What Is Your Color Season Depth? Take the 20-Question Quiz

Determining whether your primary value is Light or Dark comes down to evaluating three things: your overall feature depth, your natural contrast, and how your face reacts to extremes on the value scale.

The Grayscale Test (Overall Depth)

Convert a well-lit, natural photo of yourself (no makeup) into black-and-white. Map your hair, skin, and eyes onto a 1–10 value scale:

• Light: All or most of your features cluster between 7 and 10 on the scale. There are no heavy shadows or dark grounds to your coloring. Your overall impression is delicate and airy.
• Dark (Deep): At least two of your core features (usually hair and eyes, or skin and hair) land between 1 and 4 on the scale. Your overall impression is grounded, rich, and intense.
• Medium / Intermediate: Your features sit right in the middle (5–6). If this is you, Value is likely not your dominant characteristic—Chroma or Temperature is.

Contrast Differential

Look at the distance between your lightest feature (usually skin or whites of the eyes) and your darkest feature (hair or iris):

• Light Seasons (Light Spring / Light Summer): Low-to-medium overall depth, but crucially, zero dark features. If someone has very fair skin but jet-black hair or deep brown eyes, they aren’t Light—they’re likely a High Contrast Winter.
• Dark Seasons (Dark Autumn / Dark Winter): High overall depth or strong, deep contrast. The eyes and natural hair carry significant visual weight that anchors the face.

1. Light Depth (Scale 7–10)

• Light Spring & Light Summer
  • The Depth Profile: Overall coloring is pale, delicate, and airy.
  • The Rule: Zero dark features. Hair is blonde or light red/brown, eyes are light blue, green, or pale hazel, and skin is fair.

2. Medium / Moderate Depth (Scale 4–6)

This is where the vast majority of seasons sit for overall depth. Because their value lives right in the middle, depth isn’t their main story—chroma or temperature takes over.

• True Spring & True Summer
  • The Depth Profile: Mid-range depth overall. Hair might be golden brown, mid-tone blonde, or ash brown; eyes are medium intensity.
  • Why Depth Isn’t Their Primary Trait: They aren’t pale enough to be Light, nor deep enough to be Dark. Their overall warmth (Spring) or coolness (Summer) is what really stands out.
• Soft Summer & Soft Autumn
  • The Depth Profile: Medium-light to medium-dark (often mousy brown, dark ash blonde, soft hazel).
  • Why Depth Isn’t Their Primary Trait: Extremely light tones wash them out, and dark tones overpower them. Their sweet spot is medium-depth, smoked-out shades like sage, dusty mauve, or terracotta.
• Bright Spring & Bright Winter
  • The Depth Profile: Usually moderate-to-medium overall depth, but with high internal contrast (e.g., medium skin paired with intense, glowing eyes and medium-to-dark hair).
  • Why Depth Isn’t Their Primary Trait: The sheer clarity and saturation of their features overpower the actual light/dark level.

3. Dark / Deep Depth (Scale 1–3)

• Dark Autumn & Dark Winter
  • The Depth Profile: High overall depth and richness.
  • The Rule: Heavy visual weight. Hair is deep espresso, dark brown, or jet black; eyes are dark brown, deep hazel, or deep blue/green. Their features visually “anchor” the face, so they need deep, saturated colors like burgundy, navy, or forest green to balance that weight.

Practical Draping Checks

The easiest way to confirm whether Light or Dark is your primary trait is by testing polar opposite shades against your bare face under natural light:

Test Color Pair	What to Look For
Soft White vs. Deep Charcoal / Black	If black looks harsh, heavy, or makes you look tired, but white/light grey makes you glow, you lean Light. If soft white makes you look washed out or invisible, but charcoal/black brings your features into focus, you lean Dark.
Pastel Peach/Pink vs. Deep Plum/Espresso	If pastels make you look fresh and deep tones drag your face down, you’re Light. If deep tones define your jawline/eyes and pastels erase your definition, you’re Dark.

The Quick Check: Ask yourself, “What happens when I wear a dark, heavy coat buttoned up to my neck?” If you look swallowed up or like a floating head, you lean Light. If you look completely grounded and balanced, you lean Dark.

Let’s break down where all 12 seasons land on the depth scale:

Light Depth (Scale 7–10)

Everything about these seasons is fair, delicate, and airy. There are no dark features here.

• Light Spring: Light blonde or golden hair, fair skin, and clear, light eyes.
• Light Summer: Ash blonde hair, light skin, and soft, cool eyes.

Medium / Moderate Depth (Scale 4–6)

Most seasons sit right in the middle. Because their overall depth is balanced, temperature or brightness becomes their standout feature.

• True Spring: Mid-tone warm coloring. Golden brown hair and medium-bright eyes.
• True Summer: Mid-tone cool coloring. Ash brown hair and soft, cool eyes.
• Soft Autumn: Blended, muted warm features. Mousey brown or dark blonde hair with soft hazel or green eyes.
• Soft Summer: Blended, muted cool features. Dark ash blonde or light brown hair with soft grey or blue eyes.
• Bright Spring: Medium overall depth, but with intense, high-clarity eyes and warm contrast.
• Bright Winter: Medium-to-fair skin paired with vivid eyes and high-contrast dark hair.

Dark / Deep Depth (Scale 1–3)

These seasons have heavy visual weight and rich, grounded features that anchor the face.

• True Autumn: Rich, medium-to-deep warm coloring. Deep auburn or golden brown hair and warm brown eyes.
• True Winter: Cool, high-contrast depth. Dark brown or jet-black hair with cool skin and sharp eyes.
• Dark Autumn: Deep, rich warm coloring. Dark brown hair, deep eyes, and warm undertones.
• Dark Winter: The deepest cool season. Very dark hair and eyes with a cool, intense contrast.

Here is a quick summary of how depth (Value) functions across color season analysis:

1. The Value Scale (1–10)

Color seasons measure overall feature depth on a continuum from pure black (1) to pure white (10).

• Light (7–10): Features are pale, airy, and delicate with zero dark traits.
• Medium / Moderate (4–6): Features sit in the middle. Depth is balanced, so Temperature (Warm/Cool) or Chroma (Bright/Muted) becomes the dominant trait instead.
• Dark / Deep (1–3): Features carry heavy visual weight and depth, anchored by dark hair, eyes, or strong contrast.

2. The 12 Seasons by Depth

Depth Category	Scale	Seasons Included
Light	7–10	Light Spring, Light Summer
Medium / Moderate	4–6	True Spring, True Summer, Soft Autumn, Soft Summer, Bright Spring, Bright Winter
Dark / Deep	1–3	Dark Autumn, Dark Winter, True Autumn, True Winter

Key Takeaway

If your hair, skin, and eyes average out to medium depth (4–6), Value isn’t their main story—they are defined by whether they are Soft (muted), Bright (clear), or True (warm/cool).

Understanding Your Depth Is Just Step One

Finding where you sit on the light-to-dark scale clears up a huge piece of the color season puzzle. It tells you immediately whether deep, grounded shades anchor your features or if soft, airy pastels let your face shine.

Remember, if your results landed right in that medium depth zone, value isn’t your primary driver—and that is totally normal! Your next step is to test your Chroma (whether you look best in bright, clear colors or soft, muted tones) and your Temperature (warm vs. cool undertones) to pinpoint your exact seasonal palette.

Use your depth result as a baseline next time you open your closet or test a new outfit. When you wear shades that match your natural value, your features come into focus, your skin tone smooths out, and dressing for your coloring becomes effortless.