If I Was A Dark Autumn….

 Nothing shouts elegant like Dark Autumn.

What would I do if I were in this seasonal category? 

I’d buy a satiny/silk ivory blouse, pair it with some dark coffee brown trousers and an Hermes replica belt in snakeskin. Round toed dark maroon brown dress shoes with a slight heel, a maroon print scarf that contains plum and leaf green. Carry a Polene slouchy handbag in that same leaf green. 

Assemble a mix and match capsule wardrobe. Any seasonal category can do this, but with Autumn, you can close your eyes, choose a skirt or pants, a blouse, accessories and shoes, and end up with a great look every single time. That’s because the palettes are lower in contrast, with Dark Autumn being more crisp. 

Burgundy brown nail polish with a copper shimmer for every day. Revlon Rum Raisin would be a great lipstick color.  Clinique Black Honey is nice for a more sheer look. 

Jewelry in jade, garnet, amethyst, hammered or burnished metals. Antique pearls. Citrine, peridot, amber with dark veins. When I think of Dark Autumn, rich decadence comes to mind, like gourmet chocolate, pomegranates, dark cherries and Merlot in a glass by the firelight. 

Not feeling the formality? Try a deep plum t shirt with your favorite jeans and some vintage clog sandals. Fringe suede handbag in a patchwork design. A garnet glass bead choker necklace made of macrame’. 

I could go on forever about this seasonal category, because the choices and possibilities are endless, particularly when it comes to cosmetics. With that being mentioned, I’d pick quality over quantity and keep my collection small rather than large.

-T

Pantone COTY

 Depending upon what seasonal category you are, Pantone’s Color of the Year for 2025 is either a huge hit, or a disappointment. The buzz on it has been polarizing. Many people love it, but others are wondering if next year’s COTY is even much of a color to begin with. 

Enter Pantone 17-1230 Mocha Mousse. The year of interior decorating with lots of neutral tones has arrived.

Whom is this color a good fit for in the upcoming year? 

Soft Summer and Soft Autumn really come out on the winning end, depending upon how much rose is in the undertone. Cooler versions will work well for True Summer and Light Summer. I would say any Winter or Spring influenced season could easily sit this one out. 

The trend over the last two decades has been cosmetics in neutral tones. I feel, with Mocha Mousse, we will be seeing more selections, even though the fashion prediction for Winter 2024/2025 favors a bolder outlook. 

If you aren’t into Mocha Mousse, other popular colors will be this selection which contains brighter, but still muted colors that fit anywhere from True Summer to Soft Autumn. Fall/Winter 2024/2025 is full of many options that will look great on all 3 Autumns, with Dark Autumn coming up the winner. 

If you are placed in a Spring or Winter based seasonal category, 2025 won’t be the greatest. Here’s hoping for something more fitting in 2026! 

-T

If I Was A Bright Spring….

Bright Spring is more heavily weighted towards True Spring than Bright Winter is. As a result, it is warmer and more lively than Bright Winter. It can be a very adventurous palette with a good amount of sparky energy. For a good explanation of how Bright Winter and Bright Spring compare, please check out this blog post by Cate Linden for all the details. 

A good thing to try is color contrast. Imagine a bright blue jacket, fuchsia pants and a patterned blouse with yellow in the print that ties it all together. If that’s more than you feel like navigating, how about a clear ivory jumpsuit with a Kelly green scarf and some shiny gold jewelry? You will find a nice collage here of solid color options if you don’t feel ready to push the envelope. 

For jewelry, I tend to like rose gold and yellow gold better for Bright Spring than silver. Shine is good, both in fabric and metal finishes. Make sure any stones have sparkle, or at least a high polished finish. 

Lipsticks colors I think work very well are a hot melon pink, tomato red, red-orange and red violet. Try to steer clear of heavy matte finishes. 

I feel that wearing multi colored eye shadow is too distracting on anyone, but mixing ivory, gold and a peach orange with some brown eye liner is a more daring look worth trying. Here are some options.

Stay away from black or brown shoes. Gold, clear ivory, or any of your palette colors will be much nicer choices. Color blocking with accessories like this just looks joyful , which is everything Bright Spring authentically is. 

