In this article you will discover:
- ✓ The True Winter palette, True Winter Makeup, Hair and Jewellery
- ✓ Common characteristics of a True Winter
- ✓ The benefits of using the True Winter palette for your wardrobe
- ✓ The True Winter outfit secrets to looking effortless
- ✓ If you should have a seasonal colour analysis for a professional confirmation
After many years of styling thousands of clients both in our London studio and online, we are well aware that there is no "one size fits all" approach when it comes to colour analysis.
For an accurate analysis, it is important to look at both your undertones and the contrast level between your hair, skin tone and eye colour.
This will tell us the temperature of the colours that best suit you, as well as the intensity and vibrancy of the colours too.
This is the best way to ensure a precise result in the types of colours that will be in harmony with your natural beauty.
The aim of colour analysis is to make your features the main focus of your look, rather than the clothes themselves. The moment is not your outfit, it is you in the outfit.
5 common Characteristics of a True Winter
These characteristics are not strict guidelines, they are general qualities of what is most common for this season. Do not expect to look exactly the same as someone else who is also a True Winter!
Also, you may find that you have a True Winter colour analysis result, yet you may have qualities that don't quite fit into the conventional True Winter characteristics.
This is particularly true for people of colour as most seasonal colour analysis advice is centred around white skin tones.
We are stylists with a mixed raced background, so we understand this on a personal level!
Keeping in mind that we must take into consideration a certain degree of nuance, here are 5 common characteristics of a True Winter:
- Your true winter skin is very cool with blue undertones, which is usually fairly overt. Many people mistake cool undertones for light skin, but this is not the case.
- Your eyes have a cool look to them, as opposed to warm or soft.
- There is a high contrast between your hair, skin and eye colour.
- Your lips have a natural rosy red or rose pink appearance.
- Your hair is cool and dark rather than warm and golden
Please note, the vein analysis is not the most accurate way to determine your colour season as we also take into account your contrast levels.
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The True Winter Palette
The True Winter colours have a cool, intense and striking feel to the palette.
When thinking of The True Winter palette, think of an icy, snowy scene at the height of winter. Picture holly berry and a dark winter sky next to bright fresh snow.
Looking at the overall palette you will notice there are no warm or muted colours.
As a True Winter, these colours neither overpower nor drain you, they will work in harmony with you.
This means that you will look dazzling naturally and effortlessly when wearing these colours.
Click here to view our True Winter Colour Guide
True Winter Best Jewellery Metals
Silver, white gold and platinum are the best shiny metals to harmonise with your True Winter cool blue undertones. Stay away from warm metals such as copper, bronze, (rose gold) or very yellow gold metals as this will clash with your striking and cool look.
For a well-put-together look, we recommend using your best metals for jewellery and hardware, such as zips, bag clasps, buttons, belt buckles etc.
True Winter Makeup
When it comes to True Winter makeup, it is best to choose colours that enhance your cool skin tone. As you do not have yellow undertones, stay away from warm-toned makeup, particularly orange colours like peach and apricot.
It is no secret that warm-toned makeup has on trend in recent years, which has led to many of our cool-toned clients feeling that the only way to look glowing, is to do so in a way that looks bronzed or tanned.
As a True Winter, these colours will not enhance what is happening with you naturally, but rather, mask your natural colouring qualities.
However, those with a cool undertone can look just as glowing, but in a way that is cool rather than warm.
Although it is tempting to gravitate towards colours we like, wearing colours that look in harmony with your cool blue undertones is far more effective.
True Winter Nail Polish Colours
When it comes to looking well put together, it is all in the details.
Therefore, the best way to complement your True Winter look is by choosing nail polish colours from your palette.
It can be tempting to deviate from your palette and try out a warmer, brighter shade. However, this will either clash or look jarring against a head-to-toe True Winter look, so we advise choosing a colour from your palette for a complimentary look.
True Winter Best Hair Colours
If you are considering changing your hair colour, we strongly advise that you should opt for another True Winter hair colour for your best look. Ultimately, we all look our best when we are working with what is happening with us naturally, rather than drastically changing ourselves.
