When it comes to selecting a wardrobe, people usually have an idea of what colors work for them and what colors to avoid. Is this intuition, a keen sense of style, or is there science behind the process?

Here are the basics. Seasonal color analysis is based on skin tone, eye, and hair color. To simplify, hair color is either light or dark, and skin is either warm (blue/pink) or cool (yellow). After establishing tones, each person falls into one of four seasonal categories: winter, summer, spring, or autumn.

Then, depending on how light or dark each of those things are, it puts you into a “season”: Spring, Summer, Autumn, or Winter. The colors in your season will complement your features best, and you probably already reach for some of these colors!

Seasons are used because we already associate certain colors with each season, like white snow in the winter, rich red leaves in the fall, kelly green grass in the summer, or pastel pink flowers in the spring. Each season is then broken down into a subtype like cool or soft or deep, which just tells you how vivid or muted the colors are in this season you should wear. You are probably safe wearing any color in your season, but if you want the most flattering option, try to stick to your subtype.

Winter Season Color Palette

COOL WINTER

If you are a Cool Winter, you most likely have the following characteristics:
Hair: Ashy blonde, Ashy light or dark brown, or Black with blue undertones
Skin: Olive or Cool Blue undertones
Eyes: Light brown, blue, or gray

Cool seasons will have a cool or bluish undertone to their hair, skin, and eyes. Pastel or light colored shades are not flattering on cool season types, rather a medium tone of the colors in your season are most appropriate to contrast and complement your undertones. Don’t be afraid to experiment with slightly darker shades than what is in your palette, but avoid warm toned shades.

Celebrities that are a Cool Winter are: Liv Tyler, Lauren Graham, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kristin Davis.

CLEAR WINTER

If you are a Clear Winter, you most likely have the following characteristics:
Hair: Medium to dark brown or black
Skin: Olive or Cool Blue Undertones
Eyes: Bright green or blue

Clear seasons (Spring or Winter) have a higher contrast between their skintone and hair and eye colors. For example, fair skin with dark brown hair and bright blue eyes. However, blondes can also be a “Clear” season type, if their hair is a particularly bright blond that is not platinum or ashy. The color palettes for clear season types are the clearest and least muted one way or the other. Meaning, that the colors are what we could consider a true red or true blue, like the crayon box you had as a child with a small variation of shades and only the brightest shades of each color.

Celebrities that are a Clear Winter are: Courteney Cox, Zooey Deschanel, Alexis Bledel, Angelina Jolie

DEEP WINTER

If you are a Deep Winter, you most likely have the following characteristics:
Hair: Medium to dark brown or black
Skin: Olive or Cool Blue Undertones
Eyes: Dark Brown or Black

Deep seasons (Autumn or Winter) have varying skintones, but their eyes and hair color are similarly dark. The most flattering shades in the winter color palette are the deepest shades for the season.

Celebrities that are a Deep Winter are: Priyanka Chopra, Lupita Nyong’o, Lucy Liu, Anne Hathaway

Spring Season Color Palette

LIGHT SPRING

If you are a Light Spring, you most likely have the following characteristics:
Hair: Golden Blonde, Strawberry Blonde, or Golden Brown
Skin: Fair skin with pink or peachy undertones
Eyes: Blue, Green, Hazel, or Light Brown

Light seasons (Spring or Summer) have light hair and a light skintone for your ethnicity. Your eyes will also be light or bright colors like blue, green, or light brown. The color palettes for light season types are muted but not dark. Light colors differ from muted colors in that they are diluted with white and appear more pastel than muted colors that appear to be darker than their original color. The light colors complement your light overall coloring, instead of overwhelming it with harsh or dark colors.

Celebrities that are a Light Spring are: Taylor Swift, Amanda Seyfried, Gwyneth Paltrow, Scarlett Johannson

CLEAR SPRING

If you are a Clear Spring, you most likely have the following characteristics:
Hair: Golden light to dark brown
Skin: Skin has a pink undertone and ranges from more ivory than milky white to golden brown
Eyes: Green, Blue, Light Brown

Celebrities that are a Clear Spring are: Emma Stone, Cara Delevingne, Tyra Banks, Beyonce

WARM SPRING

If you are a Warm Spring, you most likely have the following characteristics:
Hair: Strawberry blonde to copper auburn and light to dark golden brown
Skin: Warm beige, slightly bronzed, may have freckles
Eyes: Green, Blue, Hazel, or Light Brown

Warm seasons (Spring or Autumn) have hair and skin colors with a deeper coloring and warm, golden undertones. Your eyes may be similarly dark, but have a golden spark to the green, brown, or hazel. The color palettes for warm season types are muted but not dark or pastel, and they will have a warm tone. Both warm seasons share neutral brown bases, but the spring palette has the warmest tones of bright spring colors.

