How The 5 Autumns Add Brown To Hair Colour
February 3, 2010 by Christine Scaman · 8 Comments
Pardon, but what 5 Autumns?
Well, in Seasonal Colour Analysis, there’s Soft, True, and Dark.
But Autumn’s blends include Soft Summer and Dark Winter too.
Only 1 True Season, and 4 Neutral Seasons all comprise some Autumn colour influence.
Autumn’s biggest misconception is the copper red hair. Usually, these people have brown hair.
The Autumn=copper association is often extended to include clothing colours, skin undertones, and makeup colours.
In fact, the shade of brown used to warm Autumn colours doesn’t attain copper’s heat till you’re way into the middle of the Autumn action.
Let’s start at True Summer. No orange. No gold. No yellow. The brown is grey and the grey is blueish.
As Autumn starts phasing in, we move to Soft Summer. A little brown is being added. A neutral brown, not orange yet, not even amber. The blue undertone is taken out. The colours appear to have a faint tan.
Soft Autumn comes along next. We see a soft amber brown. Yellows re-emerge, where True Summer barely had any, and they are golden as an amber-brown patina lays over all the colours of this palette. This is the beginning of the metallic quality we talk about in the skin and hair of Autumn people. It’s hard to describe. It doesn’t look like a tan, it’s much more in the skin than on it.
Finally, True Autumn. NOW the undercurrent is truly orange. Not before. Brown, remember, is just dark orange. This is an orangey brown. It is in the skin. It is also in the eye colour.
Up to Dark Autumn, a trace of Winter is felt. Winter’s colours are cooler and bring in red, the essential colour of the Winter group. The result is the red-orange undertone that defines the perfect disappearing blush and lipstick on Dark Autumn. Colour Analysis is all about cosmetic colours custom-coloured for your skin.
Since Winter is dark, we must add another Winter effect for Dark Winter : the addition of perceptible black. What orange remains is turning neutral brown again, like it was in Soft Summer, but a darker version caused by the black.
Now, we leave Autumn altogether and it’s True Winter. Orange is gone again.
Watch me do it.
Be careful.
Soft Summer’s hair is almost always too light and too highlighted with a colour that’s too yellow. At first glance, they seem like light people and it looks ok. The Colour Analysis drapes soon show us how aging the light hair is for the skin tone. Once it’s corrected, it is much better.
A Soft Autumn can too easily be put in too red hair. It is overkill every time. Unless Nature gave you red, it is VERY hard to get right from a bottle. Like thinking a bottle can replicate your childhood colour. Won’t happen. This is light tawny hair.
True Autumn in light tawny hair looks F-L-A-T. And instantly 10 years older. They need warmth and rich colour. They do not need highlights, lowlights, or other bizarre f/x. The colour should speak for itself.
Dark Autumn often adds a red rinse. You NEED to know if you’re on the warm or cool side of the Season. If the red is too cool, like red wine, it can be very artificial. Artificial works on the staff of the hair salon, not the clients.
Dark Winter should do what all Winters do. Think twice before lightening hair. They can have a dark force that is to be reckoned with. Breaking it up with frosted tips, well… I’d rather have the force. The skin-perfecting hair colour is a dark neutral brown, most of the time.
What’s the hair lesson? Nature will never give you hair colour that is your skin’s perfection. They accord automatically. Your natural colour is always your best base colour.
The Mystery of Brown
November 28, 2009 by Christine Scaman · Leave a Comment
This article is the second of 3 connected posts. The first one was What Are Clear and Soft Colours?
There, we talked about muted colours belonging to Autumn and Summer. They’re lower intensity, duller, dusty, either grayish or browned. Summer has some lighter, softer grey browns, often with a blue or mauve tone. Autumn’s colours are darker and more golden-brown.
Spring and Autumn Browns
But Spring has true brown colours too, just like Autumn. When you shop for clothes or makeup, how do you pick Spring’s camel coat from Autumn’s?
Left, Spring. On the right, Autumn.
These colours are not rendered precisely. If you own a Colours Book for True Spring or True Autumn, you may notice that. It doesn’t matter. This illustrates the point well enough.
A color like camel can be very soft, or low saturation, or it can be very bright, or high saturation. It depends on how much gray is in the mix. Look at the 2 camel browns in the middle row. The Autumn one appears more golden, more dark, and more dull and murky.