Cool shades are most flattering for true winters; this includes cool dark ash brown or natural black, dark cherry or a cool-toned blonde.
Be sure to avoid warm colours such as caramel or strawberry blonde as they can drain your colouring and they will not work with your striking features.
Be mindful that dying your hair slightly lighter or slightly darker can throw off your contrast levels, so, It's essential to seek professional advice when choosing a new hair colour.
The perfect shade for you depends on a combination of the surface colour of your skin (which varies across all True Winter clients) as well as your undertone and contrast level.
True Winter Colours to Avoid
Stay away from rich and warm hues as these colours are the direct opposite of the striking and cool winter colours that look best on you.
More specifically, avoid warm yellow golds, oranges, beige, camel, dark brown and peach.
These warm colours will drain your cool colouring rather than bring it to life.
True Winter, Dark Winter or Bright Winter?
Each color season is divided into three subcategories. For the cool winter family, the colour palettes are Dark Winter, True Winter, and Bright Winter.
If you’re a “True Winter”, then you’re in the middle of the winter season, and the two sister pallets are Dark Winter (think of the beginning of winter) and Bright Winter (the end of winter) on the seasonal flow chart.
True Winter is the coolest of the three palettes, whereas Dark Winter can take (medium dark) slightly darker colours and less variety of light colours this palette follows Dark Autumn, and Bright Winters's colours are much brighter as this palette neighbours Spring.
Dark and Bright winters are not as cool in their undertones as a True winter, as both of these neighbour warm palettes.
It’s advised to stick to your True Winter colours as these are the most in harmony with your natural beauty.
However, should you wish to wear more colours, then these two winter types are your second-best options.
Can True Winters wear black?
Black is a colour that is considered a classic staple in many wardrobes and there is a myth that black looks fantastic on everyone, but this is not the case.
If you are somebody who lives in black, then good news, as black does appear in the True Winter palette! This colour looks in harmony with you as you already have darkness in your hair and eyebrows (or in some cases, eyes too).
As you are both cool and you have a high contrast level, you can take a striking colour combination such as black and white.
Now, we do encourage you to expand your colour comfort zone and try dark-coloured alternatives from your True Winter palette to add variety and dimension to your look.
The True Winter palette is complete with many darker colours (and dark tones) that will look just as beautiful on you as black. Dark cool blue, Dark Grey and Dark Green are great alternatives to black that will fit perfectly within the cool True Winter palette.
If wearing alternative colours to black feels very daunting, we recommend taking baby steps and start with dark-coloured accessories such as a bag, or a phone case to ease you into wearing new colours. In time you can move to clothing when you have more confidence in different colours.
6 game-changing Benefits of a True Winter Wardrobe
Having the correct color palette as your wardrobe guide is a game changer when it comes to creating flattering outfits quickly and easily.
Using a colour palette will also radically change the way you shop, as you will begin to shop with a filtering system that allows you to question ‘What will this garment do for me?’ rather than buying the item as an impulse decision, only to find that it does not go with anything you own at home!
Here are 6 main benefits of using the True winter colour palette as a wardrobe guide:
- Save time getting ready - quickly putting outfits together that look good is a huge time saver. When you choose colours from the True winter palette, you’ll be able to create a variety of looks without having to spend hours trying on different items.
- Save a staggering amount of money - say goodbye to the days of buying clothes that you never wear. When curating your wardrobe with cool true winter colours, you will eliminate buyers remorse as your purchases will be highly flattering on you.
- Look effortless without trying hard- The secret to looking effortless is to find clothes that are in alignment with your colouring and your body shape. By dressing head to toe in cool true winter colours, your outfits will look well-put-together, without looking try-hard.
- Less stress, more confidence - By using the True winter palette, you don’t have to second-guess your outfits. Knowing that all the items you’ve chosen are highly flattering on you and look great together will give you more confidence in your wardrobe.
- More outfits with less items - When you build a wardrobe based on your colour palette, everything will mix and match easily, meaning the versatility of each garment will increase.
- More sustainable - Knowing that your colour season will never change is reassuring. It means that you can invest in a wardrobe designed for longevity.
