Soft Autumn: Color Palette, Capsule Wardrobe, and Ultimate Guide
Soft Autumn is warm and soft and shares characteristics with autumn and summer in the 12 season system of color analysis.
Soft Autumn is a unique seasonal blend that marries the warm undertones of autumn with the subtle beauty of summer. It’s part of the nuanced 12-season system of color analysis that helps individuals like you find their ideal hues.
Do you find that your features have an understated warmth, without any one aspect stealing the show? Are you drawn to the relaxing colors or beige and olive that make you feel grounded? Does the quiet awakening of a foggy forest morning bring you quiet joy?
If this sounds like you, you might be a Soft Autumn!
This is a comprehensive guide to soft autumn in the 12-season system of color analysis. Keep reading to learn the physical characteristics, best makeup, a color palette, wardrobe staples for soft autumn, and how to create your own custom palette.
Table of Contents
The 12 Seasons of Color Analysis
Seasonal color analysis is a transformative approach that helps you discover which colors make you look and feel your best. By examining the undertones of your skin, eyes, and hair, this system categorizes you into one of the 12 distinct color families.
The result? A curated palette that enhances your natural beauty and instills a newfound sense of confidence.
In this system, six key color components serve as the guiding pillars: warm, cool, deep, light, soft, and bright. Within the warm spectrum, the Autumn color family stands out for its medium to dark, muted tones.
The autumn color family includes soft autumn, warm autumn, and deep autumn.
- Soft Autumn (you are here)
- Warm Autumn
- Deep Autumn
Today, we delve into the gentle beauty of Soft Autumn—a palette that masterfully balances warm undertones with muted contrast.
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Soft Autumn is Warm and Soft
Soft Summer is classified in the following ways: warm hue, medium value, muted chroma.
- Warm hue – the undertone is always red, but various overtones of pink or white may give a cooler appearance, causing confusion when determining the difference between soft autumn and soft summer.
- Medium value – soft autumn is typically medium to dark in value. Often certain color families will lean lighter than others, for example needing medium pinks and reds, and deep greens and blues.
- Muted chroma – this is the dominant defining characteristic of soft autumn types. Brightness should be used to exclude soft autumn as a final season result.
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Soft autumn differs from its fellow autumn seasons in that chroma is the primary characteristic. Although there is definite warmth, there is an overall muted gray look to the features.
The skin is likely to be gentle beige or taupe. Variation occurs from winter to summer as sun exposure creates a golden glow, then reverts to ashy warmth as it fades.
The eyes will typically be brown or green or blue, with a soft opaque quality to them. The eye patterns of autumn are unique, often featuring an olive overlay and brown specks.
While hair color is a less essential feature in determining one’s seasonal palette, it often serves as a complementary trait in Soft Autumns. Hair is in the brown color family, from light to medium/dark, and may have gold, red, or faint auburn highlights. Dark blonde hair is also frequently seen in soft autumn types, and occasionally medium blonde.
The features are overall similar in depth, with none of the features standing out above the rest. One might suggest that the features of a soft autumn are nondescript, but they come alive when wearing the proper colors for their season.
Makeup for the Soft Autumn Woman
To emphasize the features of soft autumn, makeup colors should be both warm and soft as well.
For the eyes, choose light neutrals such as cream, blush and copper, or rich brown and olive. Accent colors could be soft plum or warm teal.
For the cheeks, neutral warm shades of sand, coral, and peach are wonderful to bring out a peachy glow for soft autumn.
Nude lips are a winner for soft autumn, along with copper and caramel. For a bold lip choose chestnut, mocha, or coral red.
Avoid cool tones like pink or berry red lipstick, cool blue and green eyeshadows, and soft pink cheek colors. Soft autumn should also stay away from dark lip colors.
Inspiration: The Natural Beauty of Soft Autumn
Expanding on the inspiration behind the Soft Autumn palette, this season is celebrated for its serene warmth and muted elegance. The imagery of a landscape softly veiled by fog perfectly captures the essence of Soft Autumn’s color harmony. Within this ethereal blend, the palette leans heavily into the warmth of browns, reds, oranges, yellows, and greens, each shade carrying a whisper of gray that softens and unifies.
The natural world offers abundant inspiration for Soft Autumn, from the nuanced spectrum of a leaf transitioning between seasons to the tranquil beauty of a natural spring under the glow of a setting sun. The warm teal blues that dance on the water’s surface during these moments are quintessentially Soft Autumn, embodying the palette’s unique blend of warmth and softness
Visual Inspirations
- Leaf Transition: Observing the mixed hues of a leaf in mid-transition, capturing the essence of Soft Autumn as summer’s vibrancy gently shifts to autumn’s richness.
- Marigold Glow: The muted glow of marigold leaves under soft lighting, illustrating the season’s range with a visual feast of soft, warm colors deeply connected to the natural cycle of change.
- Sunset Brilliance: The brilliant yellow of a cloudy sunset, where shades of yellow blend with ivory and taupe, showcasing Soft Autumn’s palette as day transitions into night under a canopy of soft, muted colors, encapsulating the tranquil beauty and warmth of Soft Autumn.
These natural scenes serve as a visual guide to understanding and embracing the Soft Autumn palette, inviting you to explore and incorporate these muted yet warm colors into your wardrobe and personal style.
Soft Autumn Color Palette
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In creating a palette for soft autumn we start with neutrals, and work through the major color families.
Black and white are out for all autumn types with brown and denim taking the place of black, and ivory functioning as white. Olive, blush, and camel are colored neutrals that will be staples in the soft autumn wardrobe.
