True Spring: Everything You Need To Know {warm spring}

You slip on a beautiful black slip dress that fits you like a glove.  That bold red lip is applied to perfection. You are ready for your night on the town.

As you begin to head out you catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror.  And to your dismay, you are not giving Megan Fox… Instead your reflection tells a different story. The stark black dress and bold red lip, which you hoped would exude confidence and elegance, instead seem to drain the warmth from your complexion and clash with your natural glow. Rather than looking striking and chic, the harshness of the colors leaves you looking washed out and tired.

You may have started to question every bit of fashion advice you’ve ever been given at this point.. And then, you find seasonal color analysis.

It all makes sense, you’re a radiating True Spring.  Of course, a pure black dress and bold red lip wasn’t going to cut it for you.

Instead, you need to wear colors that celebrate your True Spring palette.

True Spring individuals radiate a warm and gentle brilliance, often described as embodying the essence of “Hello Sunshine.” Their overall look is vibrant, fresh, and lively, reflecting the bright, crisp, and colorful hues of the True Spring palette.

This is a long and in-depth article. Many readers refer back to it often and have requested an option to “buy” a version without ads. You can buy this article in ebook pdf format here for $19.

Let’s get into all things True Spring. 

 Quick note,  in certain systems True Spring is also called Warm Spring. In this article, using a 12 season system, they are interchangeable. 

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True Spring Color Palette 

The True Spring color palette is characterized by warmth first and foremost, with medium values, and a fairly bright set of colors that reflect the vibrant and fresh energy of spring.

The palette includes a variety of hues such as mandarin, peach, daffodil and ripe tomato, all mixed in a way that avoids pure white due to their high yellow content. These colors are clear and not pastel-like, maintaining a high level of clarity and brightness. Blues and greens in this palette, like turquoise and blue-green, have a noticeable yellow undertone, creating a harmonious and warm feel. 

Additionally, neutral colors in the True Spring palette are light and warm, such as French vanilla, almond cream, and buttermilk. Even darker colors like spring green, cobalt, and admiral blue are included but maintain a lightness and warmth that prevents them from becoming too dark or heavy.

True Spring Neutrals 

Now, it may be hard for you to hear this, but pure black and true white are not your best neutrals. You might be itching to leave a comment that EVERYONE looks good in those neutrals, but I’d encourage you to listen to my color style pillar podcast episode to understand why we often times lean towards these fashion staple colors and how seasonal color can help you shine in your unique way.

Instead, the True Spring neutrals palette is a harmonious blend of warm and inviting tones that evoke the gentle touch of a sunlit day. Imagine a spectrum that starts with the rich, earthy browns reminiscent of freshly turned soil and sun-dried clay. These deep, grounding hues transition gracefully into clearer honeyed shades that capture the essence of golden fields at noon, glowing with an inner warmth.

Moving through the palette, you’ll find a series of warm taupes and sandy beiges, each one reflecting the natural beauty of sun-kissed landscapes. These colors have clarity to them, like the delicate layering of fine sand dunes, inviting you to explore their quiet elegance. The lightest shades, from creamy ivory to soft buttermilk, add a touch of airy brightness, akin to the first light of morning breaking gently across a meadow.

These warm neutrals offer a versatile and cohesive foundation, allowing the brighter, more playful colors of the season to have a balanced and charming aesthetic when outfit building.

The Worst Colors for a True Spring 

Colors that are too cool, muted, or dark can be problematic. For instance, colors with a strong blue undertone, such as icy or pastel shades, can make True Spring individuals look washed out or sallow.

Similarly, overly dark or muted colors, which lack the brightness and warmth of the True Spring palette, can appear heavy and out of place. These colors can create a dull or unflattering contrast against the naturally vibrant and warm tones of a TS individual.

So, taking into consideration both your best colors and your worst colors can help you narrow down your season. 

True Spring Color Palette: Color Basics

Let’s dig into some of the color qualities of this palette and what characterstics are common in this season.

