Cool Winters thrive in clear, cool, and vibrant hues, meaning they should generally avoid warm, muted, and earthy tones that can detract from their natural brightness. Specifically, Cool Winters should steer clear of earthy colours, golden browns, muddy greens, and oranges.
Understanding the Cool Winter Palette
As a Cool Winter, your natural characteristics include cool undertones in your skin, hair, and eyes, often with a high contrast between your hair and skin. Your best colors are typically rich, icy, and clear shades found on the cool side of the color wheel. Conversely, colors that introduce warmth, dullness, or excessive softness can wash out your complexion, make your skin appear sallow, or simply fail to enhance your natural features.
Colors to Steer Clear Of
The key to understanding which colors to avoid for a Cool Winter lies in recognizing shades that introduce warmth, a "muddy" quality, or excessive mutedness. These colors tend to clash with a Cool Winter's cool, clear essence.
Here’s a breakdown of the specific colors and types of shades that are generally not recommended:
- Earthy Colours: These include a range of warm, natural tones often associated with autumn palettes.
- Examples: Warm beiges, terracotta, olive green, mustard yellow, rust, and most shades of brown with a yellow or red undertone. These colors lack the coolness and clarity that complement a Cool Winter.
- Golden Browns: Browns with a distinct yellow or gold undertone.
- Examples: Caramel, bronze, warm chocolate, or any brown that looks distinctly sun-kissed or reddish-brown. These shades can make a Cool Winter's skin look dull or washed out.
- Muddy Greens: Greens that are dull, muted, and contain significant yellow or brown undertones.
- Examples: Khaki, moss green, army green, and any green that appears desaturated or murky. Cool Winters need clear, crisp greens like emerald or forest green, not these dull variations.
- Oranges: As a fundamentally warm color, orange typically clashes with the cool undertones of a Cool Winter.
- Examples: Bright orange, peach, apricot, coral, and any shade of orange, regardless of its intensity. Even muted oranges can be problematic.
Summary of Colors to Avoid:
| Color Category | Specific Examples to Avoid | Reason for Avoidance |
|---|---|---|
| Earthy Colours | Warm beige, terracotta, rust, mustard yellow, warm browns | Too warm and often too muted, can wash out cool complexions |
| Golden Browns | Caramel, bronze, reddish-brown, warm chocolate | Introduce too much warmth, can make skin appear sallow |
| Muddy Greens | Khaki, moss green, army green, dull olive greens | Lack clarity and coolness, can appear drab on Cool Winters |
| Oranges | All shades of orange, including peach, apricot, and coral | Fundamentally warm, clashes with cool undertones |
Practical Styling Tips for Cool Winters
To ensure your wardrobe enhances your natural beauty, focus on colors that align with your Cool Winter palette:
- Embrace Cool Tones: Opt for true black, pure white, icy pastels (like icy blue, lavender, mint green), and vibrant jewel tones (such as ruby red, emerald green, royal blue, and amethyst purple).
- High Contrast is Your Friend: Use your natural high contrast to your advantage by pairing light and dark cool colors.
- Neutral Choices: Stick to cool neutrals like charcoal gray, navy blue, and true white.
- Accessorize Wisely: When in doubt about a clothing color, ensure your accessories (jewelry, scarves near your face) are in your best cool colors. Silver jewelry often looks more harmonious than gold.
- Fabric Choices: Look for fabrics that hold color well and offer a crisp, clear appearance, rather than those that absorb light or have a warm sheen.
By avoiding these specific warm, muddy, and earthy colors, Cool Winters can ensure their wardrobe always enhances their naturally striking and vibrant appearance.