Burgundy and squash are perfect soft tones, and since soft autumn borders summer, there is more variation in pinks. Yellows appear as soft brass, flax, and marzipan . Many greens can be worn along the medium to light spectrum. Blues are typically cool, but adding green makes them suitable for autumn individuals. Warm purples complete the palette.
There is usually a version of every color that can be worn by any season, but some may be more difficult to match and find. Warm pinks often become blush, some reds may be too cool, any blue without green is also too cool. Purples are best that lean towards red instead of blue.
There are some colors that soft autumn should always avoid. Black and white have been mentioned as they are too stark and high contrast for soft autumn. Bright saturated colors are not suitable for the soft autumn woman as they are overpowering. Warm pastels, specifically blush and olive are some of the best colors.
Choosing Prints for Soft Autumn
Selecting the perfect patterns can elevate or detract from your Soft Autumn style. Your patterns need to align with your color scheme, as well as complement your scale and contrast levels, to enhance your appearance in the most flattering way. Here’s the strategy to nail it:
- Color Consistency: Ensure that less than 10% of the colors in your print fall outside your Soft Autumn palette. This maintains a cohesive and harmonious appearance.
- Scale: Opt for prints with a small to medium scale. Large, overpowering prints can overwhelm the Soft Autumn’s serene and soft vibe.
- Contrast Level: Stick with low-contrast prints. Soft Autumn thrives on muted, blended looks, and a low-contrast print will serve to underline this.
Following these principles will not only refine your Soft Autumn wardrobe but also boost your confidence in selecting patterns. Explore our image collection below for handpicked examples that embody these guidelines.
Wardrobe Essentials for Soft and Warm Coloring
No matter your style or personal aesthetic, there are a few items that every woman should have in their wardrobe.
The basics of any wardrobe should be neutrals, and you could certainly choose the same neutrals. Layering similar shades of the same color will create a rich luxe look.
For those who enjoy a more colorful look, the basics are still appropriate, but fun and funky accessories in the yellow, orange, purple, and blue families will add interest.
Click here to shop the Soft Autumn wardrobe essentials.
Frequently Asked Questions about Soft Autumn
What’s the difference between true (warm) autumn and soft autumn?
Contrast level and depth are the main differences between warm and soft autumn. Warm autumn is slightly brighter owing to the influence of spring as a secondary flow season. Soft autumn is slightly lighter due to the influence of summer as the secondary season.
How Do I Know If I’m a Soft Autumn?
If you find that warm, muted colors complement your natural features, you might be a Soft Autumn. Often, Soft Summers have a broad range in the medium to dark value spectrum, and their skin, eyes, and hair have a muted chroma. For a more accurate determination, a professional color analysis can provide valuable insights.
Should a Soft Autumn wear gold or silver?
With a warm undertone, Soft Autumn looks best in gold or other warm metals. Rose gold, copper, and bronze can also be good options.
Can a Soft Autumn wear purple?
A soft autumn can wear some shades of warm, smokey purple. However, most Autumns from personal experience don’t prefer to wear purple.
Can Soft Autumn wear gray?
When choosing gray a Soft autumn needs to choose one with a brown undertone rather than a blue-based gray.
Can a Soft Autumn wear yellow?
Yellow is somewhat neutral, but soft autumn can wear this color by choosing slightly soft yellows, or those that lean towards beige or blonde.
Can Soft Autumn wear navy?
Navy is considered a universally flattering color and blue-eyed Soft Autumn types will enjoy wearing it. For best results choose a gray or green-based navy blue.
Can I still wear black?
Of COURSE, you can still wear black. I personally believe that black is a staple in any wardrobe. Any season can wear black, but some may find it is overwhelming. Black is likely to be much more harsh on soft autumn than some other seasons. Black definitely isn’t your BEST color, and lighter shades of brown will be most suitable. However, if you’re building a capsule wardrobe choosing black as a base may be easiest to find.
I hate these colors, could my season be wrong?
Yes absolutely, it could be true. But I want to challenge you, what is it that you hate? Is it the neutrals that you don’t like? Perhaps you don’t like brown? Refer back to my statements above about wearing black. Is it one of the color families, yellow or orange perhaps? Don’t wear them! Just because a palette includes all these colors doesn’t mean you should wear them all. I dare you to look at your closet and see if you naturally gravitate to any of these colors. If the answer is no, and you still feel this is completely wrong, let me know! I can help!
How Do I Build a Soft Autumn Capsule Wardrobe? Building a Soft Autumn capsule wardrobe is a streamlined process when you focus on your season’s best colors. Start with your neutrals like mocha, beige, and ivory which will serve as the foundation of your wardrobe. Then, add in your main color and 2-3 accent colors from the Soft Autumn palette. Colors like burgundy, olive, and blues like queen blue or soft teal work well.
Here’s a simple guide to creating a color palette that includes:
- Base Colors: Beige and khaki
- Dark Neutral: Espresso or warm navy
- Light Neutral: Ivory or crea
- Main Color: Choose one from a warm red or a soft green
- Accent Colors: Pick 2-3 from your palette, like yellows, muted teals or mauvy pinks
Can I only wear these colors?
No way! You should wear what you love! If you want to wear lavender, then go for it! You may find, however, that learning your season affects how other colors make you feel. If you feel confident rocking a color, then it’s yours to own. But if you don’t, feel free to leave it to the seasons that wear it well. If you’re looking to expand your palette, you can also consider sister seasons.
