Determine Your Contrast Level

One key aspect of color analysis is understanding contrast levels - meaning the difference in lightness or darkness between skin, hair, and eyes. Does one feature stand out as much darker or lighter than the others, or are they around the same level of lightness/darkness? Contrast levels can fall somewhere between high, medium and low.

• High contrast means that there is a stark difference between the lightness and darkness of someone's features. Think of someone with very dark hair and light skin.

• Low contrast, on the other hand, means that the colors of the features are closer in value. For example, someone with medium brown hair with medium-toned skin).

• Medium contrast rests somewhere in the middle of high and low contrast.

Determining you contrast level is a key aspect of finding your home season and the colors which best suit you. Your palette and its colors will harmonize with the natural contrast in your appearance.

Below is a map in black and white showing the darkest black and the lightest white.

Measuring Contrast Levels

Where do your features fall in this scale? Are they all on the darker side, or on the lighter side? In this case you might have lower contrast levels. On the other hand, if some of your features fall on the very dark side and others on the very light side, then you might have high contrast.

It might be easier to use a black and white photo of yourself, so that you can see the contrast levels more clearly. This removes color from the equation, allowing you to focus solely on the lightness and darkness of your features. If your hair, skin, and eyes all blend together in grayscale, you have low contrast. If they stand out distinctly, you have high contrast.

The photos below show three people with varying contrast levels. The one on the left has high contrast levels. The one in the middle has medium contrast levels, and the one on the right, low contrast levels.

Contrast Levels by Season

Determining your contrast level will also help you narrow down potential color seasons since some seasons are known for having higher contrast and some for having lower contrast.

• Very High Contrast Seasons:

  • Bright Winter, Bright Spring: Bright Winters and Bright Springs have the highest contrast, often with very light skin and very dark hair. The colors in both of these palette are bold and saturated, mirroring the high-contrast.

• High Contrast Seasons:

  • True Winter, Deep Winter: The other two winter palettes also have high contrast levels, though not as stark as the bright seasons. 

• Medium-High Contrast Seasons:

  • Deep Autumn: Deep Autumns typically have medium contrast, with dark, earthy tones in both skin and hair. The Autumn palette is rich and deep, but not as stark as Winter.

  • True Spring: The True Spring palette has medium-high contrast levels with saturated and warm colors on the lighter and brighter side.

• Medium Contrast Seasons:

  • True Autumn: Autumns typically have medium contrast, with warm, earthy tones in both skin and hair. The Autumn palette is rich and deep, but not as stark as Winter.

  • True Summer: True summers also have medium contrast but with cooler, softer tones. The Summer palette includes soft, muted colors that blend harmoniously with the natural contrast level of this season.

• Medium-Low Contrast Seasons:

  • Light Spring, Light Summer: Light Springs and Light Summers have very light features and the contrast between the features can be on the lower side. However, since the features are light, then the colors themselves will be more saturated and brighter, although they are all on the lighter side with little contrast in terms of depth. 

• Low Contrast Seasons

  • Soft Summer and Soft Autumn: Soft Autumns and Soft Summers have the lowest amount of contrast with the skin, eyes and hair often blending into one.  The palettes also include soft and muted colors. 

Why Contrast Matters

Understanding your contrast level is crucial for choosing colors that harmonize with your natural features. People who have high contrast levels should wear clothing that mirrors this with bold colors and choosing some light and some dark pieces in their outfit. On the contrary, people with low contrast features will feel more at home in soft monochrome outfits, where the colors blend well together.