Cool Winter: Colour Analysis Guide - Roberta Style Lee

Deep, bright and icy, Cool Winter has the most vibrant colour palette of the four 4-seasons. Picture a winter scene – everything is clear, crisp and lacking any real warmth. Winter colouring is intense and high contrast, which is why Winter types shine in black and jewel-like colours. Think bold scarlet, bright white, emerald green or hot pink.

Do you shine in these colours? Then you could be a Cool Winter (also known as a True Winter). Dressing for your natural colouring is a real game-changer when it comes to your wardrobe routine. Wearing the right colours will make your skin look healthier, your features more defined, and your imperfections minimised. So, it pays to get your colours right.

In today’s post, I share my quick guide to Cool Winter skin tones: what they are, how to know if you’re a Cool Winter, their best colours and celebrities who share this season.

Defining Characteristics of a True (Cool) Winter

If you’re a Cool Winter, when you look in the mirror, the first thing you’ll notice is your cool and bright appearance. Your hair, eyes and skin have cool blue undertones, which can show up as pinkness. You’ll also likely have dark and medium-to-high contrasting features.

Hair

Winter types typically have dark hair, or dark hair that has gone grey or white. These tones can be blue-black to medium brown, but they will never have red or golden tones (but this doesn’t mean a little warmth may not be present from natural lightening from the sun). A cool winter can have a range of hair colours and eye colours, which includes natural platinum blonde hair and blue eyes.

Eyes

The eyes will be brighter shades of blue, green, hazel, brown or black. Again, for a cool winter, there is an absence of warm, gold tones here.

Skin

Cool Winter skin appears bright thanks to the high contrast in features, and for lighter skin, it is likely to burn just as easily as it can tan. It can range from very fair to dark (with ethnic skin types, this must be considered within your race if you are fair or very dark). A cool winter has a dominant coolness and varying ranges of brightness.

In the images above, you can see how dark the hair and eyes are in comparison to the skin. There are no grey areas in the image. They are dominated by high-contrast areas of light and dark.

so, am I a cool winter?

Identifying your colours via online resources isn’t as straightforward as it may seem (due to the fact we’re all unique and the 4-seasons system relies on us all fitting neatly into one of the descriptions) but looking at how your skin reacts to certain colours is a great indicator of your natural colouring and if you’re warm or cool.

worst colours for a cool winter

If you’re a winter type, you’ll find earthy colours, golden browns, muddy greens and oranges don’t look great on you. That’s because the warmth of these colours clashes against the icy coolness of your complexion, making you look washed out and tired. Unless you’re a Bright Winter, you’ll also find the neon brights from the spring palette too much for you as well.

As I said, figuring out your season within the colour analysis system is tricky. Despite having very different colour palettes, each season can share similar characteristics. For example, Cool Winters and Warm Springs both have a bright, clear appearance, which can often lead to confusion. 

An easy way to distinguish these two seasons is to look at your undertone. If there’s a yellowness to your skin, you’re likely a spring type. While a blue or pink undertone indicates that you’re likely a winter type. If you’re a True Winter, you can wear deep blues and rich purples effortlessly, while a Warm Spring will find these colours harder to pull off due to their underlying warmth.

An important note ON COLOUR ANALYSIS

Colour analysis can be an incredibly empowering tool – but often it’s not used to promote internal energy; it’s more concerned with vanity.  Colour analysis systems were originally designed with white, Western beauty standards in mind, which means they don’t always account for the full spectrum of diverse skin tones and undertones.

While I believe in the power of colour to transform how you look and feel, I also believe that you wear what feels good too. The right colour is one that lights you up—not just one that flatters your complexion.

Colour psychology is powerful.  It’s absolutely valid to explore colours based on how they make you feel energetically, emotionally, and even spiritually – not just how they reflect light on your skin.

Many of my clients start with their colours and then integrate broader style coaching techniques to unlock their true  confidence.  When a woman knows who she is and what she believes in, she truly shines from the inside out.  

Wearing bright colours

Your intense colouring means you look better in bright, vivid colours. (Fun fact: Cool Winters are the only season that can rock black and white!). Whereas Cool Summer, your sister season, is better suited to delicate tones and should stay clear of these bold colours.

Because these sister seasons share the same cool undertones, they are also often confused, which can wreak havoc on your wardrobe’s colour palette. So it’s important that you complete a thorough colour analysis.

If you’re in London and would like to enquire about my next availability for in-person analysis, please get in touch.

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If you’re London or Hertfordshire-based and would like to find out about 1:1 or group colour analysis experiences get in touch

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Cool Winter Colour Palette

Winter colours are intense and icy. Think back to the winter scene – it’s full of black, bright whites and the coolest blues. Unlike Cool Summers, your high-contrast features mean that pastel colours will wash you out. Instead, stick to more vivid colours such as fuchsia, bottle green, icy blue or cherry. If you’re struggling to tell the difference between warm and cool colours, then check out my cool colours blog for a step-by-step breakdown.

Best Colours for Cool Winter Skin Tones

• Icy or vibrant pinks (carnation pink, deep rose, hot pink)
• Clear reds
• Bold purple
• Blues
• Greens (jungle green, bottle green and emerald)
• Bright white
• Black

This is just a small selection of your most flattering colours.

Cool Winter best colours

Cool winter best neutrals

True Winter Celebrities

Looking to other Cool Winter celebs is great for style guidance and inspiration. There are plenty of celebs who you’d expect to be a winter type and some that might come as a surprise. Contrary to what you might expect, Naomi Campbell is a great example of a Cool Winter and pulls off bold colours, black and silver exceptionally well. 

At the opposite end of the spectrum, you have Katy Perry with her jet-black hair and icy blue eyes. Then the more tanned and almost warm-looking Brooke Shields. Other famous winter types include Anne Hathaway, Lucy Liu, Helen Mirren, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Demi Moore.

Do you think you’re a Cool Winter? Not sure? Let me know why in the comments below and I’ll pick one of you to win a virtual colour consultation with me.

Think you might be in a different season? Read my other posts to find out:

• Cool Summer
• Warm Spring
• Warm Autumn