marie H.
24/11/2020 01:09:01 pm
Is it possible to be completely high contrast and still be a Clear warm soft? I resonate most with that season but I am high contrast. It seems that only high contrast spring people are Clear warm brights but clear warm soft appears to be a much better match for me. If this is possible, I’d love to know of any examples like me. I kind of have atypical coloring so I’ve always dealt with little issues like this concerning my coloring.
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25/11/2020 01:14:22 pm
Hi, Marie H! Anything is possible, if those are the colours that suit you best. So focus the most on that. What you look like and how that fits with the examples listed is much less important, and more meant to help narrow the search down for people and finding their type faster.
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Marie H.
6/1/2021 11:19:23 pm
Hey there! Sorry my reply took so long. I was testing out different contrast levels & color combinations on myself. I determined that I am Soft Spring, but I am medium-high contrast. This is such an awkward “in between” contrast (and unusual for Springs). Which explains all the confusion, as well as my Bright Spring look. I look best in the deepest of Soft Spring neutrals, with pops of light-medium Soft Spring neutrals. Though I can handle one pop of color paired with my neutrals (analogous schemes at most). Here’s the website where I learned more about this type of contrast level. I think this is the only information online about medium-high contrast which exists.. but I’m so glad I finally figured it out!
H
1/8/2021 04:16:40 pm
Hey! You helped me determine I was a Soft Spring (clear warm soft) a while ago, and its changed my beauty game! I want to say thank you again for your help! Since then, I’ve gotten the hang of identifying other Spring season people.
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H
28/8/2021 01:25:45 pm
In addition to the above comment, the late Mya-Lecia Naylor was a True Spring, Soft Spring, or Light Spring type. God rest her soul.
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Lani
31/3/2022 09:38:59 am
This is the best system I have found! Thank you! Do you have plans to do one for men?
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N
8/6/2022 06:02:13 am
Dear Sun,
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H.
13/7/2022 09:04:10 am
Sun, I think Sophie Choudry is an Indian Light Cool Neutral that you can add to your chart!
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Elspeth
8/7/2023 01:37:25 pm
I am very pale with dark brown eyes, and (naturally brown) but dyed black hair. I have big deep reddish mauve lips. I have a big nose too. That makes me super high contrast.
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Elspeth
8/7/2023 02:22:32 pm
I am very pale with dark brown eyes, and (naturally brown) but dyed black hair. I have big deep reddish lips. I have a big nose too. That makes me super high contrast.
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ETHICAL AND PERSONALIZED STYLE, FOR A "GOOD FOR YOU" WARDROBE.Idealist style is a website and "slow blog" dedicated to ethical fashion and personalized style, including tips on how to find your very own "slow fashion" style by using color analysis, the body types system, and other slow fashion tips.» Archives
January 2020
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