True Winter Color Palette (Cool Winter)

True Winter is the coolest of the three Winter types in 12-season color analysis. Coolness leads and clarity follows. The palette looks like a winter evening in a city: black and white, icy pastels and deep jewel tones, with nothing golden, orange or earthy.

True Winters usually have medium to deep coloring with high contrast. Typical signs:

• hair in cool dark brown to blue-black, or salt-and-pepper and silver;
• eyes in cool dark brown, grey, icy blue or cool green;
• skin with a blue or pink cast, from fair to deep;
• orange, camel and gold make your skin look yellow, while blue-based colors make it look clear.

A quick test: compare a pure white top with an ivory one. If pure white looks crisp and ivory looks dingy, you are on the True Winter side.

Pure white, black, navy, charcoal and cool grey are your base; add one saturated cool color near your face. Royal blue, sapphire, emerald, true red and fuchsia are your statement colors, and icy pink, icy blue and icy lavender serve as your light shades instead of beige. Sharp tailoring and smooth fabrics suit your coloring.

Orange, camel, mustard, rust, olive, peach, warm beige and golden brown are your colors to avoid. They are too warm for your cool coloring. Wear them away from your face, and keep white, black or a jewel tone near it.

Blue-red is a signature lipstick for you, along with cool pink, fuchsia and berry. Cool pink or raspberry blush and charcoal, navy, silver-grey or plum eyeshadow complete the look. Hair looks best in cool dark brown to blue-black, or natural silver; golden and red tones clash. Silver, platinum and white gold are your metals, with diamonds, sapphires, rubies and amethyst.

True Winter sits between Deep Winter and Bright Winter. Compared with Deep Winter, it is cooler and a little lighter: if icy pastels and royal blue look better than dark wine and deep teal, True Winter fits. Compared with Bright Winter, it is less intense. Its cross-season neighbor is True Summer, which is softer and lower in contrast.

See the palettes side by side: Deep Winter and Bright Winter.

If you are torn between True Winter and Deep Winter or Bright Winter, compare two colors from each palette under your chin in daylight; the one that makes your skin look smoother and your eyes clearer wins. A photo is a second opinion: the free selfie analysis reads your skin, hair and eye colors, and the color analysis quiz works without a photo. If it says Winter, the paid report tells you whether you are this type or a neighbor, with a printable True Winter color card. See pricing.

Yes. Some systems call it True Winter, others Cool Winter; both describe the coolest Winter type.

Icy pastels only: icy pink, icy blue, icy lavender and icy mint. Warm or dusty pastels look flat.

Blue-based shades: true blue-red, fuchsia, cool pink and berry.