Spring colour analysis: makeup shades that suit you

The spring season brings together people with a warm undertone and bright, light colouring. Think of a garden in April: fresh, clean colours full of light. If you're a spring, muted or very dark shades tend to drain you, while clear, warm colours make your skin look fresher and more rested.

How to recognise a spring

• Skin: fair to medium, with golden, peachy or ivory hints. Usually tans easily and often has golden freckles.
• Hair: golden blonde, light brown with copper highlights, strawberry blonde or honey brown.
• Eyes: light and bright — turquoise blue, light green, golden hazel or light brown.
• Contrast: medium. Not a big difference between skin and hair, but the eyes are usually full of light.

In the colour analysis test we estimate these traits from your photo: undertone from the hue of your skin, depth from the individual typology angle (ITA) and contrast by comparing the lightness of your skin, hair and iris.

The three springs

Twelve-season colour analysis splits spring into three sub-types:

• Light spring: the most delicate. Warm pastels, light peach and soft coral.
• Warm spring: the most golden. Corals, soft oranges, apple green and camel.
• Bright spring: the highest contrast. Vivid, saturated colours like bright coral or turquoise.

Makeup that flatters a spring

Lipsticks

Look for warm, light-to-medium shades with clean pigment:

• Corals and peaches.
• Warm pinks and salmon.
• Light reds with an orange base.
• Peach or rosy-beige nudes.

Avoid very dark burgundies, cool browns and greyish mauves — they tend to harden your features.

Blush

Peach, apricot and coral are your allies. A blush with a soft golden sheen gives a healthy look with no effort. Cool pinks can look artificial on your skin.

Eyeshadow

Gold, champagne, light bronze, peach and warm browns. For a pop of colour, try turquoise or aqua along the lash line. Pure black is usually too harsh — swap it for brown.

Liner and brows

Brown or bronze liner instead of black. For brows, warm shades: dark blonde, golden brown or caramel.

Colours that dull you

Black, charcoal, very dark burgundy, cool lilac and optical white. That doesn't mean you can't wear them — just keep them away from your face or balance them with a coral lip.

Clothes, accessories and hair

Colour analysis isn't only about makeup. For a spring, clothes worn near the face work best in ivory, cream, light camel, coral, apple green, turquoise and warm sky blue. In jewellery, yellow gold and rose gold flatter you more than silver, and cream pearls work better than pure white ones.

If you colour your hair, golden, honey and light copper tones boost your radiance; ash tones or blue-black tend to harden your face and emphasise dark circles.

If the test is torn between spring and another season

It's normal for a result to land between two seasons, especially if the lighting in the photo isn't great. Torn between spring and autumn? Look at intensity: if earthy, deep shades drain you, you're a spring. Torn between spring and summer? Try a coral and a cool pink: whichever brightens you decides the undertone. You can change your season manually in the test result and see how the recommendations change.

A spring look in three steps

1. Champagne shadow over the whole lid with a touch of bronze on the outer corner.
2. Peach blush high on the cheek.
3. A satin coral lipstick or a peachy gloss.

See it on your own face in the glow look, which pairs luminous, very spring-like shades.

Frequently asked questions

Can deep skin be a spring?

Yes. What defines a spring is a warm undertone and brightness, not just lightness. Some medium and deep golden skins with light eyes fit bright spring.

What's the best red lipstick for a spring?

A light red with an orange or coral base. Very deep blue-reds usually work better as an accent than as an everyday lip.

Do I need to change my whole wardrobe?

No. Colour analysis is a guide to getting it right, mainly with what you wear near your face: makeup, scarves and tops.