Are you wearing the wrong colors? An expert explains how to find your ‘season’

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Do you know what colors suit your skin tone best? Sure, you might think you look good in royal blue or sage green, but are these shades secretly washing you out or overpowering you?

Chances are, you’ve noticed that color analysis is sweeping social media pages, with the trend picking up traction on TikTok and Instagram alike and users placing filters on videos to try and find their perfect “season.”

But the videos and online forums still leave many wondering: Does color analysis work? What shades complement your skin tone best? And how can you incorporate it into your daily routine? We spoke with expert color analyst Kacie Loverude and CEO of House of Colour Ally Van Iten about this process and how to make it your own.

What is color analysis? | Why is color analysis trending? | How to dress for your specific “season” | How we chose | Meet the experts

What is color analysis?

“Color analysis is basically the study of how your eye perceives color differently based on the colors that you surround it with,” says Loverude. It works in tandem with your undertones to provide a harmonious look, rather than making you look washed out.

Loverude explains that if someone is draped with a color that doesn’t complement their undertones, “we might feel like you see your imperfections more clearly,” she says. Or, someone might ask if you feel okay, noting that it can make your face look sickly rather than complimentary.

Some of the factors that determine your “season” are your eye color, hair color and skin tone which is why some colors look better than others. You either have warm or cool undertones, according to Van Iten, making up either a blue or yellow base for the rest of the colors to stand upon.

“That means there are warm colors that look in harmony with your skin that bring [a] natural, healthy glow back to your skin,” she says. “Whereas there’s people who have cool undertones in our blue base and it’s different for them. They have different colors that work with their skin tone.”

Why is color analysis trending?

There’s been an uptick in color analysis on social media, with users more interested in the science. For Loverude, it’s nothing new as she’s seen four generations of people coming to House of Colour to receive a color analysis. So why is it just now trending on social media?

She says that Gen Z seems to enjoy color analysis because it’s a personalized service that tailors to their needs and want to be different from their peers.

“People want guidance instead based on their lifestyle and their unique genetic makeup,” she says, adding that “they want guidance that incorporates who they are, not just how they look.”

Van Iten believes that millennials, however, are utilizing it for a different reason. “We find that millennials are looking for something that really changes their lives,” she says. “It brings not just a quick fix to your wardrobe but long-term transformation.”

Plus, Van Iten notes that those searching for staple pieces or wanting to curate a capsule wardrobe appreciate color analysis services because it helps them find pieces they can wear for years to come, rather than succumbing to fast fashion or short-lasting trends.

Van Iten also adds that your season doesn’t change as you age, meaning you could buy a top, pair of earrings or a shade of lipstick and continue to wear it for the rest of your life.

How to dress for your specific “season”

At House of Colour, there’s a 3-step process to finding your “season.” Whether you’re an autumn, winter, spring or summer determines which sets of colors are in your palette and should guide your clothing decisions.

From there, you’re given around 36 different colors that you can incorporate into your wardrobe, whether it be the necklace you choose or the eyeshadow you’re wearing.

While that might feel overwhelming at first, Loverude explains that it’s beneficial knowledge that is up to you how to use. “The nice thing is it is up to you how much you want to incorporate it,” says Loverude. “You have all the knowledge to do whatever you want with it.”

While an entire closet clean-out isn’t feasible for everyone, Van Iten notes that simple steps can look like picking up a new top in a shade in your season while you’re at Target or starting to wear earrings of a certain color.

“As soon as you start incorporating those elements and those tones into your everyday life, everything will all of a sudden harmonize with each other and it will all look good together,” Loverude says.

Olivia Ott / TODAY

How we chose

The Shop TODAY editors and writers search the internet to find the best products out there. The products in this article reflect what we know about color analysis, the different palettes, as well as interviews and expert advice.

As an editorial team, we independently create content and determine coverage based on research, reporting and what we think TODAY.com readers would like to read about. The goal of our content is to provide a service and inform readers who are on the hunt for the latest products to help make their life better. Items are sold by the retailer, not TODAY. Pricing and availability are accurate as of publish time. Learn more about Shop TODAY.

Meet the experts

• Kacie Loverude is a color and style analyst based in Omaha, Nebraska and has been working with House of Colour since August 2022.
• Ally Van Iten is the CEO of House of Colour USA, and is located in Des Moines, Iowa.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com