How to Choose Makeup for Your Seasonal Colouring (16-Season Guide)

Makeup is one of the clearest ways for seasonal colour analysis to become visible on the face. The right makeup shades will make the skin appear more even, smoother, brighter and more refined — while the wrong shades can make the complexion look dull, flat, heavy, grey, orange or tired.

In colour analysis, makeup is selected based on the same three pillars used to evaluate clothing:

Temperature (warm–cool) + Depth (light–deep) + Clarity (bright–muted)

But there’s one important nuance many people miss:

Foundation matches your overtone, while colour cosmetics follow your undertone + season.

Understanding this distinction prevents a lot of confusion for clients and makeup artists alike.

FOUNDATION: MATCH THE OVERTONE

Contrary to popular belief, foundation is not matched to undertone. In professional makeup artistry, it is matched to the skin’s overtone, meaning the visible surface colour of the skin (ivory, beige, golden tan, chestnut, espresso, etc.).

This ensures the face blends naturally into the neck and chest without correction.

Matching foundation to overtone results in:

✔ seamless match✔ no mask line✔ reduced muddiness or grey cast✔ more realistic “skin-like” finish

By contrast, matching foundation to undertone often causes:

❌ chalkiness (too cool)❌ orange cast (too warm)❌ dirtiness/muddiness (too muted)❌ or a foundation that doesn’t match the body

This matters especially for neutral skin tones which may appear:

• warm on the surface (golden/green overtone)

• but cool-neutral underneath

Undertones affect cosmetics, not base complexion matching.

COLOUR COSMETICS: FOLLOW THE SEASON

Once foundation is matched, the colours layered on top should harmonise with the seasonal palette.

This includes:

• Blush

• Lipstick

• Eyeshadow

• Eyeliners

• Brows

• Highlighters/contour

These categories respond to undertone, value and chroma in extremely direct ways.

Blush shows the blood colour.

Lips show the colour of flush + pigment.

Eyeshadow shows clarity vs smoke.

This is why a True Summer does well in mauve–rosewood blush, while a True Spring does best in apricot–coral.

HOW THE 16 SEASONS HANDLE MAKEUP

Below is the 16-season International Image Institute / advanced directional breakdown used in modern seasonal analysis.

WINTER FAMILY

Cool • Deep • Bright–Clear

True Winter

• Blush: cool pink, berry

• Lips: blue-red, wine, raspberry

• Eyes: black, charcoal, plum, navy

• Brows: deep cool brown to black

• Highlighter: icy or cool pearl

Bright Winter

• Blush: clear cool fuchsia, vivid berry

• Lips: cherry, fuchsia, clear blue-red

  Eyes: cobalt, sapphire, black, icy tones

• Brows: deep, crisp contrast

  Highlight: icy crystal bright

Cool Winter

• Blush: berry rose

• Lips: cool berry, cranberry, pink-plum

• Eyes: pewter, navy, plum

• Brows: cool deep brown/soft black

• Highlight: cool pearl, no warmth

  
  

Deep Winter

• Blush: wine, plum, deep berry

• Lips: blackberry, merlot, black cherry

• Eyes: black-brown, aubergine, charcoal

• Brows: very deep, defined

• Contour: neutral-cool deep taupe

SUMMER FAMILY

Cool • Light–Soft • Muted

True Summer

• Blush: dusty rose

• Lips: soft berry, rosewood, cool mauve

• Eyes: slate, lavender grey, cool taupe

• Brows: ash soft to medium

• Highlighter: opal with no gold shift

Cool Summer

• Blush: blue-rose

• Lips: berry rose, cool mauve, raspberry tint

• Eyes: pewter, soft navy, dusty charcoal

• Brows: cool ash brown

• Avoid: orange, tomato reds

Light Summer

• Blush: petal pink, light mauve

• Lips: ballet pink, soft raspberry, cool rose

• Eyes: lavender-grey, shell tones

• Brows: light ash

• Finish: dewy-light rather than smoky

Muted / Soft Summer

• Blush: dusty mauve, muted rosewood

• Lips: dusty mauve, berry nude, soft rose

• Eyes: eucalyptus, mushroom, smoky taupe

• Brows: muted ash brown

• Avoid: too-bright jewel tones

AUTUMN FAMILY

Warm • Deep • Muted

True Autumn

• Blush: terracotta, warm rose

• Lips: brick, russet, earthy red

• Eyes: cocoa, olive, golden brown

• Brows: warm deep brown

• Finish: matte or suede works best

Warm Autumn

• Blush: apricot-terracotta

• Lips: warm coral brick, tomato red

• Eyes: amber, copper, warm cocoa

• Brows: warm brown

• Avoid: icy or blue-based shades

Muted Autumn

• Blush: dusty peach, warm rosewood

• Lips: sienna rose, brown rose, muted coral

• Eyes: olive, cocoa taupe, khaki

• Brows: soft warm brown

• Finish: smoked not sparkly

Deep Autumn

• Blush: brick rose

• Lips: oxblood, cedar, mahogany

• Eyes: espresso, dark olive, chocolate

• Brows: very deep and warm

• Contour: warm deep brown

SPRING FAMILY

Warm • Light–Bright • Clear

True Spring

• Blush: peach, coral, apricot

• Lips: warm pink-coral, salmon, warm red

• Eyes: golden peach, warm brown

• Brows: golden light to medium brown

• Finish: clean + glowy

Warm Spring

• Blush: apricot

• Lips: tomato red, coral

• Eyes: copper, warm gold, warm taupe

• Brows: warm medium brown

• Highlighter: champagne gold

Light Spring

• Blush: peach-pink

• Lips: watermelon, warm pink

• Eyes: champagne, light gold, shell

• Brows: soft golden

• Avoid: overly dark looks

  
  

Bright Spring

• Blush: vivid warm coral

• Lips: coral-red, warm hot pink

• Eyes: lime, gold, bright warm brown

• Brows: crisp golden brown

• Avoid: muted tones → look muddy

RED LIPSTICK IS NOT UNIVERSAL

Every season has a different red:

• Winters: blue-reds, magenta reds

• Summers: berry-rosy reds

• Springs: coral/tomato/salmon reds

• Autumns: brick, russet, oxblood reds

This alone debunks the “everyone just needs a classic red” myth.

Makeup harmony follows this formula:

Foundation = overtone match

Colour cosmetics = undertone + depth + chroma match

Season = guides hue, clarity + value

Not sure which seasonal family you fall into?

I offer both:✔ In-person colour analysis in Melbourne (Croydon studio)✔ Virtual global colour analysis

Your session will includes personalised makeup guidance tailored to your season.

Visit the services page of my website for more information on whats on offer.