True Spring Color Qualities 

Understanding color theory in-depthly is not a pre-requisite for finding your seasonal color placement, but over time you will find yourself understanding the basics of color and how they relate to your makeup, hair, clothes, and wardrobe palette. 

Colors are based on three dimensions: hue, value, and chroma.  If you don’t know what these mean, check out my seasonal color overview for a refresher. 

True springs have the following color dimensions.

Hue: Pure Warm.  Warmth is their dominant characteristic. Above all else, they need warmth in their colors (yellow added).  They can borrow from their sister seasons (Light Spring and Bright Spring), but both those seasons are Warm/Neutral.  We do not want any dominant coolness coming in. 

Within the True Spring palette colors like blue and green are adjusted to have a warmer appearance, making them blend seamlessly with your coloring and the other hues in your palette. 

Value:  Your value level is medium. You do not have a value range like Winters that go from true white to true black, but rather range from buttery ivory to medium warm gray.  Value measures how much white is added to a color (tint) or how much black is added to a color (shade). 

Chroma: The chroma, or saturation, of True Spring colors is medium to medium-high. This means the colors are bright and vivid with a high level of pigment and little to no gray. The colors are clear and luminous, creating a vibrant and lively appearance. This higher saturation level is a key characteristic of the True Spring palette, contributing to its overall warm and energetic appearance.  It is important to note that you do not have as high of chroma as your sister season Bright Spring. 

Common Hair, Skintones, and Eye Colors: True Spring 

Draping fabrics and seeing how your skin reacts to those colors is the only “true” way to determine your season. Gone are the days of lumping people into general categories based on hair, skin, and eye color alone. 

I mean look at the two women below, both have freckles, similar colored hair, and paler skin and yet one shines in the clear buttermilk sweater and the other looks more cohesive in the muted soft brown.  

There are some common traits that are found as a baseline for each season, but no in-person analyst is going to use your coloring solely and throw you in a season.  It is much more nuanced than that.  

This leads me to a common misconception that all people of color are winters or autumns.  This is not the case, and just like with any person, draping is the only way to determine this. For instance, I’m pale with brown hair and hazel eyes, and most people guessed me to be in the summer, autumn, or winter category. Well, surprise, I’m a bright spring! 

So use the following information as a generic baseline, not a final determination. 

There are no set rules for each season, just positive or negative reactions from a color. 

Skintones: Warm Spring skin tones have a clear, delicate, and warm appearance, often described as having a golden glow. Common skin tones include:

• Ivory
• Porcelain
• Light golden beige
• Light clear brown

Hair: Common natural hair colors include:

• Golden or Natural blonde
• Strawberry blonde
• Light brown with a golden or reddish undertone
• Medium brown
• Ginger: A medium red with a clear, warm brightness.
• Copper: A vibrant, shiny copper that has a clear yellow or peach undertone.

I think the internet has a general misconception of what ashy hair tones are.  You do not need shiny, golden colored hair to be in the warm seasons. Hair in warm seasons can appear golden, but it can also appear fairly “medium”.  You do not need Blake Lively bleached golden hair to be a True Spring.  See the image below:

And it’s really important to remember that a lot of true spring celebrity examples dye their hair to be even more “golden” when their natural hair colors are much less yellow. 

Eye Colors: Common eye colors include:

• Warm green
• Teal blue
• Turquoise
• Clear light hazel
• Light Warm Brown 

The eyes typically have a sparkling quality, with colors that are vivid and engaging, adding to the overall brightness and warmth of the True Spring palette. But again, this can be a nuanced distinction.  Your eyes do not need to be sparkling jewels in order to be a bright spring and it can help you to watch how certain colors give your eyes more depth and brightness.  

In fact, I was convinced I had a self-described “muddy” eye color, but in reality my eye color is very bright and shiny in Bright Spring colors!

True Spring Gray Hair 

For True Springs, gray hair typically retains a warm and light appearance that harmonizes with their overall color palette. Instead of turning a cool, steely gray, True Spring gray hair often takes on a softer, warmer tone. This can include:

• Warm Silver: A light, warm silver that has a gentle, almost golden glow.
• Soft White: A creamy, off-white that maintains warmth and avoids the harshness of stark white.
• Honeyed Gray: A mix of warm gray with golden undertones, giving a soft and flattering appearance.

