Dark Autumn: The Ultimate Guide

That package arrives in the mail, you pull it on, and it fits!  But.. after a few twirls, you start to realize it just looks off.  Is it the sleeve? Nope.  It’s the color. It’s actually making you look ill. 

And don’t get me started on following makeup tutorials or buying the same shade of concealer as your best friend. Time and money will tell you that just doesn’t work.

Seasonal color analysis can be your best friend when it comes to building a wardrobe, finding makeup that suits you, and just embracing your best self. 

And, it can really help you save money. 

I don’t buy those colors anymore… Phew! 

Let’s be real, fashion and style and your overall visual representation matter to the world.  It’s not shallow to want to craft and control these highly impactful elements.  And color can be especially essential. 

Now, it looks like you’ve landed on Dark Autumn, also known as Deep Autumn. Or maybe you’ve just stumbled down the rabbit hole of all 12 color seasons… But here is your ultimate guide to the Dark Autumn Color palette. 

Please be aware:  There are many different iterations of the seasonal color theory, and some systems have different names, options, and processes.  Dark Autumn is also known as Deep Autumn and has been referred to as Blue Autumn in some systems.  I am basing this article on the 12 color seasons (not 16), and will be referring to it as Dark Autumn. 

Let’s go over some general guidelines for seasonal color analysis to make sure you are in the right place. 

Are you warm or cool? 

Seasonal color analysis is all about training your eye and being able to understand the base tones of color.  

For a more obvious depiction, let’s look at the two images below. 

The desert looks warm,  and the arctic image looks cool. 

Now, it is not quite that easy when we are looking at our faces, but I want to be sure you understand the general concept. 

There are several methods to help hone down if you are warm or cool-toned.  Not all of them will work for each individual, but usually, if you try enough of them, you can begin to see a slight pattern. 

Gold or Silver Jewelry:  We are looking at which color brings out evenness in our skin, and what looks more in harmony.  If your skin starts to look yellow, red, gray, or sallow next to jewelry it is not the right color.  Gold indicates warm toned.  Silver indicated Cool tones. 

Tan or Burn:   If you burn easily you are most likely cool. If you tan easily, you are usually warmer toned. 

The most effective test in my opinion is the MAGENTA/ORANGE Test: 

Drape fabric (next to your face) that is true orange and hot pink. You’ll want to do this in indirect sunlight, ideally in front of a north-facing window.  This will give you softer more even light.  And do not take these photos at “golden hour”. Now, these two colors are strong, so take that into consideration. But generally, there should be a clear winner in terms of which color works. If the orange suits you, you are warm. If the pink looks better you are cool and should go back to this article.

We are looking at how the color reacts to the skin.  If it makes you look like you have bags under your eyes, makes your blemishes or skin texture look more “rough”,  or makes your skin more pink, sallow, gray, or yellow it is not the right color for you.  It can be subtle, so make sure you invest in taking these drape photos properly so you get the correct data to assess. 

So if you are Dark Autumn you will most likely have the following answers:  Gold jewelry looks best (although some DA’s can pull off silver because of their neutral-warm skin tone and proximity to Dark Winter),  you may tan easily, and orange suits you best. 

The most comprehensive way to determine your season is to drape fabric near your face and examine how the color affects your undertone. If you’d like to DIY this process, I have a DIY draping guide here.

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What is a Dark Autumn?

Dark Autumn is obviously part of the Autumn season, and it happens to be the darkest sub-season.  It sits between True Autumn and  Dark Winter.  Dark autumn is neutral-warm-toned, which is why we went over undertones in the previous section. And they have higher contrast, which is why they can sometimes be confused for a winter season if their undertone is more subtle. 

Your palette will be composed of warm-toned colors that have deep value and can include an array of vivid warm tones as well. 

In terms of contrast level, you have higher contrast.  This can be seen in two different ways.  You can have lighter warm skin paired with darker features, or all dark features.  Seasonal color analysis works for every skin tone.  While many examples on the internet focus on caucasian skin tone examples, please note that just because your darker skin does not make you an autumn or a winter.  

In order to assess your contrast level, you can take a b&w (well-lit, makeup-free) photo. As you can see above both women have high contrast colors to their skin.  

Dark Autumn Characteristics 

Chroma: Medium

Hue: Neutral/Warm

Value: Deep/Dark

Dark Autumn Comparisons

Dark Autumn Versus Dark Winer

Because Dark Autumns have high contrast at times they can be mistaken for Dark Winters.  Especially if the DA has a neutral-leaning skin tone. 

While they are both higher contrast and have deep/dark as their color palette primary, the hue or undertone is what will separate them apart.

Dark autumns are WARM and dark.  Dark winters are COOL and dark.  Dark Autumn’s palette is softer, warmer, and contains less stark light shades. 

