What Colors I’m Not.

This is going to be a bit easier than earlier.

I’m still trying to figure out what seasonal color I fall into. There are a lot of “works well enough” but there are also quite a few “oh, heck no” colors for me out there, too.

“No” Colors:
*black
*pure white
*true red
*anything with a reddish or orange undertone (all make my skin sallow and drawn)
*almost all yellows, most browns which have a fall tree leaf cast to them (yellowish or orange-ish)
*neon ANYTHING
*salmon & coral colors are a big no-no (I’d always worn a coral blush and found recently that rather than making me glow, it looked like I was fighting a bad fever…)
*pure saturated colors are too hard and overwhelming on me.

Finding your season.

The following is a direct copypasta from truth-is-beauty.com

None of it is mine, but I’m posting it here because it’s very helpful for me. Unfortunately, I can never find anything with the 16 season color set because I seem/feel that I fall somewhere between the Soft Summer and Dark Winter… That would make me a Dark Winter Soft (more likely because of my dark brown hair and dark hazel eyes) or Soft Summer Deep (because of the muted coloring I lean toward, though this palette is often too light for me).

******************
Method #2: Lipstick Draping
One of the easiest ways to narrow your season down to just a few contenders is to try lip colors that correspond to each season.

If a lip color is right for you, it will appear balanced with your skin. It will look natural, not peculiar. It will make you look better rested, healthier, and even younger. It will seem to reduce the appearance of shadows, blemishes and lines on your face.

If a lip color is wrong for you, it will repeatedly drag the eye away from the rest of your face. It will appear out of balance with the rest of your face. It may make you appear tired or sick. It may give your skin an unnatural color. It may appear to be the same color as lines, blemishes or discolorations on your face.

For each season, I’ve listed one higher-end lip color that you can probably try at Ulta, Sephora, or a department store, and one less expensive color that you can buy (relatively) cheaply at a drug store.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

If you’re a Bright Spring, you’ll look natural in

MAC Lady at Play
Covergirl Lip Perfection Delight

* * * * * * * * * * * *

If you’re a True Spring, you’ll look natural in

MAC Made to Order
Revlon Super Lustrous Siren

* * * * * * * * * * * *

If you’re a Light Spring, you’ll look natural in

Chanel Rouge Coco Shine Liberte
Maybelline Born With It
* * * * * * * * * * * *

If you’re a Light Summer, you’ll look natural in

MAC Lovelorn
Maybelline Pink Wink
* * * * * * * * * * * *

If you’re a True Summer, you’ll look natural in

MAC Up the Amp
Maybelline Darling Pink

* * * * * * * * * * * *

If you’re a Soft Summer, you’ll look natural in

MAC Syrup
Revlon CColorstay Preview

* * * * * * * * * * * *

If you’re a Soft Autumn, you’ll look natural in

Clinique Buttershine Apple Brandy
Revlon Super Lustrous Blushing Mauve

* * * * * * * * * * * *

If you’re a True Autumn, you’ll look natural in

MAC Chili
Revlon Super Lustrous Sandalwood Beige
* * * * * * * * * * * *

If you’re Dark Autumn, you’ll look natural in

MAC Brickola
Revlon Spicy Cinnamon

* * * * * * * * * * * *

If you’re a Dark Winter, you’ll look natural in

Merle Norman Stolen Kisses
Rimmel Moisture Renew in Berry Queen

* * * * * * * * * * * *

If you’re a True Winter, you’ll look natural in

Estee Lauder Long Last in Red Apple
Revlon Colorstay in Muse

* * * * * * * * * * * *

If you’re a Bright Winter, you’ll look natural in

MAC Girl About Town
Revlon Cherries in the Snow

Method #3: Identify Your Worst Colors

As confused as we may be about our true colors, we often instinctively know one or two colors that we must avoid at all costs.

For example, long before I knew I was a Soft Autumn, I knew I was terrified of fuchsia and bright red.

Find a color that scares you on the list below, and it may bring you closer to identifying your season.

If bright red overwhelms you……you may be a Soft Autumn. If you look awful in bright coral……you may be a Soft Summer. If peach does absolutely nothing for you……you may be a Dark Winter. If seeing orange next to your face makes you feel physically ill……you may be a True Winter or Summer, or a Soft Summer. If your worst color is yellow-green……you may be a True Summer. If golden brown turns your skin yellow or makes you look sick… …you may be a Winter, or a True Summer. If beige and tan make your skin look sallow or lifeless………you might be a Bright Spring. If your worst color is pastel blue……you may be a Bright season, or a True Autumn. If lavender drains the life from your face……you may be a Dark Autumn. If fuchsia washes you out and looks harsh on you……you may be a True Spring or Autumn, , a Soft Autumn, or a Light Spring. If burgundy makes your face seem colorless……you may be a Light Spring. If black makes you look pale, tired or sick……you may be a Light season, or a Soft Autumn.

.

Method #4: What tricky color do you look great in?

Warning: To be objective about this, get a friend’s opinion. Don’t trust your own judgment. If you already knew your best colors, you probably wouldn’t be reading this.  😉

If black makes you look healthy and alive …. If you look awesome in yellow-green…If you look vibrant and natural in brown…If you look fantastic in bright fuchsia… If you look alive in olive green… If you get compliments in pastel blue…

..you may be a Winter, Dark Autumn or Bright Spring. …you may be a Spring. …you may be an Autumn. …you may be a Winter, or a Bright Spring. …you may be an Autumn. …you may be a Summer.

Zyla

http://naturalbeauty.about.com/od/BeyondBeautyProducts/tp/Complement-Your-Natural-Beauty-With-Color-And-Your-Collar.htm

Above for perusal at a later date.

Feeling out Soft Winter…

I’ve been into seasonal color analysis for quite a long time and have run the gamut where it concerns how *I* lie in the seasonal color system. Lately, I’ve been dabbling in Soft Summer, particularly DEEP Soft Summer. My coloring in some respects seems to fit there; the muted, soft tones suit me because loud, vibrant, jarring ones tend to overwhelm all of my features.

I went at one point to one of these seasonal color forums, posted some photos of myself, too, but I didn’t come out with much help in that arena because the lighting on all of them was dramatically different. Some suggested to me I may be some kind of clear summer (no, clear is too bold for me…), but one did suggest a Winter type. I had an immediate, visceral reaction saying NO, NOT WINTER, because a Winter is supposed to be that girl that looks fabulous in stark black or white, and I’m neither.

Of course, I suppose that doesn’t always hold true to EVERYONE. Black and white on me are fairly horrid, I think, but I was told that while the black wasn’t The Best on me, it wasn’t TERRIBLE, either…which made me want to take a look at winter again.

I’ve been looking into the new-ish 16 season color system, as opposed to the 12, and I think I may have found my match in Soft Deep Winter. Before, I thought the best I could do is Soft Summer on the deep side, sticking to all the darker colors which suited me better than pastel.

The below is the ONLY image I’ve ever been able to find of a Soft DEEP Winter color palette. Unfortunately, it also shows EVERY OTHER palette, too.

So, in response to this HUGE file, I made the following, a nicely sized color palette JUST for Deep Winter SOFT:

In this palette I can see many similarities to the Soft/Deep Soft Summer palettes. However, I can also see that the colors tend toward slightly darker colors overall.

I’m definitely happy with the graphic. Regards whether this palette is suitable to me…the verdict’s still out. I’m happy with everything EXCEPT for the yellows, which usually are pretty horrid on me. We’ll see. More research today, as I’m able.