What is Colour Analysis? New style trend that’s ‘worth the hype’
This ‘life-changing’ service that’s gone viral on TikTok promises to change the way you to shop.
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If black, white and grey makes up the majority of your everyday wardrobe – you’re not alone.
Nine times out of ten, I default to wearing neutrals and monochromatics because I honestly don’t know what colours look good on me.
Colour analysis is a service that has been trending on TikTok with over 15.7k posts. Seeing videos of people sitting in a chair with different coloured fabrics held under their chin and then being told which colours make them look lively or dull naturally piqued my interest.
Could I be a deep winter? Could I be a bright spring? Does red compliment my skin tone as much as I thought it did? The curiosity was gnawing at me so, myself and two colleagues decided to give it a go and the results were shocking to say the least.
We saw Jane at Ssaekkal who is located in Sydney’s CBD. She has four years experience working as a Colour Analysis Expert and began her work in Korea, where the trend has in the last few years exploded in popularity.
“Having consulted many foreign clients in Korea, I realised that I want to go abroad to promote Korean personal colour analysis,” she told news.com.au checkout.
“A personal colour analysis is about finding the hues that complement your complexion and harmonise with you. It’s a way to express yourself more fully,” she explained.
Interested to see if personal colour analysis is worth the hype, according to three different people with three very different style? Scroll on.
HARRIET AMURAO, SHOPPING WRITER
What she thought she was: Light Summer
What she is: Light Summer
She best suits: light, cool, soft colours
Before getting my colour analysis done, I always knew I was more cool toned due to the fact that silver jewellery suited me more than gold and if I were to wear colour I would naturally gravitate towards light pinks and blues.
So I naturally had a feeling that I sat within the Winter to Summer seasonal spectrum. However, I did have a few doubts because I was so convinced that bright colours like red and dark colours like black and navy looked good on me but boy, was I wrong.
Jane described me as a “Light Summer” – so I was partially right.
She told me that I “don’t have a Winter colour spectrum” and I “just have Summer”, which essentially means that I look better in light, pastel colours as they make my skin tone look even.
Bright, saturated colours and dark colours either make my skin look dull and unlively, bring out the darkness under my eyes, the redness in my skin or just look “too strong” and unharmonious which was a big shock to me.
“Winter colours add too much shade to your face and bring out your eye bags. They’re stronger colours and they look too dark,” Jane told me. “More pure and light pastel colours are better.”
After spending a lifetime curating a 90 per cent black or dark coloured wardrobe, learning that I should be wearing white, light grey and pastel colours in general was definitely not on my 2024 bingo card. It honestly left me dumbstruck.
My worst colour season is Autumn, which I wasn’t really surprised about because I hardly reach for these types of colours anyway – so it’s good to know I haven’t invested in any clothing in these colours.,
Earlier in the session she assessed my everyday makeup products like blush, concealer and lip products, and after swatching them on a piece of paper, she was able to see that my makeup fell under the warm tone colour seasons – Autumn and Spring.
She recommended wearing pink or lavender blushes and lip products, and to keep makeup light and minimal.
Admittedly, light colours really do look better on me, they make me look more lively and even out my skin tone, and considering I’ve always been drawn to light, natural makeup – being a light summer honestly checks out.
Overall, the experience was very interesting and life-changing to say the least. It has definitely changed how I buy clothes and makeup – I feel like I’m now very conscious of my season so when shopping, I look for pieces that are within my colour palette.
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MELODY TEH, ACTING EDITOR
What she thought she was: Deep Winter
What she is: Deep Autumn
She best suits: deep, warm, soft colours
news.com.au checkout’s Acting Editor Melody’s best colour season is Deep Autumn which leans warm, but she can also wear Winter Deep colours as long as they still fall under the warm category.
“I usually wear lots of colour and prints, as well as old faithful black and neutrals. I do tend towards blues and muted colour tones. I’ve never thought about what colours suited me though (warm or cool) or the shade, so when I found out I was an Deep Autumn I was actually quite astounded. Because the colour I tend never to wear are browns, maroons and dark reds. I thought they didn’t suit me! But when I started wearing more of those colours into the office, I received so many compliments,” she says.
Jane described Melody as being “really neutral” and having a “unique colour spectrum”. While she wear both Autumn and Winter colour palettes, the two to steer clear of are Spring and Summer as, “Spring brings out the redness in her skin” while “Summer is too pale and makes Melody’s face washed out”.
“Finding out my worst palette is Summer was a total revelation to me,” Melody said. “I love those colours and am drawn to pastel hues but coincidentally I had just gone to a friend’s wedding wearing a gorgeous lavender dress. But when I was looking at photos I did think I looked washed out. It all makes sense now!”
For makeup, Deep Autumns match well with neutral bronzed browns, orangey terracotta, peachy corals, warm rose, and deep red shades.
