The True Spring color palette

Are you a True Spring?

True Spring is the middle of the Spring family, and warmth is the leading trait. Skin, hair and eyes all show gold, and the coloring sits at a medium depth, neither as pale as Light Spring nor as high in contrast as Bright Spring. Everything is clear rather than muted.

Skin is ivory, peach or golden beige. It tans easily to a warm gold and freckles readily, and the freckles are warm brown. A True Spring often looks slightly tanned in winter and glows in summer. There is no pink or grey in the skin at rest.

Hair is golden blonde, copper, strawberry or a warm light brown that shows gold in daylight. Red tones are common. Even a darker True Spring has warmth in the hair, and a redhead with golden skin and green eyes is the classic picture.

Eyes are clear blue, turquoise, green, warm hazel or golden brown. The iris looks bright and clean, often with a starburst of gold around the pupil. Brows and lashes are usually a warm brown rather than black.

On the color analysis test, a True Spring reads warm on the undertone gauge, medium on depth, and medium on contrast. When the leading trait is neither light, deep, bright nor soft, the tool splits warm mediums by depth: an ITA above 50 degrees lands in True Spring, below it in True Autumn.

If your hue lands in the neutral band with a warm lean, the same rule applies. The difference between True Spring and its neighbours is small, so the sister seasons section below is worth reading before you commit to a palette.

How to wear the True Spring palette

The palette above is the working set. Warm coral, turquoise and marigold are the signature colors, the three that make the skin look lit from inside. Golden yellow, leaf green and clear blue fill out the range. Poppy is the True Spring red, a warm red with orange in it rather than blue.

The rule for a True Spring is warm and clear together. A color can be warm but muted, like khaki, or clear but cool, like fuchsia. Both leave the face looking dull. The right color makes the eyes brighter and the skin look evenly golden.

Neutrals are ivory, honey, warm brown and a warm grey. Ivory replaces white, which looks stark against golden skin. Honey and camel replace beige. Warm brown is the darkest neutral that belongs next to the face, and it does the work that black does for a Winter.

For men, this means ivory or warm light blue shirts, honey or warm brown knitwear, a tobacco or warm navy suit over charcoal, and a coral, turquoise or marigold tie. A brown leather belt and shoes beat black ones. A golden yellow pocket square looks intentional rather than loud.

Pair warm with warm and keep the clarity. Coral with turquoise, marigold with clear blue, leaf green with ivory. Medium contrast pairings suit the face, so a light top over a mid-tone bottom works better than white over black.

Colors to avoid

Black is the main one. It has no warmth and far more depth than a True Spring face, so it deepens shadows and greys the skin. Charcoal and pure white do the same. When you need dark, use warm brown, warm navy or a deep honey.

Cool berries and pinks are out: fuchsia, magenta, raspberry and plum all have blue in them, and blue fights the gold in the skin. The same goes for icy pastels and silver-greys, which look like a filter laid over the face.

Muted warm colors are the subtler trap. Khaki, olive, mustard and rust are warm but dusty, and they belong to the Autumn family. They make a True Spring look tired rather than glowing. Choose leaf green over olive, marigold over mustard and coral over rust.

Makeup for a True Spring

Lips: warm coral, clear peach and poppy red. Satin and gloss finishes suit the clarity; a full matte can look flat. Poppy is the evening lip. Avoid berry, plum and blue-based reds, which turn the teeth yellow and the skin sallow.

Blush: apricot and warm coral, placed high on the cheek. A True Spring flushes golden peach, so a coral blush looks like a walk outdoors rather than makeup. Cool pink and mauve look chalky against the skin.

Eyes: bronze, golden brown and warm green. A brown liner defines the eye without the hard edge of black. Gold or champagne shimmer on the lid picks up the warmth of the iris, and a warm green liner makes green or hazel eyes stand out.

Brows: warm brown or golden brown pencil. Cool taupe and black pencils look grey against a True Spring face. Keep the shade close to the natural brow rather than darker.

Hair color

Golden blonde, copper, strawberry and warm light to medium brown all suit a True Spring. Copper highlights flatter almost everyone in this season, and a caramel balayage adds depth while keeping the warmth. A true red works on a True Spring in a way it works on few other seasons.

Ash blonde, cool brown and platinum cool the hair and make the skin look sallow. Blue-black adds a cold, hard contrast the face cannot match. If you want to go dark, choose a warm chestnut and stop there.

Metals and jewelry

Yellow gold first, then warm bronze and copper. Polished finishes suit the clarity of the season better than antiqued or brushed ones. Silver looks cold against golden skin, though a mixed-metal piece works if gold is the dominant tone.

Stones: turquoise, coral, citrine, peridot, amber and warm-toned pearls. Aquamarine and light emerald pick up clear eyes. Avoid dark stones like onyx and deep garnet, which act like black, and cool stones like amethyst and blue sapphire.

True Spring vs Light Spring vs Bright Spring

Light Spring is the paler sister. Both are warm, but a Light Spring has lightness as the leading trait: lighter hair, lighter eyes and less contrast. Hold warm coral and peach side by side. Coral looks balanced on a True Spring and a touch loud on a Light Spring.

Bright Spring is the sharper sister. Clarity leads, with bright eyes and darker hair against light skin. Hold hot coral and warm coral together. Hot coral sings on a Bright Spring and looks slightly neon on a True Spring, whose eyes and hair are closer in depth.

True Autumn shares the warmth and the medium depth but is rich and muted instead of clear. Hold rust and warm coral to your face. Rust evens an Autumn's skin and dulls a Spring's; coral does the reverse. If your skin reads bronze rather than golden, the True Autumn page is the one to 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: warm coral, turquoise, marigold and ivory. Then hold up the four from the True Autumn page.

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

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 True Spring colors?

Warm, clear, medium colors: warm coral, marigold, golden yellow, leaf green, turquoise, clear blue, poppy red and honey, with ivory and warm brown as neutrals. Nothing in the palette is dusty, icy or blue-based. Warmth is the thread that runs through every color.

Can a True Spring wear black?

Black is the least flattering neutral for a True Spring because it has no warmth and more depth than the face. Warm brown, honey, camel and a warm navy replace it. If you must wear black, put ivory, coral or turquoise between it and your face.

What is the difference between True Spring and True Autumn?

Clarity. Both are warm and medium in depth, but True Spring is clear and bright, with light golden skin and eyes that sparkle, and True Autumn is rich and muted, with deeper bronze skin and softer eyes. Hold warm coral and rust up to your face: coral flatters a Spring, rust an Autumn.

Which hair colors suit a True Spring?

Golden blonde, copper, strawberry and warm light to medium brown, all with visible gold. Ash blonde and cool brown mute the skin, and blue-black adds a cold contrast the face does not have. Copper highlights suit almost every True Spring.