Celebrities that are a Warm Spring are: Amy Adams, Mandy Moore, Cameron Diaz, Marcia Cross

Summer Season Color Palette

LIGHT SUMMER

If you are a Light Summer, you most likely have the following characteristics:
Hair: Lightly colored hair such as light to medium ashy blonde or strawberry blonde
Skin: Skin has a neutral undertone that is neither warm or cool, but may have a slight pink tinge.
Eyes: Blue or Green

Light seasons (Spring or Summer) have light hair and a light skintone for your ethnicity and may have a pink tinge. Your eyes will also be light or bright colors like blue, green, or light brown. The color palettes for light season types are muted but not dark. Light colors differ from muted colors in that they are diluted with white and appear more pastel than muted colors that appear to be darker than their original color. The light colors complement your light overall coloring, instead of overwhelming it with harsh or dark colors.

Celebrities that are a Light Summer are: Meryl Streep, Amy Poehler, Cate Blanchett, Naomi Watts

SOFT SUMMER

If you are a Soft Summer, you most likely have the following characteristics:
Hair: Medium to Dark Ashy Brown
Skin: Medium beige to dark brown with neutral undertones
Eyes: Gray, Blue, Hazel

Soft seasons (Summer or Autumn) have little contrast between their hair and skintone. You will most likely have neutral undertones, neither warm or cool, but you may lean one way or the other on occasion or depending on what you are wearing. You are truly a chameleon! The most flattering colors in your color palette or soft, but not washed out.

Celebrities that are a Soft Summer are: Ellen Pompeo, Leona Lewis, Sarah Jessica Parker, Katie Holmes

COOL SUMMER

If you are a Cool Summer, you most likely have the following characteristics:
Hair: Medium to dark Ashy Brown
Skin: Skin has a cool undertone and ranges from medium beige to dark brown
Eyes: Blue or Gray

Cool seasons (Summer or Winter) do not depend on contrast or lack of contrast between skin/hair/and eye color, rather it is the overall undertone of these three things. Cool seasons will have a cool or bluish undertone to their hair, skin, and eyes. Pastel or light colored shades are not flattering on cool season types, rather a medium tone of the colors in your season are most appropriate to contrast and complement your undertones. Don’t be afraid to experiment with slightly darker shades than what is in your palette, but avoid warm toned shades.

Celebrities that are a Cool Summer are: Kate Middleton, Tina Fey, Zendaya Coleman

Autumn Season Color Palette

SOFT AUTUMN

If you are a Soft Autumn, you most likely have the following characteristics:
Hair: Blonde to Medium Brown or Red Hair with a Golden Shine
Skin: Ivory, Olive, or Medium Brown with warm undertones
Eyes: Green, Hazel, or Light Brown

Celebrities that are a Soft Autumn are: Jada Pinkett Smith, Celine Dion, Melissa McCarthy, Drew Barrymore, Mariah Carey

WARM AUTUMN

If you are a Warm Autumn, you most likely have the following characteristics:
Hair: Medium to Dark Golden Brown or Warm Auburn
Skin: Ivory, Olive, or Medium Brown with warm undertones
Eyes: Green, Hazel, or Light Brown

Warm seasons (Spring or Autumn) have hair and skin colors with a deeper coloring and warm, golden undertones. Your eyes may be similarly dark, but have a golden spark to the green, brown, or hazel. The color palettes for warm season types are muted but not dark or pastel, and they will have a warm tone. Both warm seasons share neutral brown bases, but the autumn palette has the medium tones we associate with Autumn like maroon red or dusty green.

Celebrities that are a Warm Autumn are: Julianne Moore, Debra Messing, Jenna Fischer, Julia Roberts

DEEP AUTUMN

If you are a Deep Autumn, you most likely have the following characteristics:
Hair: Medium to Dark Brown with Golden Shine
Skin: Ivory, Olive, or Medium to Dark Brown with warm undertones
Eyes: Dark Blue, Deep Green, Hazel, Dark Brown, Brown-Black

Deep seasons (Autumn or Winter) have varying skintones, but their eyes and hair color are similarly dark. The most flattering shades in the winter color palette are the deepest shades for the season.

Celebrities that are a Deep Autumn are: Mindy Kaling, Oprah, Keira Knightley, Sandra Bullock