Determining If You Are a True Spring 

Understanding how colors lift you up and support your natural coloring is a very nuanced thing.  I have a DIY seasonal color guide here, if you’d like to attempt it yourself.  But it will take time and you must be willing to eliminate any preconceived notions to what season you might be.  

If you’d like to explore some drapings at home, here are some colors you might use to explore the True Spring Palette. 

• Coral
• Salmon
• Peach
• Apricot
• Daffodil Yellow
• Buttermilk
• Spring Grass Green
• Turquoise
• Gold

Or you can choose some colors from the palette. Ideally what you are looking for are colors that support your natural features.  We want to see natural colored lips, even skintone (not bleached), and a natural contour to your face. Nicely defined shapes and shadows are important too.

DIY-ing this will take time. If you want a quicker answer, or a confirmed result, I recommend hiring a Personal Color Analyst that does in-person draping.

I offer PCA services in Brooklyn,NY and Seattle, WA using the Sci/Art method. 

The benefits of this is that you are seeing all the changes that happen to your skin and features, and understanding why a season was eliminated.  

Online-analysis is not something I generally recommend. Except for a few very, very seasoned analysts, the results can be unreliable, and you’re not really given a firm visual presentation of the “whys” behind this determination.  Why don’t we like dark autumn? Why was summer eliminated? You haven’t seen it, so it’s hard to believe it. 

Another thing to consider is what credentials or system the analyst uses.  Make sure you study that system and agree with their process and results before hiring them.  A little due diligence will be worth it.  Here more thoughts on that here.

True Spring vs. Other Seasons

If you consume a lot of seasonal color analysis content you may think that all True Springs look like Blake Lively or Judy Greer and all Autumns are Debra Messing or Julia Roberts.  But in real life, there are much more subtle details and it is often less clear. 

So let’s dig into this. 

True Spring vs. True Autumn 

The difference between these two seasons is going to be primarily in their chroma characteristics.  True springs have brightness, True Autumns have mutedness.  This can be tricky to delineate at times without drapings. 

 True Spring individuals exude an infectious warmth and gentle radiance, embodying the essence of joyful radiance. Whereas True Autumn individuals possess a rich, earthy, and subdued warmth that brings to mind the richness of the autumn season. They have less clarity of color in their features and a more harvest, natural quality to their appearance. 

True spring will shine in bright leaf greens, turquoise, and golden yellow.  Whereas True Autumn will feel overpowered by these colors and feel more supported by slightly more muted colors like terracotta, muted teal, and harvest green. 

Whether you tan or have freckles or green or blue veins will not be important. We want to prioritize what colors bring you to life!

True Spring vs. Bright Spring 

So Bright spring and true spring are sister seasons. But they still have some differences. While some bright spring colors may “work” for you, they will not be as harmonious.

True Spring is characterized by warm, and bright colors that reflect a gentle, sunlit quality. The palette is vibrant, but avoids extremes and maintains a cohesive warmth throughout. Bright Spring features highly saturated, vivid colors that are still warm but have a higher contrast, and more coolness seeping in from winter.

True Springs primarmy characteristic is pure warmth. Whereas Bright Spring prioritizes “brightness” and has a more neutral/warm undertone.

True Spring is like a warm sunny day with blues skies, green hills and warm hues of peach, golden yellow, and warm green that create pure joy.. Bright Spring, in contrast, is the vibrant burst of a tropical beach with highly saturated colors like bright coral, electric blue, and hot pink that exude bold energy and clarity. While True Spring radiates a joyful and inviting palette, Bright Spring dazzles with its striking, vivid brilliance.

True Spring Celebrities 

I understand the value of having celebrity examples.  They can be a great visual marker for what a typical true spring might look like, and how the colors they wear could be effecting their appearance.