What would I do if I were a Bright Spring? I’d get comfortable with the warmer end of the palette and play with complimentary colors like this . Try out lip balms and glosses to get used to more saturated lipstick shades. I’d also be pre-planning my Spring and Summer wardrobe!! 

-T

The Ease of Being Autumn

 There is a tremendous blessing in being placed inside of an Autumn based seasonal category. 

Soft Summer

Soft Autumn

True Autumn

Dark Autumn

Just recently, I was looking online for shoes and handbags. If you are looking for quality leather goods, the sheer amount of choices is astounding….from sandy, rose brown and tan to burgundy, wine, warm copper and ochre. If you are an Autumn season and are on the hunt, I highly recommend Fossil as a brand. You won’t spend a ton of money and their leather goods last a very long time. Coach and Longchamps have also proven their mettle as established brands that have stood the test of time. 

Cosmetics are very easy for Autumns. Soft Summer does so well with browns that have a rose base. The Urban Decay Naked 3 palette and Clinique Honey Affair are beautiful choices. Add a pinky nude or muted wine lipstick, some blush in a muted mauve and you’ve got a real winner of a combination. 

Soft Autumns are decidedly warmer in undertone. Bare Minerals Sunlit Eyeshsdow Palette is a nice one. This seasonal category can wear nude lips like no other, and the choices are vast! Just, please avoid that concealer lips look.Terra cotta, warm muted pink, and honey are great colors to try. 

True Autumn can go full on bronze goddess. Bronzer and contour live on your skin with harmony. My favorite eye shadow palette is Bobbi Brown Bronzed Nudes. Truthfully, Bobbi Brown is a great brand for anyone who is an Autumn. Lipsticks include burnt orange, warmed copper, copper brown and muted red orange. 

Dark Autumn is the deepest. Cooler in tone than True Autumn, Dark Autumn is less blended, and more contrasting. The Tarte Maneater After Dark palette is a great choice. You can also use bronzer and contour effectively. Lipstick colors include cinnamon rose, wine with added gold shimmer, medium to deep terra cotta and browned burgundy. 

IMHO-Soft Autumn, True Autumn and Dark Autumn have a ton of room for mixing, matching and borrowing from one another. The color palettes, by nature are lower contrast and more on the muted side. I don’t recommend a Soft Summer cheating into these tonal categories because of having a mauve/rose base. However, Dark Winter may be a good place to stray. More on this later! 

-T

Current Bright Winter Cosmetics List

 It is nice to streamline things on my dressing table. Declutter all of those things that don’t work and keep those that do. 

Eyeshadow: I used to have the  Colorpop Stone Cold Fox shadow palette, and need to replace it at some point. For now, I use Cover Girl Eye Enhancers Tapestry Taupe and Maybelline Expert Wear in Vanilla. 

My favorite eye pencil is Maybelline Tattoo Studio in Bold Brown. If you don’t like the harsh edge black can have, this is a good option. 

There are two blushes I have that I use most often. By Mario in Raspberry, which is more like a bright coral pink in stick form and MAC Extra Dimension Blush in Rosy Cheeks, a clear raspberry color with shimmer. 

Lipstick: 

Clinique Confetti Pop, a nice hot pink that I am loving right now. 

MUFE Edgy Marmalade. Clear coral red.  I have worn this one down. 

L’Oreal Fresh As A Rose. Bright red with shimmer. It doesn’t last all day, but the price point is great and it is a close dupe to MAC Fusion pink. 

Clinique Punch Pop, a medium fuchsia plum.

Dior Addict 536 Lucky, a bright watermelon red balm. Doesn’t last all day, but it’s so pretty it’s worth the cost of admission. 

ULTA brand lipstick, white tube. 312, red violet. 

MAC Impassioned, a clear coral. A classic I’ve worn for several years. 

Watch for my series: “If I Was A…..” for makeup recommendations. I will start with Bright Spring! 

-T

You Know Your Season….Now what?

 If you just had a color draping done and have arrived home with your new fan, you are probably a mixture of excited, overwhelmed, surprised, or possibly disappointed. None of those emotions are right or wrong. Certainly, if you are very pleased with the results-that’s great! The process of beginning your beauty routine and wardrobe switch will be made easier. 

