Micro Color Analysis

This page is where I will post a "Micro Color Analysis" -  a brief rundown of why I chose a certain season for certain images I created via artificial intelligence, I call my ColorBreeze Art. 

Instead of just labeling the person, I will add a brief explanation of my reasoning.

Micro Color Analysis #7

I literally could go either way with this woman's season, between Smokey Soft Autumn or Sunlit Soft Autumn.  Here is why I am torn. 

She is more deep than light which suggests the deeper Soft Autumn (Smokey). 

But her eyes are quite luminous, seen often in Sunlit Soft Autumn seasons.

So as I teach in my training, I asked myself to where does she seem to flow?

The Sunlit Autumn flows into the Sunlit Soft Spring and I just don't see much spring-like secondary traits in this woman.  I could if her hair was naturally lighter than it is now, perhaps. 

The Smokey Autumn flows into either Toasted Winter or Toasted Summer, depending on her value. I don't see a lot of cooler secondary traits for either, but I would say they are more likely than Spring. Aside from the highlights in her hair, her hair is quite muted. 

See why she's a tricky one to analyze?

Eventually you have to make a professional opinion so I chose the Smokey Soft Autumn. I would tell her than she is sort of in the middle between two seasons, and if she were to highlight her hair more, she could borrow some of the Sunlit Soft Autumn colors. 

So, officially: Smokey Soft Autumn. 

Micro Color Analysis #6

This man is one of the many updated visuals in my newest Color Revival eBook edition. I posted him on my Facebook page and asked for their best assessment of him. 

Most were spot on: Smokey Soft Summer!

Some felt he could be a Toasted Soft Summer due to some warmth on the surface of his skin. I can see why they might think that.  But I feel his warmth is a slight tan and he is more cool than a typical Toasted Summer. That was my intention when I created him anyway ;)

A few thought he could be a Soft Winter due to the relative depth of his coloring and seeing the need for some softness. I understand that sentiment as well, especially based on one photo.

Personally, I do not like to make an analysis based on one photo, so I realize I'm asking a lot from my Facebook followers. But the majority of them do see what I see, showcasing their keen eye for color analysis. I say that all the time, but its true!

Above, I put this Smokey Summer (left) next to a Clear Winter (right) who is also in my ebook, so you can really see how much lighter and softer he is.

He could wear a deep navy suit like the Winter if he wanted to and still look good. But I feel the softer charcoal suit and light blue shirt harmonize with his softer coloring better, helping to make his soft blue eyes take center stage. 

Micro Color Analysis #5

I posted this latest micro-analysis (above) on Facebook recently saying that I would accept two possible seasons that would be suitable for her.

But now, after some feedback and looking over her again, I think I would actually accept three😉

Here’s my original assessment:

Officially, I am choosing Dusty Soft Spring.

My reasons for this particular season:

1). light grey-blue eyes has a slight secondary summer quality. In other words, she seems to flow into Summer.

2). light value - though she is not the lightest Spring.

3). Clearly more warm than cool, though I felt she is not the warmest Spring.

So Dusty Spring seemed the most fitting for her.

However, I did debate whether she could be one of those very light soft Autumns, particularly the Dusty Soft Autumn. The roots of her hair are pretty dark, a color I have seen in many autumns. Dusty Autumns flow into Summer, too.

So I employed a trick I use when I’m debating between seasons, which is to test the most iconic colors of the differing main seasons. The two main seasons for this woman are Spring and Autumn.

So I asked myself which would look better on this woman - light bright sunny yellow, or heavier mustard yellow? And then I ask whether a light sheer warm red looks better on her vs. a richer, heavier tomato red.  The lighter brighter Spring colors won out over the richer earthy Autumn colors. Even though she needs some softness, and could definitely borrow a few colors from the Dusty Autumn palette, she feels more Spring-like to me.

After all this internal debate, I also could see she seems a bit warmer than many Dusty Springs. While not so warm as to qualify her as a Warm Spring, it’s not out of the realm of possibility for her to do fine as a Sunlit Soft Spring.

So if this a test question, I would accept both Dusty Spring and Dusty Autumn, and possibly Sunlit Spring.

I went with my first instincts, though, and this is Dusty Spring officially ~

Micro Color Analysis #4

I've changed my mind on this woman several times. Her skin is very cool; so cool, in fact,  that I thought I would actually choose Cool Summer for her.

But a Cool Summer flows into Winter and I see no real secondary signs of winter in her.  So she's not a Cool Summer. 

She is not the lightest Summer, though she does look pretty light compared to the rest of the Summer seasons. This would exclude both of the deeper Soft Summers.  