The following are sister seasons for soft autumn:
Soft Autumn Colors for the Whole Year
When borrowing from other seasons, it’s helpful to consider those which share attributes. Many women like to choose colors that help them feel in touch with the calendar season, like pink in spring. For Soft Autumn, the following borrowing recommendations work across the whole year.
In Spring, borrow colors from light spring to embody the lightness and brightness of spring.
In Summer, borrow some colors from soft soft to get that cool poolside vibe.
In Fall, stick with any colors in the three autumn seasons.
In Winter, borrow from deep autumn to get the richness of the cold season.
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Action Steps for Embracing Your Soft Autumn Palette
- Identify Your Colors: Start by familiarizing yourself with the Soft Autumn color palette. Keep it handy on your phone or print it out for quick reference when shopping. Buy the Soft Autumn guide here to go deeper.
- Purge Your Closet: Remove items that are far from your Soft Autumn colors or don’t make you feel good. Consider donating or reselling them.
- Invest in Neutrals: Buy wardrobe staples in your best neutral colors like espresso, beige, and ivory. These will be the backbone of your wardrobe.
- Choose Your Best Colors: Pick 2-3 signature colors from your Soft Autumn palette that you love the most. These will give your capsule wardrobe some variety.
- Plan Your Capsule: Following the 100 Piece Wardrobe Framework, build a capsule wardrobe around your neutrals and accent colors. Aim for versatility and cohesiveness.
- Shop Smart: When shopping for new items, always have your palette in mind. This will save you both time and money in the long run.
- Trial and Adjust: Don’t be afraid to experiment a bit. Wear your new colors and pay attention to the compliments you receive and how you feel in them. Make adjustments as needed.
- Seek Guidance: If you’re struggling to implement your Soft Autumn palette, consider seeking professional help. A color analysis session can be a transformative experience.
- Celebrate You: Remember, God made you beautiful in your unique way. Embrace your Soft Autumn attributes as a reflection of His creativity.
By following these steps, you’ll be well on your way to simplifying your wardrobe while looking your best, feeling confident, and honoring your uniqueness.
Final Thoughts on Soft Autumn
Diving into the Soft Autumn palette is more than updating your closet; it’s about finding colors that naturally uplift your appearance and confidence.
This guide has provided you with information on colors that work well with your skin tone, makeup that brings out your best features, and tips for assembling a capsule wardrobe that suits your Soft Autumn qualities.
Are you a Soft Autumn? If so, say hello in the comments!
Related Color Analysis Articles:
- Explore the 12 Seasons of Color
- Color Theory for Color Analysis
- Eye Patterns and Color Analysis
- Personality and Color Analysis
Soft Autumn sits on the cusp of autumn and summer and is warm and soft.
Stacey is the owner and creator behind Radiantly Dressed. She is a certified image consultant and AICI member focusing on creating simplicity in wardrobes via color and style.
Hello from a fair soft autumn! I’m one of those with blue/green eyes and some dark blonde highlights in my light brown hair.
I love wearing teal, sage green, olive green, ivory, blush, soft coral, dusty rose pink, rust, soft golden yellow, camel, navy and chocolate brown. My best makeup colours are definitely nudes and neutrals.
I bet those colors are lovely on you!
you do not even mention blonde SA while they are so many 🙁
I actually updated this the other day to reflect that information! It’s true that there are blonde blue-eyed autumns!
Yes there are, i am 🙂 medium/dark blond hair and petrol blue eyes and apparantly soft autumn!
Dear Stacy, I am definitely a warm season with yellow undertone. My hair color is now changing to a more soft gray/brown. I can’t tell if it is silver or cream color? I’ve been buying soft warm colors of sage and pink salmon which still look great. It’s the neutrals I struggle with. Now with the gray I stay away from camel or yellow. My wardrobe is definitely not targeted for warm season. I need to purge all the black and pure white. So, my question is: my skin is still yellow undertone but I see changes because of cancer/chemotherapy. Though I am somewhat home bound for awhile I thought I would clear my closet and concentrate on soft autumn colors if you think that soft autumn is still my season. I hope this is not confusing to you. But I need your help. I am glad radiantly dressed is a Christian organization. Thank you in advance for reading and answering my email. By the way I had blue/gray eyes that have changed to a shade of green/gray especially when I wear sage green which I love. Wow, thank you.
Hey Donna! Chemotherapy can have significant effects on the hair when it comes back. The undertone of an individual remains the same, but what can be lost is contrast. You could start adding more warm gray, taupe, and cream into your neutral palette. Changing eyes is not much discussed, but it’s something I’ve personally seen, most commonly in those with spring influence actually. I always recommend working with a fairly small color palette, about 4 neutrals and 3-5 colors. Sage is definitely a soft season color, so leaning into soft autumn is likely a good bet! Thanks for reaching out!
I think I’m a soft autumn, but it’s hard to tell. I feel like I rarely find any colors that feel quite right. I have green eyes with a brown ring around the pupil, light olive skin that tans very easily, but I feel like my natural hair is almost an ashy brown? In the winter I get told I’m a cool skin tone, but I definitely don’t think that’s the case.
Hi Chelsea! The brown ring you speak of is often a winter feature so have you looked at the deep autumn colors? I’m releasing several color analysis products this next month that might give you a definitive answer!
I believe I’m a soft autumn…I have light brown hair that has natural warm sandy highlights to it. My eyes are a mix of green-blue-gray. My skin tone is fair, neutral, peachy. Really cool tones look off on me and warm tones that have too much orange/warmth in them make me look pale. I feel I’m very close to a soft summer but ashy, or cool pink tones look off so that’s why I’m leaning towards soft autumn. I’m curious what you think?
