Deep Winter
Cool darkness, jewel tones against true black.
Deep Winter is the darkest cool season. The coloring is high-contrast and dramatic: dark hair against clear skin, dark eyes, and a face that can carry true black. The palette is deep jewel tones, emerald, sapphire, ruby, aubergine, plus icy accents that create the contrast this season thrives on.
Depth is the dominant axis here: the palette is defined first by how light or deep it is, and only then by temperature. (Depth is what the 12-tone system calls this season's primary characteristic.)
Where this season sits
Every one of the twelve seasons is a position on three axes. These are the coordinates our analysis scores you against.
Is this you?
- Skin
- Cool to neutral-cool, from porcelain to deep espresso, always clear rather than muted.
- Hair
- Dark brown to black, cool or neutral rather than golden.
- Eyes
- Dark brown, black-brown, deep cool green or icy blue.
- Contrast
- High. The gap between hair and skin is the defining feature.
Deep Winter celebrities
Famous faces that share Deep Winter coloring. The point is the pattern in skin, hair and eyes, not a resemblance.
Anne Hathaway
Courteney Cox
Katy Perry
Kim Kardashian
Photos via Wikimedia Commons under CC BY / CC BY-SA / public domain. The credit for each one is on the Deep Winter celebrities page.
The palette
The 20 colors that work hardest for Deep Winter, with hex codes so you can match them exactly.
- Ruby#8E0B3A
- Deep crimson#A4133C
- Wine#6A0F49
- Deep violet#4A148C
- Royal purple#38006B
- Indigo#311B92
- Sapphire#0D47A1
- Deep cobalt#01579B
- Deep teal#006064
- Pine emerald#00695C
Neutrals to build on
- Pure white#FFFFFF
- Icy gray#D6D6D6
- Charcoal#5A5A5A
- True black#1C1C1C
- Midnight navy#12243D
Metals and makeup
Best metals: Silver, White gold, Platinum, Gunmetal.
Lip
- True red
- Ruby
- Wine
Blush
- Cool berry
- Deep rose
- Bright cool pink
How to wear the Deep Winter palette
A styling example: three women who share Deep Winter coloring, each in a different outfit built from this palette.
More on Deep Winter
Often confused with
Watch: this season explained
Hand-picked videos on Deep Winter from working color analysts, a different teacher, the same season.
DARK WINTER COLOR PALETTE AND SEASONAL GUIDE / 12 Seasons Color Analysis
Mikaela Carrizo · YouTube
❄️ Winter Personal Color Season Explained | Clear, Deep, & Dark
Mabelle Ave · YouTube
Frequently asked
What is the Deep Winter color season?
Deep Winter is one of the twelve seasonal color types. It is moderately cool, strongly deep and moderately bright. In practice that means ruby, deep crimson and wine sit comfortably on you, while the colors in the avoid list make you look tired. Depth is the dominant axis here: the palette is defined first by how light or deep it is, and only then by temperature. (Depth is what the 12-tone system calls this season's primary characteristic.)
How do I know if I'm a Deep Winter?
Three checks. Cool to neutral-cool, from porcelain to deep espresso, always clear rather than muted. Dark brown to black, cool or neutral rather than golden. Dark brown, black-brown, deep cool green or icy blue. Contrast is the fourth: high. the gap between hair and skin is the defining feature. If two of those four describe you, Deep Winter is very likely your season, our free analysis scores all twelve and tells you how close the runners-up are.
What are the worst colors for a Deep Winter?
The clearest ones to drop are camel, coral and sage. Golden and muted, it flattens the crisp contrast the season depends on. Full explanations for each are on the colors-to-avoid page.
Am I a Deep Winter or a True Winter?
They are neighbors, which is exactly why they get confused. The deciding axis is undertone: Deep Winter is the warm one and True Winter is the cool one. We have a full side-by-side comparison if you are torn between them.
Can a Deep Winter wear black?
Yes, this is one of the few seasons that genuinely can. Deep Winter coloring is cool and deep enough to meet true black head-on, and black next to the face will look crisp rather than draining. It is arguably your strongest neutral.
Is Deep Winter warm or cool?
Cool. Deep Winter sits clearly on the cool side of the temperature axis, which is why silver, ruby and the rest of the Winter palette settle the skin while orange and golden colors turn it ruddy or gray. Its dominant axis is depth, though, so a cool color still needs the right depth to work.
Should a Deep Winter wear gold or silver?
Silver, White gold, Platinum and Gunmetal. Metal is one of the fastest at-home tests there is: hold silver and gold either side of your face in daylight and watch your skin rather than the jewelry, the wrong metal leaves a gray or sallow cast along the jaw.
How does Deep Winter color analysis work?
Deep Winter color analysis places your coloring on three axes, depth, temperature and clarity, and checks they match Deep Winter, which is moderately cool, strongly deep and moderately bright. You can approximate it at home with the metal, vein and contrast tests, but those disagree often. Our free analysis settles it: it scores all twelve seasons from your answers and one photo, so you see how far Deep Winter leads the neighbors it gets confused with.