Dark Autumn versus True Autumn 

While they are both warm and in the autumn family, Dark Autumn has more contrast and more deepness.  The color palette will reflect this by being slightly more saturated and deep in value.  They can also handle more contrast in their outfits than the True Autumn. True autumn is pure warm-toned skin, and Dark autumns are neutral-warm.

Dark Autumn versus Soft Autumn 

They are both warm and in the autumn family but the contrast is much different.  DAs have high contrast, and Soft Autumns have muted colors and moderate to low contrast. DA’s color palette shifts to be more saturated and deep because of this. 

Dark Autumn Features 

Here is a general overview of the Dark Autumn features. Please note that one trait deviating from these guidelines will not eliminate Dark Autumn as your season. It is more about how your skin reacts to the colors and a holistic view of these traits.

Dark Autumn Skin Tone 

The Dark Autumn has neutral-warm skin.  So if you can pull off both gold and silver jewelry, don’t eliminate the Deep autumn. Your skin’s undertones will be warm, which means it may come off as golden or slightly bronze.  The skin colors range from light to deep but they will always have a warm-neutral quality to them.  They can have freckles as well, but their freckles will be more chocolate brown (warmer). 

True warm tone not leaning neutral, could find themselves in the True Autumn season, as opposed to Dark Autumn. 

Dark Autumn Eye Colors 

The eye colors that are most common for the deep autumn include rich olive, rich hazel, golden brown, rich brown, and black-brown.  There will usually be a discernible richness to the eye color and not a de-saturated tone. 

While eye color is only one factor in determining your season and sub-season, some analysts also believe that the shapes within your eye can help you determine your season.  (But don’t use this as a sole determining factor, because some people think it’s hogwash). 

Autumns in general tend to have a warm or woodsy quality to their eyes.  And they often have speckled or starburst shapes.

Dark Autumn Hair Colors 

Dark autumn hair colors will consist of… you guessed it- warm, deep, and muted-rich colors! This will include a warm rich medium-brown, deep brown, chestnut, auburn, dark auburn, and a warmer brown-black. 

You’ll want to look for warmer bronze or golden highlights.  I’m referring to natural highlights and not any dyed, bleached, or bayalaged sections of your hair. 

Please note that hair color is one of the more unreliable aspects of determining your seasonal color.  There are winters that have red-toned highlights to their hair or summers that have some golden tones. 

If you are struggling with this, tie your hair back as you do physical fabric drapes to examine how your skin reacts to the colors (which is our primary goal). 

Dark Autumn Celebrities

I do not recommend you simply compare yourself to a celebrity and go “yup, that’s me” because there are a lot of factors at play with seasonal color analysis. 

However, if you’ve properly determined yourself as dark autumn, getting inspiration from other Dark Autumns and seeing how they react to shades both within and outside their color palettes can be helpful. 

• Eva Longoria
• Rashida Jones
• Eva Mendez (sometimes referenced as True Autumn, but could be on the cusp)
• Cindy Crawford (David Zyla has her as bronze autumn)
• Natalie Portman
• Amber Riley
• Brenda Song
• Chandra Wilson
• Jennifer Hudson
• Julia Roberts (there is some disagreement here as some analysts see her as true autumn)
• Penelope Cruz
• Olivia Culpo
• Eliza Gonzalez

I want to also note that a lot of seasonal analysis celebrities are mistyped.  It becomes increasingly difficult to discern a season when hair colors are dyed, photos are edited and filtered, and lighting is manipulated.  So take celebrity examples with a grain of salt. 

The Dark Autumn Color Palette

The dark autumn palette is going to be composed of warm, deep shades, that are rich but not necessarily “bright” in the way we use that term in seasonal analysis.  

Because of the higher contrast levels in the Dark Autumn, they do well with contrast combinations in their palette as well.  

When we look at someone like Eva Longoria, who is a classic Dark Autumn, she shines in the deep, warm-leaning navy.  But when she wears the bright purple it makes her look sallow and washed out.  When using seasonal color we want to notice you first, not the color or outfit first. When she wears the purple outfit, we are consumed by its brightness and Eva fades into the background.

We are searching for your “wow” colors.

Here are the best colors for a Dark Autumn:

• Rich camel 
• Khaki
• Golden brown
• Coffee Brown
• Stone
• Dark Brown
• Pewter
• Deep Peach
• Salmon
• Pumpkin
• Terracotta
• Tomato Red
• Aubergine
• Yellow Gold
• Mustard
• Light Moss (not de-saturated)
• Olive  
• Teal
• Forest Green
• Deep Periwinkle
• Purple
• Light Navy 
• Wine
• Espresso

Dark Autumn Neutral Shades 

Autumns in general need to be cognizant when choosing their neutrals. Stark whites, cool navy, and cool grays are all outside their palette.  They can wear black, because they have higher contrast, but it isn’t necessarily their top neutral color option.  Dark rich brown would work better.