What if your feelings are more negative, even bordering or fully on contempt? 

First step: 

You can wear any color/any palette/anything you want to! This is NOT about taking away. This is about choosing the best of the best. If there is an item you own, or a few things you love that don’t fit the new palette, by all means-keep and enjoy them. 

Think back to your draping session. If your consultant was diligent, you know how you ended up in the seasonal category that suits you. For example, a cinnamon rust from your Dark Autumn palette really matched who you are. That fuchsia pink you always liked left you looking cold and was very aging. Better feelings about your seasonal category may begin to emerge once you take the time to reflect on it.

Choose a section of your palette that you like. Maybe it’s the neutral tones. It could even be the blues or greens. Do the lipstick colors catch your eye? This is a good place to start. Notice how the other colors surrounding them harmonize together. 

Start SMALL. I recommend the following: 

3 t shirts, or blouses. 

3 lipsticks. If you are afraid of the brighter colors (common in Winter based seasons) a sheer balm or gloss might feel more comfortable. 

2 nail polishes.

Don’t expand into anything else. 

Listen for unsolicited feedback when wearing these items. It could be something as simple as, “Did you go on vacation? You seem so well-rested.” It could even be that how people interact with you changes in a positive way. YOU may feel better about YOU!! 

Get on Pinterest and look up your seasonal category. Don’t just look at collages of clothing, but explore interior design, nature and flowers in those colors. It will help you see what’s possible.

Give yourself plenty of time, at least 3-6 months to get used to your palette. 

My take: If, after all of this you STILL do not like anything about your colors, don’t feel obligated to wear them. In this case, stick to what you have an affinity for. I’m of the belief that, if you don’t ever see yourself liking your seasonal category, it might not be the right one to begin with. 

Beauty Trends 2025

 Here is what I think: 

The neutral makeup/nude lips and bronzer trend that has taken up the majority of 2010-2024 is considered classic and I see no signs of it disappearing. If you are a Soft season, my humble opinion is you will always have the advantage of lots of choices. The same goes for all of the Autumn based seasons: particularly Dark Autumn. 

Some exciting changes: 

Shine and bold red lips are back! True Winter and Bright seasons will see more choices in this regard. Like Cate Linden warned me: we live in a muted world. It’s about to change, and I am here for it! 

Shimmer and sparkle. I also love both, but mature skin can’t always handle this without texture being emphasized. If you want to try it, I think Jones Road products are a great way to indulge in this while being flattering at the same time. This product line is beautiful on Soft seasons.

Lollipop lips. I don’t like the application as it’s shown. Neaten it up and it’s a great look for Dark Winter, True Winter and the Bright seasons.

Silver!! True Winters and True Summers take note. 

Blonzer. That beautiful combination of blush and bronzer. I think all of the more muted neutral season categories can give this a whirl. It looks very fresh faced, so Light seasons will win on this one. 

Bold eyes. The smoky eye is back, and it’s something I feel nobody can wear as well as a Dark season. 

Vampy lips. If you are a Dark Autumn, Dark Winter or a True Winter, enjoy this trend! 

Gothic Glam. Anyone with a Winter component to their coloring can balance this, and you can go from mild to wild. 

Pops of color. Bright Winter, Bright Spring and to a softer degree, Light Spring and Light Summer can wear this. 

If you naturally have soft or light lashes, let them be, or lighten your mascara application. This is now a trendy look! 

Blurred or feathered lips are great options for Light and Soft seasons. 

As always: your unique beauty, with all its character and experience, will always be a style no one else can imitate! 

-T

Body Harmony Colors

Colors that mirror your eye, hair and deeper skin tones can be some great ways to build a capsule wardrobe. The first step to this is knowing which color category you belong to. 

Say, for instance, you are a True Spring. You have strawberry blonde hair, green blue eyes and the red in your skin tone is peach (test this by pinching your fingertip to see what shade of red or pink is the result.) 

