Discover your color palette and your style type.

Which Type of Autumn Are You?

8/26/2019

If your best colors are warm and earthy, you're an Autumn. But there are actually three Autumn palettes. Determining which Autumn you are can be tricky. At first glance, these palettes all look pretty similar.

Soft Autumn

True Autumn

Dark Autumn

Soft Autumn

Soft Autumn is the most faded Autumn palette, and it's the lightest as well. Soft Autumn colors are faded earth tones -- desert colors, or safari colors.

Soft Autumn colors are desert colors.

If you're a Soft Autumn, black is one of your worst colors, and you may feel that almost every color makes you look "blah." You may feel your natural coloring is rather mousy and boring. Any attempts you make to enliven your coloring with extreme makeup or hair dye will only make your actual skin look even more washed out and "blah." You'll only come to life in very subtle, very gentle colors. And they won't look subtle or gentle on you! When it comes to color, context is everything.

Soft Autumn Gisele Bundchen. She's anything but "blah" in her correct colors. She needs faded earth tones to bring her to life.

(If you know your coloring is warm and gentle, but you also look good in lime green, you're probably a Light Spring, not a Soft Autumn.)

Dark Autumn

If you're a Dark Autumn, you may be confused, because on the one hand you know you're best in rich earth tones, but on the other hand you seem to be able to wear black. That's correct -- Dark Autumn is the darkest Autumn palette, and also the most vivid. Dark Autumn is the only Autumn palette that includes black.

Dark Autumn Kim Kardashian.

I think of these colors as Halloween colors, or Byzantine colors. They're definitely warm, and definitely earthy, but they're intense too. Sort of charred and vivid at the same time. When I think of Dark Autumn, the combination of black and gold is one of the first things that comes to mind,

Dark Autumn colors are Autumn at midnight.

Dark Autumn = glorious Byzantium.

Dark Autumn colors.

(If your best colors are warm, and you know you can wear black, but you also look good in a light, bright fuchsia, you're probably a Bright Spring, not a Dark Autumn.)

True Autumn

True Autumn Jennifer Lopez. Black is too dark for her, so she's not a Dark Autumn. But Soft Autumn would be too faded for her -- she needs richer hues.

If you can rule out Dark Autumn (because you're overwhelmed by black) and Soft Autumn (because those colors are much too weak for you), then you're likely a True Autumn, also known as Warm Autumn.
True Autumn is one of the rarer seasons, so congratulations, unicorn! :-)

Your colors are the stereotypical Autumn foliage colors: very rich, very warm, neither super-light or particularly dark.

True Autumn colors are the colors of fall foliage.

The True Autumn palette.

Are you an Autumn? How did you figure out your exact type? Share in the comments!

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All Makeup Lists 20% Off!

8/12/2019

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Once we turn the corner from July into August, I start to think about summer ending, and I feel a little bummed. Maybe you feel that way too.

To cheer us all up, I'm discounting makeup lists 20% this week. :-)

From now through August 19th, use the code SUMMERMAKEUP to get 20% off of your seasonal makeup list.

If you're still not sure what your color season is, this is the perfect time to buy a seasonal list, Take it into Ulta or Sephora, and try some products. When you're using the list that is right for you, you'll see that product after product looks amazing on you.

Have I told you lately how powerful it is to own your seasonal makeup list?

Every one of the hundreds of products on the list matches one of the colors in your seasonal palette. That means every product is harmonious with your skin. Every lipstick and blush is one of your reds or pinks. Every eyeliner and eyeshadow is one of your greys or browns (or blues, or greens, or purples, if you feel like getting creative.)

It's been more than 10 years since I started using only makeup that matches the Soft Autumn palette. So that's ten years since I got off of the makeup merry-go-round.

Not once in the last ten years have I bought a lipstick because a magazine told me it was in style, or it was a "universally flattering" color. (There's no such thing!)

Not once in the last ten years have I bought an eyeshadow because I thought it looked awesome, only to have it look awful on my face.

I spend very, very little money on makeup now. I use every product until the pan or tube is empty, because everything I buy looks great on me. I have one extended-wear lipstick that's perfect for me, and I buy it in bulk on eBay. (I actually buy most of my makeup online; I just order from my list.) And I have one lippie I use for a fancy night out -- it's Soft Autumn's version of a deep red. (Dozens of products match this exact shade of red, but the one I use is Tarte Tarteist in Bling.)

Soft Autumn's version of a deep red.

$15.99

Add to Cart

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What Do True (Cool) Summers Really Look Like?

8/5/2019

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I haven't found a more comprehensive gallery of real-life True Summers than this one, on Elea Blake Cosmetic Studio's Facebook page.

Personal color systems other than the 12-tone system usually rely on hair and eye color to determine your color palette. These systems tend to incorrectly type light-eyed, fair-haired women as Summers, even when they're not. And they tend to to ignore the possibility that women with darker hair and eyes can be Summers.

A quick glance through Elea Blake's True Summer album will give you a snapshot of what True Summers really look like. It's a varied picture!

You'll see loads of brunettes. You'll see women with red hair, brown eyes, freckles, and other features that you don't think of when you think of True Summer. You'll see women of color who would surely be mistyped as Dark Autumn or Dark Winter in most other color systems.

In the 12-tone system, all that matters is which colors best complement you-- and that's determined by your skin's undertones. That's the correct way to determine your best colors.

If you're not sure of your color season, consider trying the Truth is Beauty Color Analysis Quiz. When you know your color season, you can stop buying the wrong makeup because makeup that matches your color palette also complements your skin.

Here's to really seeing ourselves. Truth is beauty!

A version of this post ran in July of 2011.

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Truth is Beauty

Which Type of Autumn Are You?

Soft Autumn

Dark Autumn

True Autumn

All Makeup Lists 20% Off!

Soft Summer makeup list

Bright Spring makeup list

Bright Winter makeup list

Light Spring makeup list

True Spring makeup list

Light Summer makeup list

True Winter makeup list

True Autumn makeup list

True Summer makeup list

Dark Autumn makeup list

Dark Winter makeup list

Soft Autumn makeup list

What Do True (Cool) Summers Really Look Like?

About Me...

Categories

Archives

Truth is Beauty

Which Type of Autumn Are You?

​Soft Autumn

Dark Autumn

True Autumn

All Makeup Lists 20% Off!

Soft Summer makeup list

Bright Spring makeup list

Bright Winter makeup list

Light Spring makeup list

True Spring makeup list

Light Summer makeup list

True Winter makeup list

True Autumn makeup list

True Summer makeup list

Dark Autumn makeup list

Dark Winter makeup list

Soft Autumn makeup list

What Do True (Cool) Summers Really Look Like?

About Me...

Categories

Archives

Soft Autumn