Hey Gabrielle! It’s very possible you could be a soft type but it might be worth looking at light spring too. I’ve typed quite a few light brown haired women as light spring! If you’d like more help I have several options for color analysis.
Hello Stacy,
I am of African descent. My undertone is a cool yellow. My skin tone is sand that has a reddish orange cast. My hair is cool dark brown. My eyes are deep brown wit a cool yellow undertone.
I feel I am a soft autumn but I look dull in brown and awful in orange.
Could I be a soft spring
Hi Nicole!!
So Spring by nature, is bright, which is the opposite of soft. You mention that you have a orange-ish cast to your skin, so I wonder if you’ve tried some of the softer oranges such as copper or cinnamon. Bright orange is usually better for spring seasons. If you have a high level of contrast between your hair and skin, clear spring could be a real possibility! You have me intrigued for sure!
Hello! I’ve been dabbling into some simple colour theory just to figure out what colours I looked best in so I don’t make anymore shopping mistakes! It’s also nice to know why I lean towards certain colors. I know for a fact that I have a warm undertone (my veins are very green) but the contrast between my facial features is very soft. However my hair is a deep, warm black. I also tend to notice that despite the fact that I am warm toned, when I wear a vivid but deep red I feel it could do with a little more gray. On the other hand, when I wear something too dusty it doesn’t look great either.
I’m wondering if I could be a deep or soft autumn or maybe a whole other season/palette all together!
Thank you for your help!
Hi there!
It certainly seems like autumn might be a great fit for you! Spring is the other warm season but decidedly bright! It’s common for individuals to have some overlap in characteristics in the overall season! Soft summer has both mid range and deep shades, while deep autumn has both brighter and muted colors. One is usually better than the other, so it would prob help you most to determine if your are more soft or more deep! Hope this helps!
Stacey
Hi I have been going back and fourth with soft autumn and soft summer… it’s hard for me to know because my hair is a reddish brown but doesn’t contain enough orange in it to look good with true atumn especially since my skin tone has both warm and cool spots. Neutral is the closest. Some people think my hair is brown. There is not much contrast in my features. Please help! Also, my eyes are a grayish looking yellow hazel.
Hey Joy!
If you can’t wear the oranges, then definitely soft summer. 🙂
stacey
I’m very confused with this. I have two different eye colors, and color my hair. Sometimes my skin seems to “change” tones. My one eye is a grayish olive green, and the other has a half russet star around the pupil, with blue grey smudges. It almost looks hazel’s but in the sun they look quite bright. My natural hair is brown with a soft red golden quality. My skin st times seems very peach but in the morning theres a cool grayish olive blue look to it. If I color my hair red my skin looks warm, the wrong red making it appear ruddy. If I color it dark brown it looks very pale and cool. I favor pink hair the most. Makes me glow.
Hi Kelly! The eye patterns you’re describing seem like a lot of autumn characteristics. But you keep mentioning the word gray, which is a feature of both soft autumn and summer! The pink hair makes me wonder if soft summer might be a good fit! I’d love to help you more if you’re interested! You can find a couple different color analysis options here.
Hello,
I just had a professional color analysis done and was typed as a Soft Autumn. I am quite pale, with green eyes and dark brown hair. I was always sure that I must have a cool undertone. I love the Soft Autumn palette, but I’m wondering if I might actually be a Soft Summer. Is there any way to definitively tell the difference? I suppose I should follow up with the analyst I worked with?
If you can give me any advice, I would be so grateful. I am a bit confused.
Thank you!
Hey Alana! I’m definitely a fan of following up with your analyst. But I want to encourage you that soft summer and autumn are sister seasons, and as most that share a characteristic like “soft” there is a neutrality and mix of cool and warm features. It’s possible that you have cool skin elements but the warmer colors were just the slightest bit better in draping. I’ve seen this many times that clients self report cool skin and land in a warm season. 🙂 Hope this helps!
also there are some blue eyed ones. …
I think I’m soft autumn..I have Celtic skin but I do get a light golden tan, green/hazel eyes, light brown/dark blonde hair with highlights, yellow gold seems to suit me more so than silver, what do you think?
Hey Aideen! Sounds like soft autumn could be a great fit! You could try the DIY Color Analysis for some deeper insight in analyzing yourself!
I took a color analysis quiz that said that I was a soft autumn and a warm spring because my skin color was neutral and my eyes were a dark blue/ blue grey depending on the light.
Hi Stacey I am an autumn with hazel eyes my hair was Medium dark brown with caramel golden highlights. My hair is now silver and the regular autumn colors seem too bright Can you address what colors to wear for grey autumns?
Hey Alice! As your contrast fades and your color changes, you may find that soft autumn is a great fit!
I have been typed (virtually) as sitting right on the line between soft autumn and soft summer, so close it’s nearly impossible to distinguish between the two. I was advised to use the cooler end of soft autumn and the warmer end of soft summer. My hair is an ashy light-medium brown with natural golden/reddish highlights, my skin is very, very neutral and my eyes are a bluish-greyish-green with a faint Aztec sun (more blue than green, but much warmer than a typical summer blue eye) – think similar to Angelina Jolie. I was just wondering, with this in mind, which colours would you gravitate towards for a capsule wardrobe as I’m trying to thin down my overflowing wardrobe?