The Spring brown FEELS closer to you because of it lightness. It almost feels more transparent, though transparency is not one of the ways in which we define colour.
Undertones
The difference between the spring colors and the autumn colors is this:
The springs have a yellow undertone, while the autumns have a gold undertone.
All of the spring colors have yellow added to them, and all of the autumn colors have gold added to them. So, the difference is between yellow and gold. Gold is a deeper and darker shade of yellow.
Spring colors feel light and bright. Autumn colors feel deeper, richer, darker, lower in saturation.
Autumn browns are of lower saturation than Spring because there is more grey in the mix. If they were musical notes, Autumn would resonate far more deeply. The register feels lower. Autumn’s colours are more golden, but a golden color has more gray in it than a yellow based color. Gold is a darker version of yellow AND it is of lower saturation, hence its place among the Autumn colours.
The color brown is actually orange that has been darkened. A dark orange is a brown.
Shopping with knowledge
When we get to 12 tones, vs 4 Season Color Analysis, the differences are slight, but do make a huge difference in the final result, and they are harmonious with each other. The key to having your entire wardrobe work as one, within itself and with you, is for every item to follow YOUR inborn synchrony. It’s important to match the colours as closely as possible to evoke the right feeling. For those of you who have been draped, you saw that your runner-up Season was not even remotely close to your best.
Below is an example of how to apply this information. It is easier with clothing than cosmetic colours. This is a Laura Mercier eyeshadow at Sephora. One of my many reasons for disliking eyeshadow palettes is that they make no sense together. And don’t get me started on lip palettes, which I have even less good feelings about.
Besides a Bright Spring, who would use everything here? That group might be 15% of the population.
Anyhow, looking only at the brown eyeshadow quad, do you notice that it is not gold or orange? The colours feel bright, lit with a pale yellow light. The musical note would be high and clear. These may be browns but they are not “earthy”, which gives a much heavier feeling.
The no-fail guide
But you know, with your Colours Book, you don’t really have to worry. You might think that the camels and honeys and light browns are quite similar between Seasons. When you actually look at the swatches in the Books, they’re obviously different. Your concern is not another Season’s colours. Always match YOUR personal colour palette as closely as possible and you will succeed. This is a visual judgment, not a verbal one. Colour is always best understood when compared to another colour.
Don’t try to shop from memory. Your success rate will drop to 50%. You won’t remember as well as you think you will. Always, always shop with your Book so you can meet my goal 
– which is to never, ever have you buy the wrong thing again.
And that should be done in natural daylight. Take the article up to a window to check the color, or be sure to ask the sales clerk if it can be exchanged if the color is off in natural light. Stores usually use the cheapest lighting possible, which is the worst for viewing true color.
I scribble the product on a piece of white paper because the swatches are painted on white cotton canvas. The sales assistant is standing there watching and possibly feeling quite irritated, but at least it’s not unsanitary. Is this a woman thing? Would a man recognize an easy and successful sale?
Dark Autumn Jewelry
November 21, 2009 by Christine Scaman · 6 Comments
As in any of the 12 groups in Seasonal Colour Analysis, the variability is enormous. My Dad is a Dark Autumn. Here we are, the proud parents of our first pie. As a younger man, he appeared to have black hair. It wasn’t black in the sense that Asian people have ink blue-black hair, but it was blacker than the blackest coffee. His eyes are dark hazel. It would have been very easy to confuse him for a Winter, but the sleek shiny Winter look was all off. His character is practical, not emotional or theatrical. Like most Autumns, he had a sense of what suited him, but wore far more brown than anything else.
Halle Berry could be a Dark Autumn, with her bronzed colouring.
My friend Gina is too. Her skin tone has an olive quality and her overall colouring is vivid and dramatic. She has all the fiery sparkle in her character that she has in her appearance.
These are the Autumn individuals who integrate a trace of Winter’s darkness, coolness, and formality. The colours are exotic, spicy, and more warm than cool. They are also dark.
The jewelry is strong and metallic, with heavy touches of copper, gold and bronze. The weight of Autumn jewelry is found but the regal touch of Winter calls for more simplicity, fewer pieces worn at once.
The look is expensive, rare, and precious. The feeling is of age and extreme value, as in heirloom pieces and vintage reproductions. The colours are deeply glowing embers. Just as there is weight and luxury to the fabric that suits Dark Autumn, so is there a strong essence to the jewelry. Flimsy fabrics belong to another Season, as does dainty silver filigree.
