Distinguishing between Light Spring and Soft Autumn

Some Light Spring yellows do read as rather gentle. But some are also quite bright and clear. I think of them as "Easter egg yellows", or sunshine yellows. They are way too bright for Soft Autumn.

Soft Autumn's yellows only really look yellow in the context of Soft Autumn coloring.. Next to brighter colors, they can read as tan. On a Light Spring, they can look heavy and draining. Or they can just look like tan. But they won't look yellow.

Easter Egg Yellow vs. Wheat Yellow

We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming to answer a reader question. 

A read finds herself narrowed down to these two seasons.

I'm often asked how to tell these two apart, actually. It's quite common for people to get this far and then get stuck.

If you know you're neutral-warm rather than purely warm, 
and you also know you absolutely can't wear black,
these are your only two options. 

So how to make the final decision?

Try testing these pairs of colors on yourself.

Lime Green vs. Dark Forest Green

Light Spring greens go all the way to light, bright lime. Lime is good on all three Springs, truly  -   but no good at all for Soft Autumn.

Soft Autumn, meanwhile, is lovely in dark forest green. This color does nothing at all for Light Spring - it's darker than they are.

Aqua Blue  vs. Cadet Blue

Light Spring aquas are light, pure, and clear - like swimming pools. They light up Light Spring skin, but make a Soft Autumn look insignificant.

Google "cadet blue" to see images that suggest Soft Autumn's tricky blues. These can make a Light Spring look sickly grey, and in my opinion are among Light Spring's worst colors.

Hot Pink vs. Brick Red

Light Springs are so lovely in light hot pinks. It's a pleasure to see a human pull off this color. Soft Autumns tend to look pale or dirty with this next to their skin.

Soft Autumns get faded brick reds that read as straight-up red in the context of muted Soft Autumn coloring. On a Light Spring, these reds are meh.

I hope this helps!

You might want to also check out Christine Scaman's article about differences between Spring and Autumn colors. 

If you're still stuck, consider buying a color card set to drape yourself at home.