Bright Winter color palette

How do Clear Winter and Bright Winter fit together?

Bright Winter also goes by the name Clear Winter. The two labels point to one and the same palette, so a guide written under either title will work for you.

This season sits within the winter family. All 4 families divide into 3 seasons apiece, and each season takes its name from the trait that defines it. For you, that defining trait is brightness, and coolness comes in just behind it.

What the colors have in common

Three traits show up in every color here. Put together, they explain why certain shades wake up your face while others leave it looking drained.

• Temperature: neutral to cool. Your undertone is that faint cool or warm cast sitting just under your skin's surface, and yours tips cool.
• Depth: medium. The palette stretches from Pure White to Black, so both ends are included.
• Clarity: bright. Clarity refers to how clean a color looks. A bright color contains no grey or brown.

Contrast is the gap between your lightest and darkest features. In your case it's strong: dark hair framing luminous skin and vivid eyes. That's exactly why pure colors work so well on you.

How to tell this palette suits you

Your skin runs cool or neutral cool and appears very clear next to dark hair and bright eyes. It may be fair porcelain with a cool pink base, or light to medium beige carrying a neutral cool cast. Clear olive that turns grey beside warm browns fits too, as does a deep espresso or ebony complexion with cool, crisp coloring.

Your hair could be raven black with a cool blue-ish sheen, or dark ash brown without a trace of red. Medium cool brown worn against pale skin also counts, and hair in shining silver or crisp white grey belongs here too.

Your eyes look clear and glassy. The colored part stands out crisply from the white that surrounds it. They may be icy blue or bright cyan rimmed in dark, clear emerald or cool hazel; violet blue and steel grey fit as well. Eyes of very dark brown or black, gleaming like glass, belong here too.

These everyday checks usually point toward this season:

• Crisp black and stark white suit you rather than washing you out.
• Muted earth tones such as olive or mustard leave your skin looking grey and tired.
• A shirt in bright magenta or cobalt makes your eyes pop instantly.
• Silver jewelry sits cleanly against your skin, while yellow gold reads brassy.
• Soft pastel lipsticks leave your face looking washed out and half-finished.

Building an everyday base with bright winter neutrals

Black works best as your neutral. Wear Black with Pure White when you want that sharp contrast, since the strong pairing echoes your own coloring.

When you'd prefer a gentler base, reach for Dark Taupe or Charcoal instead of warm brown. Deep Charcoal and Deep Pewter serve the same purpose as dark shades that feel less harsh than Black.

Across the 12 neutrals you'll find options at every depth:

• On the light end sit Pure White and Soft White, along with Icy Lilac and Silver Grey
• In the middle: Stone, Mushroom and Dusty Blue Grey
• At the darkest end come Deep Pewter and Dark Taupe, then Charcoal, Deep Charcoal and Black

Choosing core colors and icy touches

Your main colors span bold reds, pinks, blues, greens and purples. The signature shades make the easiest starting point, with Bright Magenta leading the way alongside Bright Cobalt, Bright Emerald and Bright True Red. Once you have those, the wider families are worth a look:

• The red family includes Bright True Red and True Red, then Crimson, Cherry, Poppy and Tomato Red, each in bright and deep form, and don't forget Bright Brick
• Pinks: Watermelon and Raspberry, Fuchsia and Light Fuchsia, plus Magenta and Bright Berry, again in bright and deep form
• For blues, you can choose from Bright Royal Blue and Royal Blue, then Bright Cobalt and Cobalt, plus Bright Sapphire and Sapphire
• On the purple and green side, Bright Amethyst sits alongside Bright Violet, Violet and Bright Emerald

Your 12 icy accents are very pale, and each one keeps its cleanliness instead of drifting into dustiness. Among them you'll find Icy Aqua, Icy Cornflower and Icy Fuchsia, plus the soft trio of Light Mint, Pale Turquoise and Light Lavender.

Icy accents pair nicely with Black or Charcoal. The combination keeps the high contrast your face loves without forcing you into anything loud.

Shades to leave on the rack

Six colors sit outside your palette: Soft Coral and Mahogany, Dusty Apple Green, Denim, Soft Rose and Teal.

Nearly all of them read as soft or dusty. Shades like that can leave your skin looking grey and tired, since your coloring calls for crisp, clear pigment. Because Mahogany reads as a warm brown, you're better off with the cooler neutrals Dark Taupe and Charcoal.

Taking your palette shopping

Both phone cameras and indoor lighting can distort a color. That's why store lighting isn't a reliable way to judge a garment.

1. Before you head out, keep the palette card or the HEX list handy on your phone. A HEX code is a brief code that pins down one exact on-screen color.
2. Carry the garment to a window, or step outside, so daylight does the showing.
3. Place your phone swatch directly beside the fabric and compare. A clear match bodes well; if the fabric reads muddier than the swatch, it's probably too muted for you.
4. When possible, check it in a daylight mirror close to your face and see if your eyes look brighter.

Free palette files

Every palette comes as a free download: a PNG palette card, a CSV listing the HEX codes, plus swatch sets for Adobe ASE and Procreate, bundled as 2 files. A zip with all 12 seasons is also available.