This has been on my bucket list for a long time. I want to be into fashion and clothes, but I never know what looks good on me or even what colors. I have wanted to create a capsule wardrobe for a VERY long time. There are many reasons I want a capsule wardrobe like to live a more minimalist lifestyle and plus I want to live in my car. If I am going to create a capsule wardrobe, I want it to be on clothes and colors that look good on me. I reached out to Four Season Studios and they did a color analysis for me. I received the Diamond Analysis which blew my mind with all the information. This is my thoughts and review on my online color analysis.
One of my favorite things about this review of my color analysis is each section is paired with celebrities with my color season. The reason I like this is because I could google them, see what they wore, and how it might look at me. Some of my celebrities are Liv Tyler, Katy Perry, Marion Cotillard, Jennifer Connelly, and Selena Gomez.
The Beginning
From the beginning, I tried to keep an open mind and be open to trying new colors. I know what colors I like to wear, and typically don’t stray from those colors. I didn’t want to set any expectations or have my heart set on anything incase it didn’t work out. The whole process is really simple, and they are there to help answer any questions or explain things if needed. I was impressed with how quickly they responded with the my color analysis and the information that was included.
Photo Upload
First Four Seasons Studio will send you a Google form with all the information. It is very specific directions which I appreciate it because I had no idea what I was doing. The instructions also come with example pictures so you know exactly what to send. I took all my pictures outside after work. You’ll need about 5-7 different color shirts – white, red, blue, green, pink/purple, yellow/orange. She also suggests sending pictures of your natural hair color if you dye it like I do.
Once you send the pictures they say wait is around 24-72 hours to get your analysis. Mine was a pretty quick turnaround of around 36 hours. I was so excited to get mine back that I glance over it immediately. The first thing I noticed was how many pages the analysis was – OVER 100 pages. There was so much information to absorb it took me a few days to process it all.
My Color Analysis
The very first page will tell you your season. I didn’t know that there were 12 different options. Again, I am not into fashion. I am much more about comfort. I am a true winter. From the analysis, what makes me a true winter is my dark hair and blue eyes. My skin tone is light with a cool undertone so cool and bold colors would look good on me.
There was also a contrast level which shows a black and white picture of me. The analysis states because my coloring is dark and contrast is medium-high that dark and bright colors will look amazing on me. (Her words not mine.) My complimentary season is true summer, and the celebrity picture next to true summer on the diagram is Emily Blunt.
True Winter vs True Summer
True Winter and True Summer both have a cool primary color aspect, but it’s the secondary that is different. True winters have a bright secondary where true summer is more muted. Another big difference is true summers has a lower contrast between their features for a sharp and vivid look. The analysis said that true winters can easily wear black and handle a variety of color. I’m not too sure about the variety of color but I do love my all black.
Color Options
According to the analysis, true winters are considered the archetypal winter season. (If you don’t know what archetypal means it has the most important characteristics/features of a particular thing. Still confused because I was basic terms It’s the perfect example.)
Neutrals
True winters can wear black and white in addition to a variety of darker shades of blues and browns. True winters can also wear a lot of beiges and grays which serve as a light neutral color. I do love my grays, so I was excited I was on the right path. The 6 natural colors in my color analysis review is pure white, light tan/khaki, grey, navy, brown, and black.
Overall I was pretty pleased with this because those are a lot of colors that I already wear. It was a nice confidence boost that I was already wearing thing that looked good on me. I need to learn to give myself more credit. While creating my capsule wardrobe, these were colors that I was already using as my base.
Color Palette
True winters serves as the standard winter palette according the color analysis review. The other 2 winter palettes are half winter and half either autumn or spring depending on where they are in the color wheel. True winters can wear a broad range of colors. In the color analysis, there are 65 different colors that would look good on me. It’s starts with the neutrals then from light to dark.
Before the color analysis review, I wore a lot of solid colors mostly black, grey, blue, and pink. Maybe some red from time to time, but I didn’t expand much from there. There were some colors on here that shocked me AND I probably will never wear. This says minion yellow will look on me. NO! I refuse to believe this, and you will not be seeing me in minion yellow. Even when I went to Iowa State I NEVER wear a yellow t-shirt or hoodie. The school colors are cardinal and cold.
A color that surprised that I have been gravitating towards lately is green. I don’t have anything against green, but it wasn’t a color that I would typically grab. The green spectrum is wide from spectra green which looks like the shade of grass to aventurine which looks like dark emerald type of color.
Another color on my palette that I don’t wear a lot of is purple. If it has a little bit of purple I’ll wear it but a solid purple shirt, nope. The color analysis says acai, magenta purple, and a hollyhock are good colors for me. I do not see me reaching for those in any capacity. In the past, I haven’t typically liked wearing light or pastel colors, but I will start looking at some of the lighter purple colors because they do look pretty.
Colors to Avoid
True Winter’s should stay away from colors in the spring, autumn and summer palette. Warm, earthly colors, soft, and muted colors wash out our cool coloring. If we want pastel colors stick with the icy versions but combine them with dark neutrals. When I look at the colors to avoid, I don’t see any that I would normally wear. The only color that stood out is a light blue, but I don’t wear it very often.
Prints & Color Combinations
I don’t really wear a lot of prints. I am much more of a solid shirt type of gal. Maybe a stripe shirt every now and again. Houndstooth is my preferred print if I have to print one which works great because black and white look good on true winters. Print palette should be vibrant, sharp, monochromatic, and incorporate neon colors.
True winters should wear patterns with a bright colors and avoid colors that clash with the brightness of the winter color. True winters should avoid natural floral patters, small prints, and watercolor prints. All of these things I already avoid so I’m already ahead of the game.