Light and warm khaki, camels, cream, and stone can all work beautifully for the DA.  And, olive can also be a useful neutral. 

You’ll want to generally think of color pairings as well.  If you opt for a lighter neutral shade try pairing it with a richer color or darker neutral to mimic the contrast present in your face. 

Colors to Avoid as a Dark Autumn 

Dark autumns do not do well with neon colors, pastels, and any cool-toned colors.  You should also avoid true white, which can be too stark and can make your skin look yellow or sallow. 

These colors don’t have the warmth, deep coloring, or richness that the Deep Autumn needs to come alive. 

Dark Autumn Color Combinations 

The Dark Autumn has contrast to their coloring, which means they do well with dynamic color pairings.  

And once you begin building a wardrobe full of your season’s colors, you’ll begin to notice that mixing and matching these colors is seamless.  They all go together, and they all make you look wow. 

Keep in mind while the Dark Autumn does have a “black” in their palette, it’s a bit softer than the winter’s stark black.  This can be difficult to shop for, and if you end up with a true black in your closet just keep it further away from your face.  When we take in an outfit, our eyes travel from top to bottom.  The further away a slightly “wrong” color is away from your face the less likely it will make your skin reaction noticeable or disrupt your balance. 

Because you have higher contrast you can play with higher contrast color combinations like the ones above.

But you also have a lot of warm, deep tones that would look fantastic in a monochrome or tonal outfit as well. 

Just try to avoid doing a light neutral with a light neutral as that can potentially wash you out. 

Color blocking techniques like using analogous or triad colors can also be effective when all the colors are from your DA palette.  Check out my article on color blocking for more ideas, here.

Dark Autumn Outfit Ideas

Now, seasonal color analysis is just one part of your style journey.  The most flattering and harmonizing outfits will come with learning your proportions, body type, and overall personal style goals.

However, here are some outfit ideas just to get you inspired by your palette. 

I have also started creating capsule wardrobes around each seasonal palette, check out the Winter Capsule for Dark Autumn, here.

Dark Autumn Jewelry and Metals 

Because you have a warm-leaning neutral skin tone, you can often get away with wearing both gold and silver.  Although gold usually looks a touch better. 

Bronze looks fantastic on you, as does gold, copper, and sometimes even pewter or silver.  Rose gold usually leans more towards the spring palettes. 

Now, the autumn season is one of two warm seasons (autumn and spring).  The Springs are clear, the Autumns are muted. So autumns do better with less high-shine metals.  Burnished, patinaed, antique, or hammered metals all look fantastic for the autumn seasons. 

Dark Autumn Prints 

Finding the perfect print for any season can be extremely challenging.  Because it’s very rare that you find a print composed of ONLY your season’s colors.  But, if we take a holistic view of the print it can become a bit easier. 

If you haven’t trained your eye yet, a dark autumn color fan can help you see what elements of the print are in your palette. 

Now it’ll be easier to pull off a print with a “wrong” color if it’s…

• small design element (your eye won’t register it as much)
• in a sister-palette like true autumn or deep winter (but we don’t want these elements to be the main focus regardless)
• a neutral color 

If you look at the print above you will see one that is perfect for the Dark Autumn, one that would pass for dark autumn, and one that has too much brightness for the Dark Autumn to handle. Now some may be drawn to the pink print which I said is “wrong”. But it’s only wrong when using the theory of seasonal colors. Seasonal colors aim for the viewer to notice you first and for the colors to draw out the best in your skin and features. With the pink print, we absolutely notice the pink first, and it would likely overwhelm the muted warmth of the deep autumn.

You also need to make sure the combination of colors has some contrast and deepness to it.  A print that feels too light and gives a more de-saturated quality to it can still feel “meh” for a Deep Autumn.  So while they are predominantly DA colors, it could still end up creating a washed-out effect. 

Keep in mind the colors of the prints, the contrast of the print, and the print’s overall impact and effect. 

Dark Autumn Print Ideas 

Assuming these are all in your color palette…

• Bold prints 
• Autumn elements
• Leaves
• Highly stylized prints like paisley 
• Larger scale prints 
• Warm animal prints 
• Retro-influence 

Be wary with floral patterns as they can easily be watered down in saturation and impact and be more fitted for the Soft Autumn.  More stylized, bolder florals could work, however. 

Soft or blended prints tend to wash out your contrast, and super sharp prints can appear overly harsh on Dark Autumns. 

Dark Autumn Makeup 

You have deep, muted, and warm coloring so we want to harmonize our makeup with that in mind and keep our contrast towards the higher side. 

Dark Autumn Foundations

The best foundation for you will be one that perfectly matches your neutral-warm skin tone.  I suggest getting yourself professionally matched for this.  