The two lighter Soft Summers, Dusty and Sunlit, are the two to which I narrowed down. And the Dusty Soft Summer is all cool. But I don't see a 'dusty-ness' to her like most Dusty Summers have. 

This left the Sunlit Soft Summer. While I dont see a lot of warmth in her skin or eyes, the hair is where the slight visible warmth shows up. And it explains the bit of brightness I see to her overall coloring, as she flows into the Dusty Soft Spring. 

Sunlit Soft Summer it is. 

Micro Color Analysis #3

This woman is a Deep Winter. She should be easy to identify but some people might get tripped up over her skin tone.

There is clearly a warm overtone to this woman, and I've seen some analysts label someone like this a Deep Autumn. Especially if they believes its "all about the skin," and nothing else matters in an analysis. This  is where mistakes can be made. 

Why wouldn't she be a Deep Autumn?

First, the warmth you see is an overtone, not her overall undertone. Overtone might or might not match ones overall temperature. Hispanic women often have a warm overtone to their skin, which, again, may match or not match their dominant temperature. 

Second, I see a clarity to her skin, and a sharpness to her eyes. Autumns are in need of some softness and often lack the sharpness you see in Deep Winters. This is contrast is especially visible between the iris and the whites of their eyes. 

Last, she looks amazing in pure white. While white might not be the worst color on a Deep Autumn, it doesn't light her up like it does on Winters. Imagine deep, earthy muddy colors on her. Many of the colors would look just that - muddy. 

Deep Winters can handle a lot of warmth, but only so far. 

Micro Color Analysis #2

My Facebook followers are excellent at analyzing people. They usually agree with my assessment, or are very close (main season, dominant trait, sister season, etc.)

This Micro Color Analysis  above was pretty easy. I labeled this woman a Smokey Soft Autumn with her olive green eyes and her rather neutral brown hair color.

Why not a Dusty Soft Autumn, as some suggested?

Honestly, she could go either way, though generally, most Dusty Autumns have blue or grey eyes (not always, though). I see many people like her who are not very dark yet not very light. They are pretty much right in the middle of those soft autumn seasons. I have some rules on how to decide when and where to place these middle-of-the-road, but it's a little more complex for a short post. I will go into analysis tips and trips in my upcoming training program that I working on.

But for this micro analysis, I will just say that I feel the Smokey Soft Autumn is the best fit for her. I am glad to see most of you agree. Thanks for your input!

Micro Analysis #1

My first Micro Color Analysis example is a Dusty Soft Spring male. 

I recently posted him on my FaceBook page asking for readers' input as to what they thought his season is.

Most guessed him correctly as a warm season, either Spring or light soft Autumn. Some guess guessed Summer, and I could see why. His blue eyes do look summery.

These two traits – warm skin and hair but summery eyes – are key when debating between two seasons in my ColorBreeze System. 

While one of the lightest Soft Autumns isn't inconceivable, I feel he belongs in the lightest of the 4 general seasons, which is Spring.

The two Springs which flow into Summer are the Light Springs and the Dusty Soft Springs. So these are the two options narrowed down the possibilities. 

FYI: many true Light Spring start out very light blonde but they get darker as they get older. Actor Brad Pitt  is a good example; singer Keith Urban is another. But here is a good question to ponder: if they don’t lighten their anymore, opting to keep their currently darker blonde or lighter brown hair, are they still the lightest Spring?

I would say no.

And the slightly heavier hair does add to weight to them. All of these differences are very subtle. Would the Light Spring palette work for him? Sure. However, because of the slightly heavier look, I chose the Dusty Soft Spring season for him. 

Micro Analysis #2

When I posted this woman's photo on my Facebook page, I  thought she'd be a tricky one. But everyone guessed her as either a Spring or a Summer. Nothing else. So maybe she wasn't that tricky after all. 

Her value is light. She has blue eyes. And that light aqua top looks pretty good on her. Summers look good in light aqua, right? Yes, they do!

But that color actually looks good on both Summers and Springs. I've even seen it look fabulous on some delicate Winters and even very light Autumns. 

But I created her with the Dusty Soft Spring season in mind. If her hair were less warm, a sort of beige blonde for example, I could easily accept Light Summer as her season.

But to me, her hair is warmer than that. And her skin is warmer, too, though bathed in sunlight, most people's skin can look warm. 

Her secondary Summer traits are pretty strong. But I chose Dusty Soft Spring for her. 

And I just noticed that I did two of the same seasons in a row. It was totally a coincident :) I will come up with a different season for #3. 

Stay tuned for more Micro Color Analyses

Return to Home page