Take out your True Spring fan, and find the closest matches to your eye, finger-pinch skin tone and hair colors. Will you find absolute exact matches? Likely not. BUT-the colors in your fan will enhance what God has given you. Take a look at the True Spring images from NDU Colors for inspiration. Ask any trained color analyst, and they will tell you-the colors in your palette exist within you, which I find amazing!! 

Some ideas: 

Your hair color will make for foundational garments like skirts, trousers and jackets. 

Denim in the blue of your eye color as found in your palette can look extraordinarily nice. Can you imagine a Light Sunmer wearing her denim blue with a yellow blouse close to the highlights in her hair color? Breathtaking!! 

The “pinch down” red color can be a beautiful color for a blouse or even a party dress. I’m thinking a Dark Autumn wearing a cinnamon coral satin gown would stop traffic!! 

Me, being Bright Winter would choose the following: 

White (eye color pattern)

Navy (eye color)

Blue green (eye color) 

Strawberry red (finger pinch undertone) 

Hot pink (simply because I love it!) 

Bright lemon yellow (Eye color highlights) 

Those colors, especially in solids, build a wardrobe with endless possibilities! Do you have to use solid colors? Certainly not, but solids offer up a world of mix and match options. 

Stay tuned for an in depth review of the NDU Colors tools!! Spoiler alert: LOVE!! 

-T

Get to Know Jorunn/Nordic Simplicity

 I received the opportunity to join in on a podcast episode from Jorunn Hernes who is the creator of Nordic Simplicity. In this episode, we discuss the answer to the question: How do you find a good Facebook group for your color analysis category? Also, we talk a bit about knitting, dogs and our Moms. 

I hope you enjoy!! Click here to listen.

Click Here to find Rachel Nachmias of Best Dressed US. 

Anna Lazaska is the creator of Perfect Mood Boatd

Contact Florentina Mossou here.

Lisa K. Ford can be found at Invent Your Image

The Long Way Around

It took a while to discover what my seasonal category actually was, and what kept leading me astray were two things: my natural hair color and the well meaning opinions of others. 

If you don’t have dark hair, you can’t be a Winter of any kind. The “shot heard ‘round the (color analysis) world” blog post composed by a well respected educator stated this: she has not seen a blonde True Winter. It was a surprise to read this. 

Is hair color NOT supposed to matter? 

Hmmmmmm…….

Bread crumbs kept appearing over time….

With nail polish- WHY did I only really like brighter colors? Browns, mauve, rose, beige or any other “conservative” color, other than a pink and pure white French manicure did NOT work. And-that white had better be pure! 

MAC Fusion Pink, Impassioned and Full Fuchsia lipsticks were staples. 

Bright Winter made me look 10 pounds slimmer, gave me white teeth and cleared the whites of my eyes. 

The clear navy dress I wore to a family wedding was NOT anywhere near Light Summer territory and I got compliments that evening. 

“You look GORGEOUS in that (hot pink) sweater!”

Hmmmmmm……..

In 2019, I suffered the loss of my dear Aunt Sharon. It was a rough time for our whole family. A road trip was in order.  Lisa K. Ford of Invent Your Image invited me up for  part of a training program, and I was a test subject for her student, Erin. After a meticulously thorough draping process, my suspicions were confirmed: Bright Winter. 

What about Light Summer? Ok…..it’s a beautiful season that is a complete delight to the eye (sigh!!) BUT, these things happen: 

Face, chin and neck melt together.

Gray, far away eyes. 

Blotchy skin tone.

What about Bright Spring? 

Head and shoulders MUCH better than any of the other Spring seasons, but it was a little too light, bright and warm. 

Bright Winter was like arriving HOME! 

However, I wasn’t finished trying “all the methods” and had a few more consultations to give my readers feedback. These were the results:

Light Summer? 

Tinted Summer? 

Toned Sumner? 

I won’t say any of those were necessarily wrong. They hit on the point that my skin loved that cool/neutral color space.

Something was still missing. Frustration set in. I was 100% ready to be rebellious and forge a pathway to travel on my own terms.

Then, another opportunity arrived! 

Just recently, I got to visit Cate Linden and her student Grace. As part of Grace’s training, she went through the draping process under Cate’s tutelage. Nothing belonged quite as well as Bright Winter. The “chef’s kiss” drape was unexpected. Bright Winter emerald medium dark green!! 