Diamond is a classical Winter stone, as might be Ruby and Sapphire, but worn in warm metal settings, they add drama and opulence. The proximity to Winter certainly allows silver settings too, depending on the clothing being worn. Any cut stone in your personal colour palette will be perfect and with the tolerance for warm and cool, there are many to choose from.
The 1928 Jewelry company’s pieces always come to mind. The antique aspect gives the feeling of ancient treasure. The metals are a little darker and more heavily textured than the standard gold strand. The chains and links are usually considerably heavier than the delicate fixtures of most jewelry. The richly luxurious colours lend a precious and ornate feeling. The ambiance is of great wealth, of a library in glowing evening light, burning coals in the fireplace, touches of gold and and deep greens in the room, plush velvet and satin fabrics, and a dark burgundy wine.
With the personal colour palette of fiery, spicy, passionate colour and the unique ability to wear striking and vivid contrast, this group comprises many of the more exotic shades and prints. Far-off spice markets and bazaars are evoked by paprika, cinnabar, and bay leaf. There are numerous lighter shades and neutrals, including black, but the defining terms are darkness and heat. Likewise, unusual and original jewelry looks custom-made and one-of-its-kind, adding to the impression of affluence.
Frivolous effects, casual clothes, and youthful touches are not in keeping with this strong bold energy. This Season delivers a serious visual impact. Clothes and accessories are important, creative pieces. Of course, the size of jewelry is always in keeping with the size of the person wearing it, so the pieces need not be enormous.
These people may be capable, often forceful, organizers and leaders. Potent personalities need to be reflected in an exterior that is equally powerful. Anything soft or moderate just becomes a person wearing someone else’s clothes. The bridge that links the inner to the outer being, and translates into a compelling presence, will not be made.
The target is always to perfectly harmonize your inner core and exterior self. Your skin’s heat, your body size, your personal vitality are all expressions of the same energy form that came together as YOU. Learning to listen to the language of your soul creates a visual communication that just feels so right.
Soft Autumn Jewelry
November 14, 2009 by Christine Scaman · 7 Comments
Begin all your purchase decisions by remembering the key words about your Season, whatever your Season. The word feelings that should drift across the Soft Autumn screen are “quiet, softly golden, warm but not hot, gentle lustre, natural (maybe even organic, very much of-the-Earth)”. It doesn’t need to be a wood and shell necklace, it just shouldn’t be busy, dazzling, and attention-seeking.
This is my sister-in-law, Holly. She is the perfect model of the Soft Autumn.
In 12 Season Personal Colour Analysis, this colouring group is primarily defined by Autumn’s colour characteristics– warm, muted, and dark. BUT, there is a trace of Summer in this blueprint, making them a Neutral Season (ie: a blend of 2 True Seasons). The result is that their skin tone perfection colours are cooled and lightened a little bit. They remain muted or soft because both Autumn and Summer colours are soft, giving this group a double dose of softness.
Quietly sensual is the mantra. You look far better in natural metals and stones than plastic, large hunks of metal, bold, busy pieces, or anything that appears artificially coloured. Your entire sensation is of comfort and nurture. Complicated pieces look hectic and tiring. To the viewer, it FEELS “against the grain”.
You may look a little like this young woman below. (I didn’t put this lovely face in black, or big round hoops (a Spring exaggeration), or a silver cross (Winter probably, too many right angles to be Summer, a season of circular shapes). Is she a Soft Autumn? Without being draped, who knows?). She is a good example of the Soft Autumn, with her squared jaw and warm Autumn look, modified by Summer’s feminine full lips and nose.
Are you beginning to notice that members of the same season often look similar, or share certain common features? Keep watching, you’ll see more. Big round eyes? Start thinking Summer.
As a neutral season, silver is within your realm, but may not match your all of your clothing items. Use pale golds, rose gold, and especially semi-precious stones and gems. Turquoise, coral, jade, amber, topaz, any stone that is mined from the Earth itself, and offers this soft and gentle glow, within your personal colour palette, is for you.
True Autumn’s (see True Autumn Jewelry previously published) heavier effect is replaced with a more delicate impression and less of a forceful colour impact. The colours are more tawny than hot, and the feeling is more flowing and lighter in weight. The glow is paler. The pearls are creamy, not white.