Hey Millie! I think you could build a capsule based around neutrals such as navy, taupe, and ivory. Some colors that would work well for both seasons are soft teal, garnet, blonde, burgundy, mulberry, thistle, steel blue, and soft teal. I have a free download that gives guidance on choosing colors for a capsule. Hope this helps!
Hello!
Pale skinned, blue-eyed, blonde. Blonde is on the darker end of the blonde spectrum, but I do get natural highlights in the summer.
I’m so confused one where I land on the seasonal spectrum. I feel like maybe I am an autumn? Dark browns, rust, olive is kind of where my wardrobe has been trending. But I am just not sure.
Hi, I have light brown hair, with red pigment, green eyes with brown jewels(freckels) in and a cool skintone that do not tan, what season can it be?
Hi Willa!
Based on your description I would see how soft summer fits.
Hi,
I have a very neutral fair skin tone, pink in my face, medium brown eyes, and a gold cast to my dark blonde hair. I was typed as a summer, but seem too warm sometimes. My best colors are a light soft yellow, chocolate browns, plum/burgundy, and many greens (so long as they aren’t bright. Would you recommend soft summer or soft autumn? Thanks!
Hi Sara,
Those colors you mentioned can really go either way. This post has tips for determining whether your undertone is cool or warm, which is really the question to answer.
Stacey
I coloured my hair for such a long time that I didn’t even know my natural hair colour anymore. I even thought I might be a (soft) summer because of the washed out hair that showed sometimes… After pregnancy and first year with baby I started to love my grown out hair again (that showed to not only be mousy greyish) and got myself typed as a soft autumn (with tendencies to deep autumn) by a professional.
Now I feel sooo great in rosewood, burnt henna, fern and mokka (for example) that I can’t believe how much I hated my mousy appearance in the past (in wrong, way too cold colours).
I have blue eyes (with a dark ring), ashy brown hair and a slightly yellowish skin tone.
Hey Andy!!!
It’s amazing how the right colors make you feel amazing!! I’m glad you got the answers and embraced your season!
Hi I’m super confused about my typing my roots are ash brown but I also have warm gighlights and warm brown eyes I have beige skin but also a lot of redness so I can’t tell my skin tone when I do quizzes I get either soft autumn or true winter any advice? Thanks
Hey Natasha!
When you say beige I immediately think of autumn, as that’s a common overtone appearance for the autumn types. You definitely don’t sound like a true winter, as they are very very cool and white. If you’re getting some winter influence deep winter could also be a consideration! If you decide you need help I offer a couple options here.
Hope that helps!!!
I have light brown eyes , olive skin color (Indian skin) dark brown hair . The test tell me that I’m deep autumn . I feel those colors don’t favor me . Confused
Hi Marily!
I have found that olive skin is usually a winter trait, with blue undertones and yellow overtones. Perhaps look at deep winter as an alternative!
Hello. I was originally told I was an autumn (brown eyes, brown hair) and I do love most of the colors in the autumn pallet. But here’s my question: I am now silver gray and I find my gold jewelry and browns, olives, tans are just too dull with silver hair. What are your thoughts on a soft autumn or autumn with silver hair??? I also found that I definitely need a darker lipstick and burgundy, teal, coral seem to brighten my face?
Hey Sandra!
I’ve seen some deep autumns that have hair that turns silver. A soft autumn would in theory do quite well going gray since it’s a naturally muted color.
Hi Stacey,
I definitely have Autumn eyes. I can’t tell if the base is blue or green, but there’s a somewhat thick (gray?) outer border and a very strong Aztec Sunrise radiating out from the pupil (dark orange to yellow). I’ve even been told that my medium brown hair can sometimes have a red cast in the summer, depending on how the sun hits it. When I was little, it was blonde and a hairdresser commented that it was like cutting sunshine. My cousin is a Deep Autumn and her sister is a Light Spring. My own mother prefers bright, warm colours like orange and True red.
However, you could say that my skin is porcelain (very fair with obvious pinkness around my nostrils, chin, and eyes) which would suggest a cool season like Summer or Winter (I’ve had some stylists say I’m a Soft Summer, and others say I’m a True Winter). I can also wear either gold or silver jewelry (although silver brightens my complexion more), and my veins are blue. Again signs of a cool season.
So obviously I’m very confused. Am I cool or warm?
Can you offer me any advice?
Thank you!
Hey Ashlee!
Although the eyes are an important part of narrowing down the season, ultimately the skin determines the final outcome. An Aztec sun is strong indicator of autumn influence, so my first guesses would be Soft Summer or Deep Winter depending on how much contrast you have.
Hi Stacey,
Thank you in advance for your reply. I’ve misjudged my season my whole life, I fear, and at nearly 65 am now trying to determine if I’m actually a Soft Autumn. I have gray blue eyes with a greenish corona around the pupils and my hair, though slowly turning gray now, has always been mousy brown/dishwater blond, with red highlights. I seem to look good in Soft Autumn colors versus the Summer shades which I wore up until five years ago and Spring colors recently.
Hi, my hair is medium – dark blonde and my eyes are brown with grayish rings around it, and my skin is kinda yellowish. I like to wear both silver and gold, as long as it’s gentle and not too bright.
Am I a soft summer or a soft autumn?
Is it possible for me be a warm autumn too?
Hey Michal!
If you have neutral or mixed features then it’s possible to be either of those seasons. It would really depend on how your skin reacts to the extremes of the seasons and your undertone.
Thank you for your quick response 🙏
I can’t tell if I’m warm or cool, because my veins are sort of a mix of blue and green. I have fair skin, which turns yellowish in the summer, and pales during the winter.
