The Deep Winter color palette

Are you a Deep Winter?

Deep Winter is the darkest of the three Winter seasons. Depth is the leading trait: hair and eyes are very dark, and the family is cool, so the skin carries a neutral, olive or cool brown cast rather than gold. Contrast is high. Dark hair and eyes stand out against the whites of the eyes.

Skin ranges from medium olive to deep cool brown and black-brown. There is no visible gold or peach under it; the undertone reads neutral, rosy or slightly blue. Deep skin in this season has a cool, even quality that looks polished in black and grey.

Hair is black, black-brown or a very dark cool brown with no red in daylight. It rarely lightens in the sun, and when it greys it goes to a clean silver rather than a warm sand. Brows and lashes are dark and dense.

Eyes are black-brown, dark brown or a deep cool hazel. The iris is dark enough that the whites of the eyes are the brightest point of the face. That whites-to-iris contrast is what the palette echoes with black and white.

On the color analysis test, a Deep Winter reads deep on the ITA depth scale, below about 10 degrees, with a skin hue that leans cool. Depth decides the sub-type before clarity does, so a Deep Winter can score soft on the contrast gauge and still land here.

If your skin reads deep but hue lands in the neutral band, the tool says whether you lean warm or cool. A cool lean lands in Deep Winter, a warm lean in Deep Autumn. The two are close, and the sister seasons section below shows how to tell them apart.

How to wear the Deep Winter palette

The palette above is the working set. Black, pure white, true red and royal blue are the signature colors, the ones that make the skin look even and the eyes brighter. Deep plum, emerald and wine are the rich colors that carry the depth. Magenta is the one pink that works.

The rule for a Deep Winter is deep and cool together. A color can be cool but too pale, like powder blue, or deep but too warm, like rust. Both drain the face. When a color is right, the skin looks smooth and the jaw and cheekbones read sharper without makeup.

Neutrals are black, pure white, charcoal and indigo. Black is the foundation, not a color to soften. Pure white replaces cream, which yellows next to cool skin. Charcoal replaces every mid grey. Indigo stands in for navy and works for suits and coats.

For men, this translates to a pure white shirt over ivory, black or charcoal knitwear, a black or indigo suit over brown, and a true red or royal blue tie or pocket square. A crisp white shirt with a black jacket is the season's best look.

Pair colors for contrast. Black with white, emerald with black, true red with charcoal. High contrast pairings echo the high contrast of the face. A monochrome black outfit works too, with one saturated color near the face to bring up the eyes.

Colors to avoid

Warm, muted colors are the main ones. Camel, rust, khaki, mustard and olive pull a yellow cast into cool skin and make the hair look dull. Tan and warm beige do the same. When you need earth tones, use charcoal, indigo or a deep wine instead.

Pale pastels look washed out against this much depth. Powder pink, baby blue, mint and lavender sit far lighter than the face and make it look heavy by comparison. If you want a light color, use pure white or an icy version, and keep it away from being the only thing you wear.

Orange, golden yellow and coral are also out. They are warm and clear, which fights the coolness. A true red is the season's substitute for orange, and magenta covers what coral does for a Spring.

Makeup for a Deep Winter

Lips: true red, deep plum and wine. Full-coverage satin and matte finishes suit the depth better than sheer tints. A blue-based red is the evening lip. Avoid peach, coral and orange-brown nudes, which grey the skin.

Blush: cool berry, applied along the cheekbone. The natural flush of a Deep Winter is a cool plum-pink, so a berry blush looks like the face rather than makeup. Peach and apricot blush look muddy.

Eyes: black, charcoal, deep plum and emerald. Black liner and mascara define the eye without looking harsh, because the lashes are already dark. A deep emerald or plum liner adds color without losing the depth.

Brows: keep them dark and defined. Deep Winter brows are usually full, and a black-brown or soft black pencil fills them without going flat. Avoid warm brown pencils, which look orange against cool hair.

Hair color

Black and dark cool brown are the natural fit. They hold the contrast that defines the season, and they sit right against neutral or cool skin. A blue-black gloss deepens the shine without changing the level.

Warm caramel highlights and light blonde break the contrast and read as a different palette laid over the face. Warm chestnut and copper add a red cast that fights the cool skin. If you want change, a deep plum or burgundy tone keeps the depth and the cool cast.

Metals and jewelry

Silver, white gold and platinum. Silver picks up the cool cast of the skin and the whites of the eyes. A cool yellow gold works because of the depth, though it should be polished rather than antiqued. Rose gold looks warm and slightly out of place.

Stones: sapphire, emerald, amethyst, ruby and black onyx. Diamonds work in a white setting. Pearls should be white or black, not cream. Avoid amber, citrine and coral, which act like warm colors.

Deep Winter vs Deep Autumn vs True Winter

Deep Autumn is the warm sister. Both are deep and high in contrast, so the difference is temperature. A Deep Autumn has golden, bronze or warm olive skin and hair with a red cast. Hold pure white and warm ivory to your face. Pure white evens a Deep Winter; warm ivory evens a Deep Autumn.

True Winter is the cooler, clearer sister. Coolness leads rather than depth, so a True Winter often has lighter skin against dark hair and clearer eyes. Hold royal blue and cobalt side by side. Cobalt looks balanced on a True Winter and slightly bright on a Deep Winter.

Bright Winter shares the coolness and the contrast but has clarity leading, with bright eyes and a luminous look to the skin. If people notice your eyes before anything else, and saturated color looks better on you than black, the Bright Winter 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: black, pure white, royal blue and true red. Then hold up the same four from the Deep Autumn page.

The right colors make the skin look even, the eyes clearer and the shadows under the jaw shorter. The wrong colors bring up sallowness, ash 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 Winter colors?

Deep, cool, saturated colors: black, pure white, deep plum, royal blue, true red, emerald, magenta, indigo, charcoal and wine. The palette avoids warm, muted colors like camel, rust and khaki, and pale pastels. Black and white are the core neutrals, not colors to work around.

Can a Deep Winter wear brown?

Only a cool, very dark brown that reads almost black. Warm browns, tan, camel and tobacco pull a yellow cast into the skin and flatten the contrast. Charcoal, indigo and black do the job of brown far better, and a deep plum or wine adds warmth without going golden.

What is the difference between Deep Winter and Deep Autumn?

Temperature. Both are deep and high in contrast, but Deep Winter is cool, with neutral or cool skin and black or black-brown hair, and Deep Autumn is warm, with golden or bronze skin and warm dark hair. Hold pure white and warm ivory up to your face: the one that evens the skin tells you.

Which hair colors suit a Deep Winter?

Black, black-brown and dark cool brown. The depth of the hair is part of what makes the season, so lightening it weakens the contrast. Warm caramel highlights and light blonde look pasted on. If you want change, add a blue-black gloss or a deep plum tone.