The natural radiance of these persons is a wonder of easy, easy colour to look at. Sometimes, a Soft Autumn finds their palette endlessly bland but it isn’t. It is so natural, so free of stress, worry, and challenge. This jewelry never imposes or aims to impress. Using the earth’s stones and gems in simple, unfussy designs adds the luminosity and touch of brightness that feels like warm apple pie, a vanilla and brown sugar scented candle, or a mid-afternoon glass of wine on the beach.
True Autumn Jewelry
November 7, 2009 by Christine Scaman · 6 Comments
You’ve arrived early for the party. You take a look around at who’s already there. Immediately, your eye is drawn to the two women talking on the couch.
One is sitting quietly, straight back even though it’s a slouchy couch, laughing but not letting loose. She’ll probably sit there all night because she doesn’t like circulating and making small talk. She feels self-conscious about how to interrupt conversations. Of course, she’s all in black. Not the most imaginative colour but it undeniably suits her. She’s wearing one solid piece of jewelry.
Her friend is doing an imitation of somebody. She’s laughing freely and gesturing more freely. She’s watching people coming in. She seems able to talk to three people at once. Her outfit is a riot of wavy lines but it was made for her. It’s a batik handpainted print with a beaded fringe. The waves appear in motion as she moves. The fabric is satiny and catches every ray of light. Her bracelet is so full of life that it would be too much costume on anyone else. On her, it looks beautiful with her golden skin. It is joyful and almost mischievous.
You move into the kitchen. The woman slicing vegetables for the platter commands attention. For one thing, she doesn’t care if you’re a guest, you’re given the job of refilling drinks. She’s directing traffic so the meal gets done on time and to her satisfaction. Her energy is highly organized as she orchestrates this evening.
You wonder if she has some Meditteranean ethnicity. Her skin is lightly freckled, but she seems to belong in the sun and to reflect its heat from her deepest core. Her cheekbones and jaw are equally strong. She wears little makeup, just a sheer bittersweet red lip colour. Like the colours of her busy and productive kitchen, she is wearing a raw silk blouse in a fabulous paprika colour, with a textured chocolate brown vest over it. Well in tune with her personal colour palette, she has added a fine woolen scarf with a stained-glass design in deep autumn leaf colours. Her pants are slim and straight, not flowing. Her bracelet is lying on the counter.
The piece FEELS just like the woman who wears it. It so belongs on her that you wouldn’t be surprised to see it fly through the air and attach itself to her wrist with an electrically charged attraction. A tapestry of molten colours is reflected from its chunky, squared stones and heavy settings.
The natural stones suit the straightforward character of this woman. They are the colours of a giving Earth. This is not September, with its lingering remnant of Summer. Neither is it November where the freeze is setting in. Colour is powerfully connected to how the Earth FEELS at certain times. This is a rich harvest, a comfortable welcome, a safe, steady place.
Seasonal colour analysis is very much about personality, about reflecting the inside on the outside. If the colour feeling you show is not the colour feeling you are, your appearance feels disorganized and random. This woman never pretends. She won’t say something just to flatter you unless she believes it to be true. She cries harder than anyone at a funeral. She is fiercely loyal to her family but will not spare them hard work or spoil them with extravagance. She may seem to absorb a lot of demands but when she draws the line at enough, everyone knows it.
She has a great sense of what suits her and combines jewelry and accessories in creative, individual ways. She wears 2 rings, her solid, wide, gold wedding band and a topaz stone in a solid gold setting. Her necklace is simple, heavy links of chain in a textured bronze. Their shape is squared, which seems to repeat the squareness of her jaw.
Her entire look FEELS rich but unpretentious, busy but approachable, and glowing but natural. She can wear a lot of metal at once and it works. Her hair is coloured to look metallic, with a dark copper shimmer on a warm, but not very dark, chocolate base. When she wears makeup, she chooses lip and cheek colours with a gleaming shine. By candlelight, even her skin seems burnished.
Her 2 daughters are both Autumn blends, not their mother’s True Season. They try to borrow their mother’s pieces but the energy doesn’t work. Why do so many of those pieces, like this bracelet, look clunky on the lighter daughter and completely meh on the darker one?
When the meal is done, she’ll be in the kitchen washing dishes, unless her considerate Summer husband beats her to it, which he usually does.
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