I do gravitate towards browns, dusty pinks, and olives.
Is it even possible for summers to have brown eyes? 🤔
Hi Stacey. I’ve been diagnosed as a Soft / Muted, but favor the warm muted shades. Apparently I am a complete mix of undertones. I feel my skin is more warm than cool though. I really love neutrals and monochromatic looks. Warm grey is a favorite, as is beige to light camel, and olive toned greens. Blues are very harsh with my coloring. My eyes are a grey teal which is more grey than anything. Hair color is gold taupe, a dark blond shade. There’s a bit of copper highlight in the darkest part of my hair. What my soul resonates with are rocky outcrops in taupy tones with moss growing on them, trees in the background in forest green and ashy brown. It is so easy to become distracted with bright colors, but they just don’t have that feeling of instantly knowing something is right that soft neutrals have for me. What are your thoughts and suggestions on this? Thanks!
HI Darragh!
As as muted person, you should definitely not be embracing bright colors as a wardrobe choice. It probably feels completely wrong to you, but it’s perfectly fine to appreciate them objectively! Bright colors need bold coloring so as not to overwhelm a person. Neutrals and soft shades are beautiful, and as a bright person, I appreciate them for their beauty but avoid them for myself! Definitely create your wardrobe palette based on those soft luxurious neutral shades and soothing colors!
Hi,
Could you please tell me why rose-brown lipstick is so often recommended for Soft Autumn? I look terrible in MAC Twig. On me, the color looks like mud and adds ten pounds to my face. But I still agree I’m a Soft Autumn. When I was analyzed the analyst gave me a warm pink lipstick from the Spring palette. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great, either. I have no idea what lipstick to wear any more.
I also want to say that the “grey” rim around my soft autumn iris is actually green. The analyst gave me a magnifying mirror to look at my eye color, and the first thing I saw was a deep forest green background. The next thing I noticed were layers and layers of little gold flecks within the green background. With normal vision, my eye looks like it has a heavy dark rim around it that some might think was grey. But in bright sunlight, my eye color is a bright olive green. Just thought I’d pass that along.
Another thing: I wear a lot of burgundy, but I don’t look great in burgundy lipstick! It’s too strong and overpowering. How would I make my makeup match my favorite burgundy clothes? (I also wear a lot of plum.) My skin tone is light and I have medium to dark golden brown hair. Thank you. Oh, and I want to thank you for your color chart; these are exactly the shades I usually wear and prefer.
I thought I was a spring for the longest of time because I’ve got dirty blonde hair and greyish teal eyes. My skin is pale and more neutral than warm. Only realised I was an autumn a couple of years ago when a friend gifted me a muted, rusty orange t-shirt for Christmas. Loved the t-shirt because of the print but my initial thought was “too bad it isn’t my colour…”. Tried it on and my jaw actually dropped. My skin looked absolutely radiant and my hair got a beautiful hint of copper that I’d never noticed before. Found the soft autumn palette and tried it out – loved loved loved it. Never had as many compliments about my clothes either, now I get them all the time: “I LOVE how you wear colour! It looks so beautiful on you!” Rusty reds and oranges, browns and beiges, ivory, green, pale pink and warm mauve are my favourites – all on the light and muted side except for green and brown where I like to go darker and deeper. Love how they all look really nice together too, with the sameish level of chroma. I actually stay away from navy, grey and black altogether nowadays, which seems to be a bold choice in Scandinavia where I live, but I’ve never loved my wardrobe more.
I adore the soft autumn palette, and it works well for blonde hair blue eyed individuals sometimes! TBH it’s one of my favorite palettes even though it’s my exact opposite season!
Hi, I have been following the Color system since the 1970s and a few things have change since then and so have I. When I was 5 yrs. old my hair then was a a pale strawberry blond and my eyes green. Over the yrs. my hair darkened to a medium brown with natural auburn high lights when in the sun. Because my family preferred me as a blonde I would have my hair weaved in a light blonde and strawberry blonde hi-lites. Now I have let my natural hair color grow out and love it. All these yrs. I have been very pale skinned with medium brown golden hair and auburn natural high lights. Sounds to me like I’m a Muted Autumn, but it is difficult to find clothing in my colors that I can afford. It’s pretty easy to find pants, skirts and sweaters in ivory, taupe, camel or dark brown, but extremely hard to find the right colors for my complexion and hair in the rest of the soft autumn pallet except designer or very expensive women’s clothes, which I can’t afford. Please tell me some manufactures that make blouses and dresses and pants in the soft autumn colors and the names of stores both walk in and on line that sell them. i would be ever so grateful. Thank you, C.J.
Hey CJ!
Blush and olive are soft autumn colors that have been trending for many seasons now and I see them frequently at Old Navy. Amazon usually has lots of color options for online shopping. And Shein carries affordable clothing with lots of options. The trend is swinging towards more saturated colors this season. But in the fall you should have more variety as we see more autumn type tones. You can also borrow from Warm and Deep Autumn if you’re able to find those colors more easily 🙂
Hi Stacey,
I have dark ashy blonde hair at the roots going into a lighter and warmer colour with light blonde highlights, but naturally have dark brown eyebrows. I have medium hazel eyes that sometimes look olive but mostly look muted dark grey-brown in the shadow. I think my skin is pale with more neutral than warm undertones – I still can’t tell whether my veins are blue or green. My arms and legs always look warm, and my face usually looks warm in my mirrors at home, but whenever I try to take a photo, it looks really pale with a pink or grey tinge, and makes my hair really dark. Could that be the colours I am wearing, or just the camera?