As a True winter, building your wardrobe using the True winter color palette is the perfect solution to help you achieve all of these goals.
True winter Wardrobe Secrets To Successful Outfits
The best way to use your True winter colours is to wear a striking colour combination, as this will enhance your naturally high contrast level.
Good examples of this include wearing a combination of black and white, or navy and icy blue.
If your personal style is better suited to making a bold fashion choice - you can pull off deep ruby reds, royal blue and emerald greens, which will look fantastic with a contrast of statement silver jewellery.
A good tip to enhance your True Winter wardrobe is to experiment with these colours in a variety of fabrics, as this will change the way that you feel in your colours. You may feel that ruby red is a wonderful statement in silk, but perhaps not in cotton or linen. Similarly, you might love black in leather, but not as knitwear.
True winter Wardrobe Neutral Colours
For many, light neutrals like beige and camel and darker neutrals like chocolate brown are the go-to options when it comes to their wardrobe. However, as a True winter, these colours are not the best option for yo
Neutrals like beige and camel are too warm for True winters and can make them look washed out and dull.
Instead, True winter neutrals favour black, true white, light grey, dark grey and cool blue.
True winter Wardrobe Accent Colours
Our True Winter clients find that they can easily a statement look with their cool and clear color palette. The cool winter reds, pinks and purples are all excellent choices.
Finding the perfect accent colour can complement your natural coloring, and enhance your cool appearance However, when it comes to finding the perfect accent colours for you, whether it is something different such as icy cool blue or light grey, choose a True winter colour that makes you feel most confident. make sure you feel like you at your best.
True Winter Wardrobe Colour Combinations
As you have a high contrast level, you look best in colour combinations that are also of a striking contrast level.
The good news is that all the colours you have in your palette can mix and match with each other, so when it comes to outfit building, True Winters can expect easy and fast outfit building.
When using these colour combinations, think head-to-toe with your outfit and experiment with the colours with different fabrics.
Whilst a black and white combination is considered a classic True Winter combination, there are many options that will work for you.
Below are some of our favourite True Winter colour combinations:
True Winter Wardrobe Workwear Colors
Worry not, as there are plenty of colours in your palette that are considered universal corporate wear colours.
Let’s start with your True winter neutrals. As a True winter, you look great in grey, black, white and navy blue. These classic colours are also easy to mix and match, so you can create endless looks with just a few pieces.
If you’re looking for something slightly different, consider a dark green or a light grey to help you stand out from a crowd that’s dressed in black.
True Winter vs True Summer
We have found that for many clients of ours, it can be hard to differentiate between True Winter and True Summer colours when shopping.
It can be easy to assume that True Winter colours would be the direct opposite of the True Summer palette.
However, this is not the case - both True Winter and True Summer are cool seasons, yet there is a clear distinction in their boldness and intensity.
While True Summers opt for cool, soft, muted tones, True Winters stand out with deep, striking hues.
Despite this, both True Winters and True Summers possess some of the same range of the undertone spectrum, making them fairly similar in terms of their coolness.
True winter FAQs
WILL MY SEASON CHANGE IF I TAN, AGE OR DYE MY HAIR?
This is a question we get asked a lot, and The good news is that it will not – no matter if your cool skin tone changes due to tanning or ageing.
This is because True winter colours are perfectly in harmony with your cool skin and the high contrast level between your hair, skin and eye colour.
So if you're a True winter, you can look forward to a lifetime of wearing flattering colours - no matter your age, or when you get grey hair! Therefore you can have the confidence to invest in classic pieces for a True Winter wardrobe with longevity.
CAN TRUE WINTERS HAVE BROWN EYES?
Yes, many True winters do have dark cool brown eyes. It’s more common that True Winters have can blue or icy hazel eyes, but this is not always the case.
ARE TRUE WINTERS RARE?
Speaking purely from our experience as stylists, we see many True Winter clients. Overall True winter is a fairly popular colour season.
CAN I BE A TRUE WINTER AND STILL GET A TAN?
Yes, you can. It is a misconception that skin with cool blue undertones cannot darken in the sun.