However, I want to make it clear that there is no “ultimate verified celebrity list”.  Unless the celebrity has been draped by a professional in-person, and shared their results, these true spring celebrities are just educated guesses. 

Celebrity photos are often color tweaked, photoshopped, and adjusted massively. Plus they are almost always wearing makeup with a variety of lighting.  

So take this information with a grain of salt, and do not use it as firm determining point.  Saying “well, I have the same coloring as _insert celebrity here_ and she’s a true spring” is not the way to accurately find your season. 

Here’s a list of celebrities considered generally to be True Springs. But recognize that most celebrities who are put into any seasonal color categorization will be traditionally more “stereotypical” because we can’t obviously go and drape every celebrity we would like to include in the list.

And A LOT of these celebrities have dyed their hair more blonde. Remember that bleach bottle blonde is not a pre-requisite for being a true spring.

• Blake Lively 
• Cameron Diaz
• Judy Greer
• Chloe Sevigny 
• Kristen Bell
• Cynthia Nixon
• Amy Adams 
• Anna Camp
• Gillian Anderson
• Nicole Kidman 
• Michelle Williams
• Marcia Cross
• Hayden Panettiere

Let’s see how how some of them wear their true spring palette.

Blake lively, Suspected True Spring Celebrity

I feel comfortable saying that Blake Lively (even without her dyed blonde hair) is in the spring family. She shines in warm and bright colors.

She can handle warmth and brightness beautifully. When we see her in the cool red jumpsuit, her features feel less defined and it tends to overpower her.

Amy Adams, Suspected True Spring Celebrity

Amy Adams is another suspected Warm Spring celebrity and we can see her shine in the turqouise. When wearing the dark shaded navy dress it makes her appear frozen and stiff. Her skin looks flat and her lips fade away.

Hayden Panettiere, Suspected Warm Spring Celebrity

It’s remarkable how much better Hayden Panettier looks when her dress is changed from silver to gold. Immediately we see how much healthier and brighter her skin looks in the gold.

Hayden Panettier in her natural hair color is great example of what “real” true springs will look like. Yes, she dyes it more golden blonde, but many people seem to think bottle blonde is typical for spring. Many true springs will have a hair color close to her natural color. And again, we see her shine in the leaf green and fade against the dark charcoal.

Which leads me to an important point, seasonal color analysis is a great way to have a style glow up.  We aren’t just studying our faces and natural colorings to deep dive into color theory.  No, we want to look better, have an easier time shopping for clothes, and know what colors will drain the life out of us. 

True Spring Color Wardrobe Guide

Here we will go over how to use your color palette in you wardrobe, how to determine if prints are in or outside your palette, and how to realistically apply all this advice to advance your personal style journey. 

With personal style, I find it helpful to have a visual in mind to give me an overall vibe.  Now, obviously this can be tweaked for your body type, your style lines, essences, or overall dream style goals. But let’s get some purely true spring inspriation to get our creative juices flowing.

True Spring Aesthetic 

The energy of true spring can be described with these visuals: 

Sunlit Meadows: Picture a meadow bathed in the golden light of a spring morning, with vibrant flowers in shades of coral, peach, yellow, and bright green grass.

Fresh Blooms: Imagine the fresh, delicate blossoms of springtime flowers like daffodils, tulips, and hyacinths, all in warm, lively colors.

Clear Skies: Think of a clear, bright blue sky with the warmth of the sun enhancing the vividness of the surroundings.

Sunny Days: Visualize a sunny day with light, warm colors reflecting the playful and joyful energy of the season.

Warm Breezes: Envision a gentle, warm breeze carrying the scents of spring flowers and fresh grass.

Some “Keywords” you might associate with True Spring would be: 

• Warmth
• Glowing
• Radiant
• Fresh
• Playful
• Energetic
• Joyful 
• Sunny
• Spirited
• Bouyant 
• Cheerful
• Charming
• Luminous 

Because seasonal color analysis has strong roots in the art world, I also like to include some artworks that help give a similar vibe. 

