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Cool Winter is the season of icy, clear, cool colour: magenta, royal blue, emerald, violet, and crisp black and white. When a Cool Winter wears her colours, her skin looks even and fresh, and her eyes stand out.
Here is what the Cool Winter colour palette looks like, what to wear, what to avoid, and what happened when Dani, a woman who only wore beige, found out she is a Cool Winter.
In this guide
Cool Winter at a glance
What leads
Coolness
Best colours
Magenta, royal blue, emerald, violet
Avoid near the face
Mustard, terracotta, camel
Metals
Silver, rose gold, black rhodium
Every season is a mix of three qualities: temperature (warm or cool), depth (light or dark) and intensity (soft or bright). Winter is cool, deep and bright.
In each season, one quality leads. In Cool Winter, it is coolness. This is why it is also called True Winter.
This guide
Cool Winter
Coolness leads. The best colours are the coolest ones.
Next door
Dark Winter
Depth leads. The most serious Winter.
There is no single Cool Winter face. What they share shows up in the comparison: next to a cool colour, the face looks clear and bright; next to a warm one, it looks tired.
Skin
Cool. Some Cool Winters have olive skin, a yellowish base that still looks best in cool colours.
Soft colours
They usually make a Cool Winter look grey or tired, even when she loves them.
These are only signs. Many Cool Winters do not tick every box, and some women who do are another season. (Not sure about your undertone? Am I warm or cool toned?)
The Cool Winter palette I use in my sessions: 36 colours.
The palette is cool and clear. Some of the colours that work best:
Pinks and reds
Magenta, raspberry, cool pink, true red, deep berry.
Blues
Royal blue, cobalt, navy, icy blue.
Greens
Emerald, teal, mint.
Purples
Violet, plum, orchid, lavender.
Yellows
Cool lemon, never mustard.
Neutrals
Black, pure white, charcoal, cool grey and navy.
Close to your face
Cool Winter should avoid colours that are warm or soft. Think mustard, terracotta, camel and dusty, greyed shades. Close to your face, they make the skin look dull and tired.
Far from your face
On trousers, a skirt or a bag, they matter much less.
Metals
Silver, rose gold and black rhodium. Polished, aged and light finishes all work. Gold is not on the Cool Winter list.
Makeup
Foundation with a pink undertone. On the lips and cheeks, magenta is a Cool Winter favourite, and cool berries and true reds work too.
The first client in my new studio
“Beige is my colour. I only wear beige.”
So we let the fabrics do the talking:
Soft or intense? Next to the soft colours, she disappeared, and the shadows under her eyes showed more. Next to the intense ones, her face came to life.
Warm or cool? Cool tones won over warm.
Light or dark? Darker shades suited her more than light ones.
The three Winters, side by side: bright, dark and cool. Cool won.
“By the name, I’d never have picked it.”
Dani, when she heard her season. (She said it in Portuguese. My sessions are in English or Portuguese.)
Nobody has to give up a colour they love. But now Dani knows what her beige does to her face, and which colours do the opposite.
Cool Winter or Bright Winter?
Both are cool and bright. In Cool Winter, coolness leads and the best colours are the coolest ones. In Bright Winter, brightness leads.
Cool Winter or Dark Winter?
Dark Winter is deeper, and very bright colours are not always its best.
Cool Winter or Cool Summer?
Both are led by coolness. Summer is softer and lighter; Winter is clearer and more intense.
(See all twelve seasons side by side: What season palette am I? Or read about the Winter next door: Bright Winter colour palette.)
Reading about a season is a good start, but your own eye is used to your face, and the light in your home changes the colours. In a session, I test each colour on you by comparison until one season keeps winning. (More about why: Why online colour tests don’t work.)
Sessions are at my home studio in Stirling, or I can come to you anywhere in Perth, and there is no deposit to book.
Let’s glow! ✨