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CLAUDIA COY, SOCIAL MEDIA PRODUCER
What she thought she was: Deep Autumn
What she is: Light Spring
She best suits: light, warm, bright colours
With a wardrobe filled with neutral colours and earthy tones, and a preference for brown and orangey makeup looks, news.com.au checkout’s Social Media Producer, Claudia, hoped she was a Deep Autumn.
“I don’t want to be a Summer or Spring – pastels, pinks and bright colours are not me. So, hopefully I’m a Deep Autumn.”
But as Jane held up the colourful drapes, she said quickly and clearly: “Winter is too dark, Autumn looks nice, Summer is too pale and Spring looks okay.”
Clearly, it was a toss up between both Autumn and Spring, however Claudia’s best colour season ended up being Light Spring.
To say she was flabbergasted by the result is an understatement.
And as much as I wanted to deny it for Claudia’s sake, watching the various options I could see that the Spring palette just brought so much life to her complexion and really made her blue eyes pop.
So, Claudia’s worst palette is Soft Autumn (Dull Autumn) *cue sad violin music*.
“Spring makes your face look more lively and glowy,” Jane explained. “Autumn emphasises your eyebags and makes your skin look matte.”
To reaffirm that Colour Anaysis does really work, Claudia’s partner even suggested to her she needs to wear blue more as it “makes her eyes look more beautiful”. Coincidence? I think not.
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
WHAT IS A COLOUR ANALYSIS?
“A personal colour analysis is about finding the hues that complement your complexion and harmonise with you. It’s a way to express yourself more fully,” Jane said.
WHY IS COLOUR ANALYSIS SO POPULAR?
“Clothing is something we wear all the time, and the colour of our clothes can change our impression and complexion. Personal colour analysis is the most comfortable and impactful way to make changes, which is why clients seeking transformation are often drawn to it. In Korea, understanding personal colour makes it easier to buy cosmetics as well. People prefer to invest in what suits them rather than spending money on things that don’t,” Jane said.
Not to mention, Personal Colour Analysis became popularised in Korea partially thanks to Korean celebrities like Jisoo from Blackpink – she shared a video of herself undergoing the colour analysis session to find her best colour which piqued viewers’ interest.
As a result, many colour analysis studios started popping up in Seoul, South Korea with many people travelling there just to get their colour analysis done.
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF COLOUR SEASONS?
There are four main colour seasons and their characteristics are:
Spring: bright, warm, light
Summer: light, cool, soft
Autumn: soft, warm, deep
Winter: deep, cool, bright
Within each season, there are three subtypes that are based on chroma (bright/muted), hue (warm/cool) and value (light/deep):
Spring: Bright Spring, True Spring, Light Spring
Summer: Light Summer, True Summer, Soft Summer
Autumn: Soft Autumn, True Autumn, Deep Autumn
Winter: Deep Winter, True Winter, Bright Winter
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF A COLOUR ANALYSIS?
Knowing your personal colours can actually help make shopping easier.
“It reduces the number of clothes you buy but never wear,” Jane said.
“Clients who usually stick to black, for example, often fear trying other colours. Personal colour analysis can help them overcome this fear and encourage them to explore new options.”
It can also help you declutter your wardrobe effectively, because you’ll already know which colours won’t necessarily work for you.
WHAT IF I DON’T AGREE WITH MY PERSONAL COLOUR ANALYSIS?
A Personal Colour Analysis is not meant to be restrictive or make you feel like you can only wear certain colours to look good. It’s supposed to help you figure out which colours can enhance your appearance. Think of it as a guideline, not a set-in-stone rule.
“The colours you like and the colours that suit you might be different. I can’t insist that you only wear what suits you, but since clients see the changes with their own eyes during the analysis, most of them come to accept it,” Jane said.
There are also many ways you can incorporate both your seasonal colour palette and the colours you normally like – for example, if you prefer to wear black, try keeping the darkness in the bottom half of your outfit and pop on a top from your colour season for balance.
CAN I USE A TIKTOK FILTER FOR COLOUR ANALYSIS?
It’s no secret that there has been a surge of TikTok filters and AI technology for a quick, at-home colour analysis check.
However, Jane says they can be misleading.
“Many people use apps for self-checks, but if someone prefers their skin to look pale, they might choose filters that make them look washed out. This can be misleading,” she said.
“Apps aren’t always reliable, so it’s better to try different colours from your wardrobe against your face to see what works best. However, many clients have trouble doing this accurately on their own, so I recommend seeking professional advice.”
Colour Analysis Expert
Jane is a Colour Analysis Expert with four years of experience.
She has consulted many foreign clients in South Korea and moved to Sydney, Australia to promote Korean Personal Colour Analysis.
She currently has a studio in Wynyard located in Sydney’s CBD and takes bookings through her instagram @ssaekkal.
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