When I flew home from Louisville, I wore a simple outfit: fuchsia-red pink blouse with lace inset sleeves, a long black skirt, bright purple tie dye socks and white sneakers. I probably looked a bit like the nerdy Aunt that I am, but I felt SO GOOD!! Everyone else wore gray, brown or black. The scene was devoid of color. Not me! Walking through the terminals was like delightfully moving to the beat of a different drummer!

It feels fantastic to have my color journey behind me. Now, there is permission to be that sparky, joyful, exciting person I’ve envisioned! 

See you next time, when I talk about how to navigate color groups on social media. 

-T

Custom Color Palette

 Heather Noakes from Heather & Co. created a custom palette for me in 2021. I had been reluctant to have a Caygill style fan created for me, thinking it would end up being too subdued. 

Fortunately, that fear was solidly laid to rest! 

Both of us had a conversation on Zoom where we made some tweaks here and there. The results greatly exceeded my expectations! I’m not saying a custom palette works for absolutely everyone. Like everything else, a home run won’t be hit every time-but I’m pleased with what was put together: 

The question may come up from long-time readers somewhat familiar with my color story: “Tina! WHAT are you doing with a Bright Winter fan?” 

That, my friends, is a story for another day. Stay tuned!! 

-Tina

If You Are Blonde…..You Can’t Be X

Bernice Kentner was a genius when she designed her color system. She recognized that in each seasonal category was an individual with blonde, brown, red and brunette hair. With the advent of Color Me Beautiful and several other color systems, somehow hair and eye color were the guide posts. 

Bright red hair means you are a Spring. 

Mousey hair (it is NOT when wearing the correct color palette), Summer. 

Brunette equaled Winter. 

Warm brown hair placed you in Autumn. 

And, what if you are not Caucasian? One of my BIGGEST beefs is with Suzanne Caygill’s book. Not ONE of the models in the photos is anything other than various shades of white. Women of any ethnicity can fall into any seasonal category. I recall fairly recently seeing a beautiful African American woman draped as a Light Summer and she looks glorious!!! (You can see her photo on Instagram Moon Over Star)

Where many well-meaning color analysts drop the ball is by making a snap judgment-you can’t be a certain seasonal category due to your hair and eye color. Then, it’s a case of choosing warm or cool and going from there. This hair color “rule” has misled many women down the wrong pathway, and the myth just persists. 

In the Facebook color analysis world-there was a blog post made by a respected educator that True Winter blondes don’t really exist, at least not in the author’s neck of the woods. However, I’ve seen in photos one of the 12blueprints analysts IS, and she’s stunning!! 

Many beige haired women and men are Bright Springs or Bright Winters, though many analysts would place them in a Summer category that would ultimately “dumb down” their coloring. 

Redheads can end up in any seasonal category from Soft and Dark Autumn to True Summer or Bright Winter! Two really great places you can see variety are on Instagram at Moon Over Star and on the web at Cate Linden.com (Click on Menu, then Color Services and PCA Client Gallery.) 

Here is an absolute truth: How your skin tone reacts to color is king! Once that happens, your eye and hair color automatically look better-and so do you, as a whole. And, that’s the whole point. 

Another fantastic color analysis system is House of Colour. They also acknowledge that hair color is of lesser importance than how your skin tone reacts to color. The resulting photos as shown on Instagram on House of Colour this beautifully. 

In an upcoming article, I will talk about custom color analysis, and how my feelings about it have changed. 

See you soon! 

-Tina

A Return…..

 It’s been more than a few minutes! 

Many things have happened. Last year, my brother, sister, sister in law and I lost both of our parents within three months. It was an unexpected and abrupt change none of us saw coming. Needless to say, the very thought of posting on my blog did not register on the radar and I am still adjusting.

On the good side,  I am the Mom to an 8 year old adopted male Shih Tzu named Bear who keeps me sane. He actually runs the house. (Now, if I could get him to pay some bills!) 

My interest in all things color has not changed. Though I am not directly involved in the color and style communities on Facebook right now, it’s still a hobby of mine I enjoy delving into when I have time.

There’s much more to come in the near future, so stay tuned!