Van Gogh’s Three Sunflowers 

Nicolas de Staël: Abstract Landscape

Roads to the North 3 Print, Virginia Chapuis

True Spring Outfit Building

It can be intimidating at times to look at your palette and think “well, how do I make this casual and more acceptable for normal everyday life”.  The first thing to remember is that you do get neutrals in your palette, and you may work up to using more of the advanced color blocking or brighter color options over time.  But, don’t try to jump off the proverbial color cliff if you’re not quite ready. 

Here’s how True Springs Might Combine Colors:

Higher Contrast Pairings: True Springs look great in outfits that combine multiple colors from their palette. They can effortlessly mix and match different values without looking overwhelming. Combining warm neutrals with brighter accent colors creates a balanced and vibrant look.

Monochromatic Looks: Monochromatic outfits in shades like warm peach, coral, or golden yellow can be stunning. These outfits create a cohesive and sophisticated appearance while maintaining the overall brightness and warmth.

Color Blocking: True Springs can use color blocking to add interest and energy to their outfits. Pairing contrasting colors like coral and turquoise or golden yellow and teal can create a dynamic and eye-catching look. But if that’s too much start digging into the blues, neutrals, and base colors for a more calming counterpoint.

Analogous Colors: Combining colors that are next to each other on the color wheel (analogous colors) creates a harmonious and visually pleasing effect. For True Springs, this could mean pairing golden yellow with warm green or coral with peach. These combinations are easy on the eyes and create a smooth transition between colors.

Triadic Color Schemes: A triadic color scheme uses three colors that are evenly spaced around the color wheel, creating a vibrant and balanced look. For True Springs, a triadic combination might include coral, turquoise, and golden yellow. This approach allows for a lively mix of colors that still feel cohesive.

True Spring Neutrals

Warm Neutrals: True Spring neutrals include cream white, vanilla, buttermilk, buff, warm taupe, and dove grey. These colors provide a soft and warm base for outfits, allowing brighter colors to pop.

Avoiding Black: True Springs should avoid black as it can be too harsh. Instead, they can opt for warm grey, medium-dark blue, or bright khaki brown to create depth without overpowering their natural warmth.

True Spring Fabrics and Textures

True Spring individuals should choose fabrics and textures that reflect their bright, fresh, and lively palette. The ideal fabrics for True Spring are light, airy, and allow for movement, enhancing the overall sense of warmth and vitality. Think of materials that evoke the breeziness of a spring day and the gentle touch of sunlight.

Don’t feel like this guide is a rulebook, but more of a guideline. You may find elements of this advice helpful, or want to swap out certain parts to fit your personal style goals or essences better. 

Generally speaking True Spring fabrics are: 

Light and Airy Fabrics:  Lighweight knits, crepe de chines, chiffons, and seersuckers are all great fabrics.  We want the textures to feel bouyant.  If you want to learn more about incorporating textures, check out this episode of the Style POV (my podcast).

Smooth and Shimmery Textures: We a smooth texture or a moderate amount of shine for this season.  Smooth shimmery satins or silks can be beautiful.  But generally you will want to avoid super high shine textiles or metallalic fabrics that overpower you. 

Natural Fibers: cottons, linens, and lightweight kints are great.  

True Spring Prints 

Prints can be an amazing way to bring the energetic and vibrant warmth you have to life.  It creates an automatic interest point in your outfit and can help you accomplish your style statement. 

Here are some overall print styles that work beautifully for the True Spring:

1. Floral Prints:

• Bright and Colorful: Large or medium-sized flowers in warm, vibrant colors like coral, golden yellow, peach, and turquoise.
• Delicate Blooms: Smaller floral patterns with a mix of warm and light hues, adding a touch of freshness and lightness.

2. Polka Dots:

• Playful and Light: Polka dots in warm and bright colors on light backgrounds, such as coral dots on a cream background or turquoise dots on a peach background.
• Contrast Dots: High-contrast polka dots, like golden yellow dots on a teal background, add a lively and energetic touch.

