What Is Contrast in Color Analysis? Summer vs. Winter Explained

Contrast in color analysis is how much your features stand apart from each other in lightness and darkness: your hair, eyebrows, eyes, lips and skin. High-contrast people look best in colors that also stand apart, like Winter palettes. Low-contrast people look best in colors that blend, like Summer palettes.

How does a color analyst check contrast?

I use green glasses. They remove color, so all you see is light and dark. That makes it easy to see whether someone's features pop apart or blend together, and whether a color banner does the same.

Why isn't Michael a Winter?

When I asked my followers whether Michael was a Winter or a Summer, most voted Winter. Through the green glasses, though, his eyebrows, eyes and lips all look about the same. Nothing stands out.

• The Classic Winter banner has colors that pop apart from one another. Next to Michael, the banner has more contrast than his features do.
• The Classic Summer banner has softer, more muted colors that blend together. His features match it.

His low contrast, together with his undertone, makes him a Classic Summer, not a Classic Winter.

What about medium contrast?

I'm medium contrast. There's a little separation between my hair, lips and eyes, and my banner has a little separation between its colors too, so we match. Medium-contrast palettes sit between the very blended and the very bold.

Can I check my contrast at home?

Yes. Take a photo of your face in natural light and switch it to a black-and-white (mono) filter. If your hair, brows and eyes look much darker than your skin, you're likely higher contrast. If everything looks similar in tone, you're likely lower contrast.

Is contrast enough to find my season?

No. Contrast is just one part of the puzzle. A full color analysis also tests your undertone (warm, cool or neutral), value (light or dark) and chroma (bright or soft) with professional drapes. In the 22-season system, those four together point to your palette.

Ready to find yours? Book a color analysis in Ogden, or start with the free At-Home Color Analysis Guide.