Winter vs Bright Winter
No selfie. No photo. Your season comes from your answers, so lighting and filters can’t move it.
Clarity, at the same cool undertone. Winter is deep and clear; Bright Winter is lighter overall but more saturated. Saturation test. A deep emerald against a hot pink. Winter takes the emerald; Bright Winter takes the pink and makes the emerald look heavy.
Side by side
| Winter | Bright Winter | |
|---|---|---|
| Undertone and depth | navy, emerald, true red, pure white — deep and cold. | hot pink, electric blue, lemon — cold and loud. |
| Best colors | Navy #1F2F5C · Berry #8B1E4B · Emerald #1F7A55 · Ice blue #A8D8F0 · True red #C8102E · Charcoal #36393F · Pure white #FFFFFF · Royal purple #5B2A86 | Hot pink #FF3E9A · Electric blue #1F6FFF · Lemon #FFF04D · Black #111111 · Pure white #FFFFFF · Emerald #1F7A55 · Cherry #D2042D · Violet #7F3FBF |
| Colors to avoid | Camel #C19A6B · Oat #E8DCCB · Mustard #D1A520 · Rust #B5522B | Mushroom #B1A295 · Taupe #8B7D6B · Oat #E8DCCB · Dusty rose #C49A9A |
Three tests to tell them apart
- Saturation test. A deep emerald against a hot pink. Winter takes the emerald; Bright Winter takes the pink and makes the emerald look heavy.
- Depth test. Bright Winter usually has more contrast between a lighter face and dark hair; true Winter is deep throughout.
- Pastel test. Icy pink against pure white. Bright Winter can use icy brights as its lights; true Winter leans on white and black instead.
Winter colors
- Navy
- Berry
- Emerald
- Ice blue
- True red
- Charcoal
- Pure white
- Royal purple
Bright Winter colors
- Hot pink
- Electric blue
- Lemon
- Black
- Pure white
- Emerald
- Cherry
- Violet
The full Bright Winter palette →
Still not sure?
Ten quick picks between two colors decide it for you. No photo, no sign-in.
Other pairs people get stuck on
Winter vs Summer
Depth and clarity. Both are cool; Winter is deep and clear, Summer is light and soft.Winter vs Autumn
Undertone. Winter is cool, Autumn is warm. This is the cleanest split of the four.Winter vs Spring
Undertone. Both are clear and bright; Winter is cool and Spring is warm.Summer vs Autumn
Undertone, at similar softness. Both can look muted; Summer is cool-muted and Autumn is warm-muted.Summer vs Spring
Undertone, at similar lightness. Both are light; Summer is cool and Spring is warm.Autumn vs Spring
Depth and clarity. Both are warm; Autumn is deep and muted, Spring is light and clear.Soft Summer vs Soft Autumn
Undertone, at identical softness. This is the hardest pair in the system: both are muted and mid-depth.Deep Winter vs Deep Autumn
Undertone, at identical depth. Both are dark; one is cold, one is warm.Light Spring vs Light Summer
Undertone, at identical lightness. Both are pale and low-contrast.Bright Spring vs Bright Winter
Undertone, at identical brightness. Both wear saturated colors most people cannot.
Depth and clarity. Both are cool; Winter is deep and clear, Summer is light and soft.Winter vs Autumn
Undertone. Winter is cool, Autumn is warm. This is the cleanest split of the four.Winter vs Spring
Undertone. Both are clear and bright; Winter is cool and Spring is warm.Summer vs Autumn
Undertone, at similar softness. Both can look muted; Summer is cool-muted and Autumn is warm-muted.Summer vs Spring
Undertone, at similar lightness. Both are light; Summer is cool and Spring is warm.Autumn vs Spring
Depth and clarity. Both are warm; Autumn is deep and muted, Spring is light and clear.Soft Summer vs Soft Autumn
Undertone, at identical softness. This is the hardest pair in the system: both are muted and mid-depth.Deep Winter vs Deep Autumn
Undertone, at identical depth. Both are dark; one is cold, one is warm.Light Spring vs Light Summer
Undertone, at identical lightness. Both are pale and low-contrast.Bright Spring vs Bright Winter
Undertone, at identical brightness. Both wear saturated colors most people cannot.