I think I’m soft, although my dark hair and light skin sometimes contrast in different lighting, but can’t decide whether I’m autumn or summer. I do tan fast but only when I have a base tan already, like every summer my legs and arms go golden, but the rest of my body might get sunburn – though not easily.
I usually wear silver because gold is too harsh on my face, but looks fine as a bracelet. But recently my mum got this pale gold necklace from an op shop that really suits me, the only problem is that I don’t know where I can find more jewellery that colour.
I naturally gravitate toward dusty pink, navy blue, warm purples, ivory and muted peach, and I mostly own light blues and warm and muted pinks and reds. Cool lilac, black, grey, orange, yellow and light and bright colours make me look dull and washed out. I suit the warmer pinks, purples and blues of the soft summer palette very well, but not the greys or lighter ones, and I find that the deeper and richer soft autumn colours like dark brown and burgundy are too harsh on me and make me look pale, but I suit the rest. Most colours I try make my face and hair look grey and washed out so I have no idea what colour season I am. Please help! (Oh, and just to help, my colouring is a lot like Isabella Sermon’s from when she was in Jurassic World, the only person I could find who looked like me, so I was wondering what season she was, because it doesn’t say anywhere online)
God bless, Maoliosa
Hi Maolisa,
Based on what you’ve here, I bet Soft Summer is your best fit, but I wonder if you’ve considered light spring? There is a lot of crossover in the lighter shades of the palette between soft autumn and light spring. The preference for navy as a neutral is more of a spring/summer thing. However, gray is a staple color for both soft seasons as muted naturally means “add gray”. It would definitely be interesting to see how draped colors work out 🙂
This is helpful! Like Chelsea, I have dark blonde hair, green eyes with a brown ring, medium skin that tans easily. I think soft autumn is close, but some of my best colors are the berry reds and ivory/bone looks terrible on me. What season do you think I should be looking at?
Oh, and I forgot to say light olive skin tone.
Hey Wendi…so olive skin is usually winter from my experience. It’s a blue undertone with yellow overtone. It could also maybe be summer, although I haven’t seen that as much.
Hi Stacey, I’ve been researching seasonal color analysis but I’m stuck between two (maybe even three?) seasons. The three I’m between are Soft Summer, Soft Autumn, and Light Spring. I’ve always thought I was a Soft Summer…but noticing what seems like a complete lack of warmth in any Soft Summer hair & eye examples has thrown me off. My hair is a mix of ash & dark strawberry tones. Depending on who you ask, I either have the darkest shade of blonde or the lightest shade of brown hair. It has more dark ash blonde (or light ash brown) at the root and dark strawberry blonde tones at the bottom. As a child, I was often referred to as “dirty blonde”, “dishwater blonde”, “strawberry blonde”, etc. Myself, my family, and the majority of other people always held firm to the belief that my hair still lands in the blonde category…but I did have people sometimes think that it fell into the brown. My eyes have a thick, darker blue outer rim with blue and green in the middle and a gold/yellow burst closer to the pupil. I don’t think the gold/yellow is attached right on the pupil, though. There is a blue/green color that surrounds the pupil before the gold starts. I do not have any “freckles”, “specks”, or brown in my eyes at all. My eyes seem relatively muted in the shade but are pretty light & striking when lit up by the sun. I have very pale skin that appears either completely neutral (no warmth) or very pink undertoned at times. I don’t tan, I just burn from the sun or get a few freckles (of which the majority are light) on my arms. I am not covered in them by any means. My veins appear blue. I gravitate towards dusty or muted versions of colors, as I think they look nice/don’t overwhelm my pale skin. I’ve been told I look good in most shades of pink. I have always stayed away from oranges and yellows because they don’t seem flattering on my skin. Neons don’t seem very flattering either. I think why I’m so confused is it seems my hair and eyes may fall into the Soft Autumn or Light Spring example pictures online (because of the deep strawberry tones in my hair & the green + gold in my eyes). However, my skin tone doesn’t have the warmth those seasons do – and it seems Soft Summer colors are more flattering. Help!
Hi Kylie! You should always go with skin as the final say in your color season! Hair is not a determinant in your color season at all, other than helping determine contrast at times. So if you feel cool and muted, that’s probably Soft Summer.
Hi Stacey, I’m stuck between two maybe even three seasons I dont know. The three I’m between are Soft Summer, Soft Autumn, and dark Autumn. I’ve always thought I was a dark Autumn but I have noticed that orange doesnt suite me at all. My hair is a mix of warm and light tones of brown. I have dyied them ash blonde balayage and realy suits me but red-purle (magenta) is olso my color. My eyes have a thick, darker outer rim with brown and yellow in the middle and a gold/yellow burst closer to the pupil. I have fair to light skin that appears either completely neutral or sometimes pink undertoned. I don’t tan easily and I burn without sunscreen. My veins appear green and sometimes blue. I look very nice in pink and purple pastels, in beige and in greys. I’ve been told I look good in most shades of pink. I have always stayed away from oranges and yellows because they don’t seem flattering on my skin, also blacks and whites. Neons seems to flattering me too, and in my wardrope you can see khaki and brown colors too. However, my skin tone doesn’t have the warmth those seasons do – and it seems Soft Summer colors are more flattering. Help!
Hi, just want to give you a big thank you for this content! It was your very well put together palette pages that finally helped me to realise that my best match is a soft autumn.