3. Stripes:

• Warm and Bright: Stripes in combinations of warm neutrals and bright colors, such as cream and coral or peach and turquoise.
• Varied Widths: Stripes of varying widths can add visual interest and playfulness to an outfit.

4. Nature-Inspired Prints:

• Leaves and Foliage: Patterns featuring leaves and greenery in warm, bright greens like spring grass green.
• Fruit Motifs: Prints with fruits like peaches, apricots, or lemons, which reflect the fresh and vibrant energy of True Spring.

5. Geometric Prints:

• Soft and Playful: Geometric patterns with a warm and bright color scheme, such as triangles, circles, or chevrons in coral, golden yellow, and turquoise.
• Organic Shapes: Patterns with organic, flowing shapes in warm colors can add a dynamic and lively feel.

6. Abstract Prints:

• Colorful and Warm: Abstract designs that incorporate a mix of warm and bright colors, creating a harmonious and energetic look.
• Soft Edges: Abstract prints with soft, flowing lines can also be lively enough for your look

7. Animal Prints:

• Warm Tones: Animal prints in warm tones, such as golden browns and soft creams, can work well as long as they are not too dark or overpowering.
• Playful Variations: More playful and less traditional animal prints, such as abstract leopard spots in warm, bright colors.

That’s all well and good, but finding any print 100% in your color palette can be a challenge.  So let’s get into how this works in real life.

How To Choose True Spring Prints IRL

Ideally you want a print to be about 70-80% in your color palette. Ideally, the other 20-30% of elements are in a sister season palette like Bright Spring or Light Spring.  But, there will be times that you find a dress that has perfect style lines, fits your essences, and your style statement but there’s an out of palette color, what then? 

Let’s see how this visually might look.

As you can see the further we get from the True Spring palette the less harmony and connection we feel between the wearer and the garment. 

But how can I tell if the color is in my palette?

I get it, you’re not looking to get a degree in color theory, so you’re going to need a tool to help you accurately identify your colors when shopping.

For this, I’d recommend you buy a color fan in your season.  This will be a great tool and will likely save you a lot of money.

For my in-person color analyses, I give people a NDU color fan, and have a working relationship with them. If you want to buy one from them, here you can get a free color card with fan purchase using the code ARRUDA.

Now, we aren’t just looking for a perfect match with the fan palette. But rather we are looking to see if the color belongs to the same family, or feels wildly off. 

The color underneath the fan shouldn’t pop up or fade back too far.  They should both feel supported and similar by sitting next to one another. 

I have a series on youtube where I show how I vet a fabric for color season, essences, and styling, which can help you understand this process in action.

True Spring Jewelry 

The details of an outfit are critical and can make or break your overall look.  Not to mention jewelry can be an investment, so you don’t want to invest in a pricy ring only to find it turns your hands a frozen color.

Metals:

• Yellow Gold: Warm yellow gold is the best choice for True Spring. It harmonizes beautifully with their warm undertones and adds a touch of sunshine to their look.
• Rose Gold: This warm, peachy metal works well with the True Spring palette, adding a delicate and unique touch to their jewelry.
• Avoid Cool Metals: Avoid cool-toned metals like silver, platinum, or white gold, as these can clash with the warm and vibrant warm spring colorings.

Light and subtle textures like brushed gold and satin finishes provide a gentle sheen, while delicate filigree and lightly hammered textures add visual interest and complement the playful essence of True Spring. Pave settings and subtle sparkling accents enhance the jewelry’s brightness without overpowering the natural radiance.

Avoid heavily antiqued or burnished metals.

Gems for True Spring:

Gems in colors from your palette are going to be your best choices, obviously.  In terms of textures, clear or slightly shiny gems are great.  If it’s opaque make sure that it’s not too heavy or muted. 

