For a while, I have been wanting to switch up my wardrobe, but honestly, I had absolutely no idea which colours actually suited me. I realised that most of the time I was buying things simply because I liked the colour or fit, not because it necessarily worked with my skin tone.
If I saw a top, I’d buy it without thinking twice. But recently I started wondering whether the stuff I am buying is actually suited to me. Was it the right tone for my skin? Did it complement my hair and eyes? Or was I just choosing colours randomly?
This led me down the rabbit hole of seasonal colour analysis, which seems to be trending everywhere lately. It’s all over TikTok and Instagram, and the idea behind it is surprisingly simple. Instead of guessing which colours work, colour analysis helps identify the palette that naturally complements your features.
The system groups people into four main seasonal categories: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. Each season has its own undertones, colour intensity and contrast level. Some palettes are cooler and brighter, while others are warmer and softer.
After looking at my features more closely, it turns out I fall into the Soft Autumn colour family.
Soft Autumn sits within the broader Autumn category, which means the palette is generally warm, earthy and slightly muted. The keyword here is “soft.” Rather than very bright or highly saturated colours, Soft Autumn tones are a little more toned down and natural-looking.
People who fall into this palette often have warm or warm-neutral skin tones, hair colours ranging from golden blonde to light or medium brown, and eye colours like hazel, green or soft brown. There’s usually a lower level of contrast between the hair, skin and eyes, which creates an overall softer appearance.
Looking at my own colouring, it started to make sense. My skin has a warm-neutral undertone with a slightly golden tone. My hair sits somewhere between golden blonde and light brown, and my eyes are blue. None of my features is extremely high contrast, which fits well with the softer autumn palette.
Once I started looking into the actual colours within this season, everything clicked. Soft Autumn colours are inspired by nature, think autumn landscapes, warm earth tones and muted natural shades. Colours like olive green, moss green, terracotta, dusty coral, warm taupe, camel and soft peach all sit within this palette.
One thing I realised very quickly is that neutrals play a big role in this colour season. Instead of stark white or very dark black, softer alternatives tend to work better. Cream, warm taupe, camel, mushroom tones and soft chocolate browns are all warm autumn colouring.
The same idea applies to brighter colours as well. Muted greens like olive, sage and moss tend to look flattering, while dusty coral and terracotta tones bring warmth to the complexion without feeling overpowering.
Learning this actually made me very happy because my favourite colour is green!!!
Thankfully, green is one of the strongest colour families within the Soft Autumn palette. The key is choosing the right type of green. Earthy greens like olive, moss, sage and forest green work well because they complement the warmth in my skin tone and the natural tones in my hair and eyes.
A deeper forest or moss green, like the dress I recently wore for a wedding, is a great example of how this palette works. The colour feels rich and flattering without overpowering my features. It enhances them rather than competing with them.
Jewellery choices also tend to follow the same warm theme. Gold, antique gold and bronze metals generally complement warm undertones far better than very bright silver, which is sad news as I LOVE silver and hate gold jewellery, but I am going to try and mix them up and see if that can work.
The same principles apply to makeup as well. Peach, apricot and warm rose tones work for blush, and I have been testing these out over the last week and completely agree.
Hair colour choices can also benefit from staying within warmer tones. Shades like honey blonde, golden beige blonde or caramel balayage tend to complement warm complexions well. Cooler shades like platinum or very ashy blondes can sometimes wash out warmer skin tones.
I have a hair appointment booked for my birthday next month, so I will be trying a different shade of blonde.
What I find most helpful about understanding colour seasons is that it doesn’t mean you can only wear certain colours. Instead, it simply gives you a better understanding of which tones naturally enhance your features. Once you start recognising those tones, it should become much easier to build a wardrobe where everything works together, crosses fingers :)
Discovering the Soft Autumn palette has been a really interesting way to rethink my style. Instead of just picking colours I like in theory, I can now think about whether those colours actually complement my natural colouring, off to Vinted I go :)
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