The Dark Winter Seasonal Color Palette
In the 12 Seasonal Color System, Dark Winter (or Deep Winter) is a season dominated by darkness, depth, and coolness (Dark and Cool). Dark Winter falls between Dark Autumn (Dark and Warm) and True Winter or Cool Winter (Cool and Dark). The palette focuses on colors with darker value, moderate to slightly high chroma (far from very muted) with an emphasis on the cooler hues (blues, blue-greens, purples, reds, and pinks). Still, there is some warmth to this palette as it is in between Autumn and Winter.
Overall, the palette is drenched in shadowy richness, visual drama, and dark sensuality touched by a candlelit glow.
Dark Winter Skin Tone and Hair Color
Dark Winter natives can possess neutral to neutral cool skin with beige, alabaster, rose, olive, cocoa, and tan undertones. Their hair is richly pigmented with tints of dark charcoal, blue-black, and cocoa. Overall, Dark Winter contrast leans high and the most prominent aspect to their overall coloring is the depth of their pigmentation. Their beauty tends to be smoky, sultry, with a moonlike radiance.
Compared to Dark Autumn, Dark Winter is cooler. Dark Winter natives tend to look better in raven hair and burgundy lips, which can flatten the rich caramel and walnut shades of their Dark Autumn sister. Compared to True Winter, Dark Winter has a bit more warmth and less clarity or brightness. True Winter natives look a bit more crisp whereas Dark Winter natives look a bit more shadowy.
Dark Winter Celebrities
Possible Dark Winter celebrities include Rachel Weisz, Monica Bellucci, Viola Davis, Shay Mitchell, Anne Hathaway, Lily Collins, Priyanka Chopra, and Naomi Campbell. These woman all exude that depth of coloring and slightly cool, moonlike glow.
Dark Winter Color Palette
Dark Winter Neutrals and Colors to Avoid
Dark Winter neutrals range from slight off-whites, slates, slightly warm greys, charcoals, deep aubergines, and darkest cocoa, navy, and brown black.
Dark Winters look best when they avoid overly warm, bright, or muted and grey based colors that will most likely appear a bit flat on their deep beauty.
Dark Winter Metals, Stones, and Materials
Dark Winters look best in deep silvers, pewter, soft white golds, brass, and soft yellow golds. Another important aspect of metal choice is the finish- slightly textured or antique finishes to slightly shiny and polished metals will support their contrast. Oppositely, very bright and shiny surfaces will look too harsh and overly textured and very dull finishes on light metals will look heavy.
Softly polished to very brilliant gemstones in more antiquated metals can accommodate the depth of the Dark Autumn. Ruby, garnet, amethyst, carnelian, obsidian, and emerald are richly shaded gemstones that can perfectly shade-match the colors of the Dark Winter palette.
When considering materials, Dark Winters look best in slightly light reflective options-look into rich velvets, deep leathers, dark snakeskins, and supple suedes.
Makeup Looks for the Dark Winter
Dark Winter casual makeup requires a bit more color than other seasons. What seems like a very subtle color will usually end up looking like a very nude or colorless lip on the Dark Winter beauty. Look for slightly deep shades of plum and berry for the lips and cheeks. A bit of shimmer on the eyes adds extra dimension, which is so harmonious with this season’s high contrast and depth. A slightly dewy or satin finish is lovely- matte looks tend to come off a bit too flat and will likely need enough contour and color to catapult the look into a dramatic or evening face.
For a dramatic look, Dark Winters can concentrate bold and more opaque color onto their eyes and lips. Slightly glossy or shimmery finishes are beautiful. Blush can be kept very light or left out altogether. Alternatively, a very bold and smoky eye can be paired with a very nude lip (think skin tones) and a chiseled approach to contour and highlight.
Are You a Dark Winter?
If you’d like a second opinion on your seasonal color, I offer a virtual color analysis service which you can book here: Virtual Seasonal Color Analysis.
xx
Nona