Color Combinations
I am pretty self aware with my clothing options but color combinations is not one of my strengths. One thing that I liked is true winters are the only season that can pull off black and white successfully. My color combinations are usually black & grey, black & pink, navy & pink, grey and pink, etc. It is very basic. I am glad that there are some color combinations in here but they are little too bright for me.
Makeup
I want to like make up, but it gives me so much anxiety. Mostly because there are so many choices. That’s a big reason why I loved this review of my color analysis is because it gives me exact colors I should be looking for. I love all the information that was given during this section because I learned so much about foundation and how to pick something for me. The analysis talks about the color of skin, describing hue and chroma, and the purpose of foundation. Personally, I didn’t what chroma meant and I’m still kinda confused, but it’s good to have either way. This is also another reason why I love Saint make up, because I sent a few pictures of myself and my girl tells me what to order.
Here is where I was the most shocked in my color analysis because it states that true winters look best with a dewy or satin finish. I have always done my make up with a matte finish. I am giving a dewy finish a try though, and I have noticed that it does make my face look brighter and more healthy looking. Another thing in the review of my color analysis is that bronzer is not recommended for true winters. I love my bronzer. It’s recommended to use highlighter to add dimension to my face. I have started using highlighter more, and not using bronzer as much. There will never be a time I don’t think I won’t use bronzer.
The EYES – Eyeshadow, Eyeliner & Mascara
I have used the same eyeshadow for year. It’s Clinique’s Strawberry Fudge. The analysis says purples, blues, and greens look best on true winters. I have never worn any of those colors as eyeshadow. Now that I work from home, I don’t wear make up as much. But when I do it’s good to know what colors do look good for my color season.
Eyeliner has probably been the area where I explored the most with trying different colors. I personally like wearing dark grey eyeliner. In here it also shares that dark blues, purples and greens are suitable. I kinda want to try the green eyeliner, because I want to see how it works with my blue eyes. Black Mascara is the most suitable choice according to my analysis. I typically don’t wear mascara because I have naturally long lashes. When I wear mascara the lashes tend to clump.
Lip & Cheek
Lipstick, lipliner, and lipgloss are not in my wheelhouse. I don’t like wearing them and never liked the way I look with them. It feels like I am wearing clown makeup. I’ll stick with my chapstick. I do have some colored chapstick I have used from time to time. The colors that are recommend for true winters are bright colors. There are 3 examples – a gorgeous plum looking color, light pink (which I normally do), and a pinkish/red color. The plum looks amazing but I definitely don’t have the confidence to pull it off. Also I don’t think have the lips for it. I have very thin lips.
Blush is right on cue with everything that I have been using already, so I was pretty excited about that. It does show some darker pinks and fuchsias. The colors look amazing, but seem a little bright for me. The color analysis says true winter make up is best when it’s intense and contrasted, complementing the natural brightness & contract of their appearance. The eyes & the lips should have the same level of intensity.
Jewelry
I don’t wear a lot of jewelry but I should because it would honestly give me something to fidget with that’s not my nails. Before the color analysis I have always preferred silver or rose gold to actually gold. I think it’s too yellow. So I was really excited when the analysis came back that I silver and platinum is a suitable color for my skin tone.
Shiny metals typically work better because of my sharp, clear colors rather than antique, matte or brushed metals. I will say this hurt me a little bit because I do love my matte and brushed metals. Even though it’s not recommended I’ll probably still wear them to some degree. I am all about comfort and what I genuinely feel confident in wearing.
True Winter’s ideal jewels are diamonds, rubies, emerald, sapphires, jet, obsidian, and any crystal with a vibrant hue. Clear and sparkling stones are preferred and earth tones should be avoided. I wish I wore jewelry more, but the jewelry I do have match this pretty well.
Hair Color
I like my hair dark – the darker the better. I also love having longer hair. The celebrity that was given in this situation was Selena Gomez. No matter what color she dyed her hair, her color season never changed. One tip that was given is to think about the interplay between your complexion, hair color, and clothing choices to make sure that they complement each other and give a cohesive look.
In my review of the color analysis, my best hair colors are jet black (my absolute favorite), deep brown, blue-black, mahogany, ashy blonde, deep burgundy, and dark auburn. There are pictures of each hair color next to one of my pictures. I will always love the black, brown, and blue/black. The others would take some time for me to get use to. I really do love the ashy look, but the upkeep is too much for me. There is one picture that shows icy blonde highlights that I absolutely adore.
Hair colors to avoid for true winters are warm, caramel, or honey brown. My hair has been all 3 of these colors, and 100% agree. I will NOT throw shade at the ladies who did my hair because they did what I asked. I loved the color for a little bit, but as it faded that’s when I started to dislike it more.
Color Psychology
There are a few pages that include color physiologically, emotionally, and psychologically behind each of the colors. It was broken down into cool, warm, dark, light, bright, and muted. Some of them I already knew but it was interesting to read overall. One of the colors that shocked me was brown. The analysis says that brown is welcoming, relaxing, informal, and practical. When I see the color brow, I don’t think ANY of those things. They also had blue as aloof. I have blue to be more relaxing then brown.
Overall Thoughts
The review of my color analysis is pretty spot on with things that I was already doing and wearing. So it was a great confidence boost, and a lesson I need to trust myself more. The whole process was super easy and informative. I was not expecting a 100 page document with color examples, celebrities in my same color season, things to avoid. I would highly recommend this to anyone even if you aren’t trying to redo your wardrobe. Now that I know what color season I am, and what colors look good on me it’s time to create the capsule wardrobe.