I’ve been on my colours journey for a few years since I started noticing I got compliments when wearing autumn colours. At first I went full in with true autumn but started to see that some of these were too bright and warm against my much more neutral leaning skin.
And then I thought, well my hair has some depth and I used to get away with some winter colours so I must be a deep autumn. I fell in love with the deep rich colours on that palette, but eventually and reluctantly I’ve realised it might not be quite right for me, like those colours were wearing me a little bit. I tried to understand if I could be a soft autumn but saw a lot of conflicting explanations on this type and was left confused for a while because I’m not obviously low contrast.
It was your explanation and palettes, and especially the seasonal wardrobe palette examples, that cemented it for me – I have been trying the spring (the time of year) colours in this soft autumn palette and they look amazing for me. Then I clicked to the version for deep autumn and – oh no, I’ve already tried their version of spring colours and they didn’t sit right.
When I looked again at my best clothes in the darker autumn shades, I saw they are actually more muted than I realised and in fact are right at home in this soft palette. Finally I just looked around me and it dawned on me that I had decorated my home in the soft autumn palette too..!
If it should help others reading this comment:
Skin – beige, yellow overtone/green-grey undertone (pale but pinks are absent). Freckle and tan quite easily. So many colours wash me out and make me look sickly.
Eyes – ‘muddy’ hazel with amber/green mix and slate rim.
Hair – assessed by hairdresser as level 5 mid brown, naturally chestnut, I often dye auburn colours as they look great for me but we just softened this with rose gold highlights instead of copper. <3
Omg Lori, I came here for the exact same struggles as you and your comment has helped me in my confusion. I have very similar features as you. Pale olive skin with quite a lot of yellows, eye colour on point, never being able to tell if I’m deep autumn or soft because I’m green and grey but not really too soft, etc.
I also dye my hair Auburn even though I am not too warm in skin tone, more neutral. I feel like being olive has its very own struggles that are not really talked about too much. I’m part of a Reddit group for pale olive girls, maybe you want to join us ?
Hey Hannah,
I read your other comment. Interestingly…in my experience olive skin is almost always winter 🙂 Maybe a shocker there, it’s a result of a blue undertone and a yellow overtone. Would be interesting to see you explore some of those colors, probably deep winter based on what you’ve said here.
Stacey
Hey Stacey, first I find it incredible that you reply to so many comments. Wow. 🙂
I am pretty certain that I am one of the autumns but I struggle to identify if I’m a deep or a soft.
My skin is a light yellowish sand, a bit like very very milky coffee. Paired with hazel eyes, that are actually also not too warm, more of a muted brown green that fade into grey. My hair is medium brown with blonde and some reddish highlights in the sun but other than that it’s also quite neutral, sometimes it appears a little greenish tbh hahaha. I have a clear olive hint to my skin, which doesn’t appear to be cool, it looks very in harmony with dirty rust and dirty yellows and all kinds of warmer greens. But I also present some cool qualities. I have purple lips for example. And I have light brown freckles.
I feel like I can pull off quite a big range of colours, I often draw from soft and deep autumn, deep winter but also soft summer and when very tanned the softer ones of the spring palette but I struggle to really find the stunning ones, the wide range just confuses me and no colour seems to be very very nice.
The best ones I wear are redbased: an almost brownish burgundy, a very deep rust, red violets, dusty rose. It seems like they give my skin the red back that I don’t really have in my complexion. All of them are kind of intense colours with extra black added, they appear muted yet intense. The greyed out versions like soft autumn look stunning in summer , but generally I am not muted enough for most of the softer shades. I’m probably a medium intensity.
Blues are the hardest but everything soft works – cornflower and petrol are nice. When I wear my natural hair colour I am way softer and can wear softer colours but I look dead all the time 😀 the combo of green and grey is just not nice.
I can’t wear navy , which is so weird. But black actually does look very nice on me! Browns usually look amazing, the darker and richer and more red based the better. The midrange browns with a yellow base don’t look nice at all and everything with too low of a contrast drains me.
Why do I look so bland with my natural quite soft hair colour? I feel like I need more contrast to make my eyes pop and have been dying my hair a little darker a lot. I had rust highlights and it looked wonderful, I had burgundy hair and it also looked nice. I dyed it eggplant and it also suited me well…. I am so confused, why does nothing look exceptionally good, all just looks okay.
Is it possible that my natural hair colour actually is not my best colour?
Are these just pale olive Girls struggles ?
I have gone back and forth on soft summer and soft autumn and I just don’t know! I’ve looked at so many websites and it keeps changing, but your website is the closest to describe my features. My veins are blue/purple so that apparently that makes me have a cool undertone. I have light-ish brown/green streaked eyes (so light Hazel) and medium golden brown hair. And apparently I have blue/pink skin completion so that makes me have a cool undertone again. I don’t know what else is needed to determine which season I belong to but I just want to know because it’s irritating me😭 please help me🥺
Hi, Stacey. Like others, I’m so confused? I have pale olive skin, grey/muted blue eyes with golden circular heterochromia, and naturally medium-dark golden brown hair (although it is silver now). I tan easily, leaning towards a red-brown medium tone when this happens. My natural undertone is yellow-green when not tanned. I have rosacea, which lends a red/pink cast to my cheeks. I’ve been told I am a Winter but the gold and red tones throw me off. I prefer sage, muted ash or faded cool black for neutrals. I’ve had fashion colors in my hair but I do not think they suit me as I age.
Jen,
Olive skin is almost always cool (blue base, yellow overtone) and typically occurs in deep winter, clear winter, and soft summer.
Stace