The Deep Autumn color palette

Are you a Deep Autumn?

Deep Autumn is the darkest member of the Autumn family. Depth is the leading trait: hair and eyes are dark, and the skin, whatever its depth, carries golden, bronze or olive warmth. Contrast is high, with the whites of the eyes standing out clearly against everything around them.

Skin is medium to deep with a golden, bronze or warm olive undertone. It tans easily and deeply and looks orange or yellow next to pure white. Fair Deep Autumns exist, but even then the skin is warm and the hair and eyes are darker than the skin suggests.

Hair is dark warm brown, black-brown or a deep auburn. In direct sun it shows red, copper or gold; indoors it reads close to black. It rarely goes grey early, and when it does the grey looks warm rather than silver.

Eyes are dark brown, black-brown or a deep hazel with warmth in the iris. The pupil and iris are close in value, and the whites of the eyes look bright by comparison. Green eyes are rare here and read as dark olive when they appear.

On the color analysis test, a Deep Autumn reads deep with a warm lean. Depth comes from a low ITA, below about 28 degrees, or from very dark hair and iris readings. Depth decides the sub-type before clarity, so a Deep Autumn can score soft or bright on the contrast gauge and still land here.

If hue lands in the neutral band, the tool says whether you lean warm or cool. A warm lean lands in Deep Autumn, a cool lean in Deep Winter. These two share depth and contrast, and the sister-season section below shows how to separate them.

How to wear the Deep Autumn palette

The palette above is the working set. Burgundy, dark teal and burnt orange are the signature colors, the ones that make the skin glow and the eyes look blacker. Pine and amber are the second tier. Gold is the accent, worn as a stripe or a piece of jewelry.

The rule is warm and deep together. A color can be warm but too light, like salmon, or deep but too cool, like plum. Both make the face look grey. When a color is right, the skin looks polished and the hair looks glossier than it did in the morning.

Neutrals are warm ivory, tobacco, espresso and warm black. Warm ivory replaces white, which turns golden skin yellow. Tobacco replaces grey and beige. Espresso and warm black cover the dark end, and either works beside the face without the flatness of a blue-black.

For men, this means a warm ivory or ecru shirt over white, a tobacco or espresso knit, a warm black or pine suit over charcoal, and a burgundy or dark teal tie. A blue shirt works if it leans teal; a light blue one looks borrowed.

Pair colors of similar depth, or use high contrast. Burgundy with pine, dark teal with amber, espresso with warm ivory. The face carries high contrast, so a dark bottom with a warm ivory top works as well as tone-on-tone.

Colors to avoid

Pale pastels are the main problem. Peach, mint, powder blue and lavender look washed out beside a face with this much pigment, and they make the skin look sallow. If you want light, use warm ivory or a light gold, and keep the darker color nearest the face.

Icy cool colors belong to the Winters. Ice pink, fuchsia, royal blue and cool grey turn golden skin grey. Blue-based reds turn the teeth yellow. Take the warm deep version instead: burgundy for wine, dark teal for royal blue, brick for cherry.

Muted mid-tones, the Soft Autumn colors, are warm but too weak. Camel, sage and mushroom disappear against Deep Autumn coloring and make the face look tired. Take the deeper version: tobacco for camel, pine for sage, espresso for mushroom.

Makeup for a Deep Autumn

Lips: burgundy, brick red and deep terracotta. Matte and satin finishes suit the depth; a glossy nude can vanish against the skin. Burgundy is the evening lip and works in daytime too. Avoid pale pink, cool berry and blue-based reds, which fight the warmth.

Blush: a warm plum-brown, blended high on the cheekbone. The natural flush of a Deep Autumn is a deep bronze-rose, so a plum-brown blush looks like structure rather than color. Light peach blush disappears; cool pink reads purple.

Eyes: espresso, dark teal, bronze and forest. Black liner works here, unlike on the lighter Autumns, because the face has the contrast to carry it. A dark brown liner is the softer daytime choice. Bronze shimmer on the lid warms dark brown eyes.

Brows: a dark warm brown pencil matched to the hair. Black pencil is a shade too cool; a taupe pencil is too light and grey.

Hair color

Dark warm brown, black-brown and deep auburn are the natural fit. They match the depth of the eyes and keep the high contrast that defines the season. Caramel or copper highlights add dimension; a mahogany or chestnut gloss deepens brown hair without cooling it.

Light blonde, platinum and ash tones look pasted on and break the contrast between hair and eyes. Blue-black is deep enough but cool, and it makes the skin look grey around the jaw. If you go lighter, stop at a warm chestnut.

Metals and jewelry

Gold, antique gold and bronze. Rich, heavy pieces suit the depth of the coloring better than fine chains. Gunmetal and dark bronze work as an accent because the face can carry dark metal. Silver looks cold, though a warm-toned or oxidised silver is fine away from the face.

Stones: garnet, amber, tiger's eye, carnelian, dark jade and smoky quartz. Diamonds work in a yellow gold setting. Avoid pale stones like aquamarine and rose quartz, which act like the pastels above.

Deep Autumn vs True Autumn vs Deep Winter

True Autumn is the lighter sister. Both are warm and rich, but warmth leads on a True Autumn, with medium-depth hair and eyes and lower contrast. Hold burgundy and rust side by side. Burgundy looks balanced on a Deep Autumn and heavy on a True Autumn.

Deep Winter is the cool sister. Both are dark and high in contrast; the difference is temperature. A Deep Winter has neutral or cool skin, black or cool brown hair, and eyes with no warmth. Hold burnt orange and true red to your face. Burnt orange evens a Deep Autumn; true red a Deep Winter.

Soft Autumn shares the warmth but is lighter and muted, with dark blonde or mushroom hair and hazel eyes. If your hair is lighter than dark brown and your eyes are hazel or soft green, the Soft Autumn page is worth a read.

How to confirm your season at home

Stand by a window in daylight with no makeup, hair pulled back, and a white towel over your shoulders. Hold the four test colors from the palette above against your face, one at a time: burgundy, dark teal, burnt orange and warm ivory. Then hold up the same four from the Deep Winter page.

The right colors make the skin look even, the eyes clearer and the shadows under the jaw shorter. The wrong colors bring up grey, yellow and the shadows under the eyes. Take a photo of each pair if you cannot see it live. The camera exaggerates the effect.

The color analysis test does the same comparison with numbers. It reads your skin hue, depth and contrast after white balancing on the whites of your eyes, so room light matters less than it does in the mirror. Retake in daylight if the lighting warning appears.

Frequently asked questions

What are the Deep Autumn colors?

Warm, deep, rich colors: burgundy, pine, burnt orange, dark teal, amber, espresso, tobacco and gold. The neutrals are warm ivory, tobacco, espresso and warm black. Nothing is pastel, nothing is icy, and the lightest color is a warm ivory rather than white.

Can a Deep Autumn wear black?

Yes, better than any other Autumn. A warm black, one with a brown or olive base, sits well against dark hair and eyes. Pure blue-black is cooler than the face; pair it with burnt orange, gold or warm ivory near the face to bring the warmth back.

What is the difference between Deep Autumn and Deep Winter?

Temperature. Both are dark with high contrast, but Deep Autumn is warm, with golden or bronze skin, and Deep Winter is cool, with neutral or cool skin. Hold burnt orange and true red to your face: the one that evens your skin decides it.

Which hair colors suit a Deep Autumn?

Dark warm brown, black-brown and deep auburn. Light blonde and ash tones look pasted on and break the contrast that defines the season. Highlights should be caramel or copper, kept a shade or two from the base.