The Only Spring Color Palette You Need
So, you’re in the market for a spring color palette. Just in case you’re stumbling upon this unaware, let me give you a two sentence summary of seasonal color analysis.
Seasonal color analysis uses the 4 seasons and the colors that are associated with them to give a specific “season” to an individual, based on what their eye/skin/hair color is. Within the four seasons, there are 3 types for each, making 12 possible combinations (ex. Deep Winter, Warm Spring), but for this post we are going to focus on the four types.
If you’re interested in reading more about the 12 types, check out my Super Simple Seasonal Color Analysis Guide!
What is Spring
Ah, spring. The season we all love to come out of our winter cocoon and welcome. The freshly grown flowers peeking out of their buds, the grass that is turning from green to brown, and the bunnies hopping around. It’s picturesque, and that’s what you should picture when you think of a spring color palette.
Whereas some other seasons are about contrast between your hair, skin, and eye color, the spring season is mostly about the color tone of these things, which leans warm (think yellow-y).
I mentioned above that there are three types within each season, and for Spring those are: Light Spring, Clear Spring, and Warm Spring. But let’s just start with spring. Identifying with one of the four seasons is a great starting place if you find the 12 types either too difficult to understand or maybe restrictive in what you can wear.
Characteristics
Skin: Fair with pink or peach undertones, warm beige, slightly bronzed, may have freckles
Eyes: Green, Blue, Hazel, Light Brown
Hair: Strawberry Blonde, Golden Blonde or Brown, Copper Auburn
There are three things that can put you into the spring category.
You generally have light coloring for your ethnicity. Meaning, your hair, skin, and eyes are all similar shades and lightly colored.
If you have a darker tone of hair, like brown or auburn, your skin is usually a lighter tone combined with lighter color eyes.
Your coloring is warm toned, so you have green veins and warm toned hair, like golden blonde, brown, or auburn.
Spring Color Palette
The colors in this palette start out soft but get very bright, much like spring itself. However, all of the colors have a warm undertone. The yellow is very yellow, of course, but the shades like blue and green lean more yellow (aka warm). These are not deep hunter greens, these are the bright greens of spring. This goes for the rest of the colors.
Best Colors
Greens, pinks, yellows, and purple are going to call your name. If it’s in a field of flowers, it should probably be a color on your body. Even a bold orange will be flattering with your coloring. There are both light and pure shades of these colors in your palette, but no deepened colors. So, there are no eggplant purples or maroon reds. You’re going to want to stay with on the pure and lighter color spectrum.
Best Neutrals
Grays and light tans will be oh so flattering. If you are looking for something a little less soft, try navy or white, but don’t you dare venture into black unless you want to look sallow. The lighter and warmer the better. If you absolutely must do black, opt for a faded version.
Avoid
Pretty much just say no to red entirely. Mostly. I wouldn’t recommend it. Fine, if you must go for a version that leans more pink. Other than that, the world is almost your oyster. I would also avoid very deep colors as mentioned above. Springs can wear almost any color family (aka pink, blue, purple), but the versions of those colors like a deep eggplant is not where you want to be.
Tips for a Spring Palette
Is your skin aggressively warm? Meaning you have very vivid green veins or golden hair? Stick to the brighter and warmer shades in this palette, the lighter shades will not make you glow quite as much.
Are you neutral without much of a warm tone? Stay to the “pure” colors. These are the colors you think of being in a crayon box in Kindergarten when you only know the word red and not three different types of red.
If you have overall light coloring, the lightest shades in this palette will be most flattering and complement your equally light hair/skin/eyes.
Celebrity Springs
Beyoncé
Emma Stone
Mandy Moore
Cameron Diaz
Taylor Swift
Gwyneth Paltrow