Now, you can try going into Sephora and asking for assistance in finding a foundation.  But if you do this pay attention to what they are actually selecting for you.  You want your foundation to be warm or warm-neutral, and to have a matter or satin finish.  

The Autumn family is muted-warm (even the Dark Autumn), compared to the clear-warm Springs.  So anything that has a dewy or shiny finish can clash with your muted coloring.  

This can be a tricky process because a lot of foundations are mistyped warm or cool. So really trying them on in person and in natural light is your best bet.

Dark Autumn Bronzer

Autumns have a beautiful glow about them and can shine with a great bronzer.  Because they are higher contrast, they do well with deeper, richer bronzers that create beautiful contours.  Anything orange, bright, or soft will drain their deepness. 

And just remember, autumns are still muted… so watch how shiny you go. 

Dark Autumn Lipsticks 

Dark autumn lipsticks are especially gorgeous.  You’ll want to essentially be pulling pinks, reds, oranges, and browns from your palette for your lips.  But the most striking will be the deeper brown and red shades. 

Matte finishes and soft shimmer are the ideal textures because… Autumns are muted (like I’ve said a few times already).  

Higher shine lipsticks can work depending on your contrast levels and where you are going in them. I never want to say “never”, so just use gloss and high shine with caution. 

Some Dark Autumn Lipstick Shades:

• Revlon, Raisin Rage
• Revlon Spicy Cinnamon
• Revlon, Coffee Bean
• Maybelline Divine Wine
• Maybelline Plum Paradise
• Nyx Alabama (test brightness)
• Nars Immortal Red
• Nars Fire Down Below

(check the color name because sometimes the links take you to the first color selection)

It’s best to try the above shades on in person, as not every shade with work for every Dark Autumn.

Dark Autumn Eye Shadow 

You have some deep, striking colors in your palette that create very dramatic eyeshadow looks.  If you want a more neutral look don’t go too light with your colors.  Opt for warmer browns like sand, camel, oat, wheat, or milk chocolate.  

Smoky eyes can look incredible, just watch how “sharp” they are.  We want a more blended approach to match the autumn’s deep and muted colorings. 

Dark Autumn Mascara & Eyeliner 

Because autumns in general have more muted warmth to them, even the three-dimensional Dark Autumn, it is best to avoid stark black mascara and eyeliner when possible. 

Opting for an aubergine, warm brown, or brown-black for mascara is the most harmonizing. 

And for eyeliners, you could try aubergine, dark olive, or dark brown/espresso. 

Dark Autumn Makeup Ideas 

Natural:  Keep the overall look more tonal and slightly less contrasted than your more formal or dramatic makeup looks.  Glowing and bronze, and in harmony. 

Daytime Polished/Casual Evening:  If you want a daytime polished look with a little more oomph you could lean into one “striking feature”.  I prefer it to be a muted, deep lip shade with simple makeup techniques everywhere else.  It creates some contrast and interest, but it doesn’t have too much impact for a brunch or casual evening out.

Dramatic: The dark autumn looks beautiful with dramatic or striking makeup.  Lean into those contours, bronzers, and rich lip stains. 

Dark Autumn Nail Polishes

Because we often bring our hands to our faces or potentially talk with our hands, our nail polish colors can have a larger impact on our outfits than we think. 

Finding some go-to Deep Autumn nail polishes will help you keep your coloring consistent and harmonized, while not pulling focus away from YOU. 

Here are some options: 

• Essie, 290 “so not low key” (dark red)
• Essie, 90 “espresso” (dark brown)
• Essie, 92 “left on shreds” (navy)
• Essie, “force of nature” (deep green)
• OPI, “boys be thistle-ing me” (dark purple)
• OPI, “my Italian is a little rusty” (orange-brown)
• OPI, “it’s a piazza cake” (deep orange)
• Warm neutral nail color set

Is that color in my palette?

Understanding your palette will get easiers over time. The first thing you will want to begin to understand is what colors are actually in your season. For Dark Autumn you want colors that are muted (gray has been added to the color), medium in value (not a ton of white or black has been added to each color), and they lean warm (more yellow than blue has been added to the color).

Brown can be confusing because it’s obviously a staple in the autumn family, but it can also be cool.

Check out the video below for some further information on understanding how to evaluate a color. You can also try buying a Dark Autumn color swatch fan to help you get started and to be used as a reference guide.

Whew!  Did I say muted, warm, and deep enough for you to “get it”?  

Confirming your seasonal color palette is a great tool in your style toolbox.  It allows you to save money because you do not impulse buy those “wrong” colors.  It allows you to pick an event dress easily, and look stunning in a casual outfit. 

Seasonal color is one step in understanding what is working for you, and what is distracting from your beauty. Even when you want to step outside your palette, you know what sister palettes might work best, or where to place those colors.  It’s a style education worth having. 

It can help you find strength through style.