1. Citrine: This warm, golden-yellow stone complements the True Spring palette perfectly, adding a touch of sunshine to any piece of jewelry.
2. Peridot: A bright, clear green gemstone that harmonizes well with the warm and vibrant True Spring colors.
3. Turquoise: The bright, warm blue of turquoise is a natural fit for True Spring, adding a pop of color and energy.
4. Coral: Coral gemstones in shades of warm pink, peach, and orange work beautifully with the True Spring palette.
5. Bright Topaz: Golden or peachy topaz stones enhance the warmth and brightness of True Spring jewelry.
6. Carnelian: This warm, reddish-orange stone adds depth and vibrancy to True Spring accessories. We want the brighter, clearer versions of this stone and not the muddier brown/red versions.
7. Opal: Warm opals with a play of color in shades of yellow, peach, and coral can add a magical touch to True Spring jewelry.
8. Bright Clear Amber: The warm, golden hues of amber are perfect for True Spring, adding a touch of natural beauty.

Styles:

• Playful and Light: Choose jewelry pieces that are light, playful, and not too heavy or bulky. Delicate chains, thin bangles, and small to medium-sized earrings work well.
• Whimsical Details: Look for jewelry with whimsical and playful details, such as charms, intricate patterns, and nature-inspired designs.
• Shine and Sparkle: True Springs can handle a moderate amount of shine and sparkle. Pieces with a gentle gleam or small, sparkling accents can add a touch of glamour without overpowering their natural brightness.

Shapes:

• Organic and Fluid: Choose jewelry with organic, flowing shapes that reflect the natural, carefree essence of spring.
• Hearts and Triangles: These shapes symbolize the playful and dynamic nature of True Spring and can be incorporated into earrings, pendants, and bracelets.

Now, I’ve given you a ton of ingredients but how does it all come together? 

True Spring Capsule Wardrobe 

Building a wardrobe in your color palette will take time.  I truly don’t believe anyone benefits from a quick and swift overhaul of their wardrobe.  You need to get acquainted with your palette and see what areas of your palette you like to use.  You may also find the more exposure you get wearing your palette, the more comfortable you feel using some of the colors you weren’t immediately drawn too.  

Each season I create seasonal color capsule wardrobes and you can see them all here. They include outfit ideas, and pull certain colors from each palette that fit that weather season. 

True Spring Outfit Ideas 

I want to include some true spring outfit ideas here as well.  I think it’s important to note that in real life a lot of people may not be in head-to-toe true spring colors (even if they use their PCA results), and that it’s most important to keep the “in-palette” colors closer to the face.  Having a scarf out of season will be much more draining than a pair of shoes. 

If you are not a fan of these outfits, don’t worry! True spring can be applied to pretty much any personal style aesthetic.

True Spring Outfit Idea Romantic Casual

True Spring Outfit, Polished & Casual

True Spring Outfit Idea: Warm Weather

True Spring Outfit, Classic Modern

True Spring Outfit, Casual Loungewear

True Spring Makeup

Here are some examples of what True Spring Makeup might look like for casual, daytime, and glam.

True Spring Makeup Ideas

True Spring Nail Polish

The warm spring palette has some amazing options for nail polish, and they shouldn’t be too hard to source. If the brighter colors are feeling outside your comfort zone start with the warm pinks, corals, and a sheer warm option instead.

Here are some ideas:

• OPI, Chapel of Love
• OPI, Got Myself in a Jam (light coral)
• OPI, Silicon Valley Girl (medium orange)
• Essie, Bright Coral
• Essie, Medium Coral Pink
• Essie, Bright Warm Red (could lean a bit more towards Bright Spring)
• Sally Hanson, Mellow Yellow (warm yellow)
• Sheer Warm Pink
• Sheer Jelly Neutral

True Spring Hair Dye 

Color Selection

Warm Tones: True Spring individuals should choose hair dyes with warm undertones to complement their natural coloring. Golden blonde, warm honey blonde, strawberry blonde, and light copper shades are excellent choices.

Avoid Cool Tones: Avoid ashy or cool-toned dyes, such as platinum blonde or cool browns, as these can clash with the warm and vibrant True Spring palette. Pure black or deep burgundy reds are also not the best choices. 

Natural Enhancement

Soft Highlights: Adding soft, warm highlights can enhance the natural brightness and warmth of True Spring hair. Golden highlights or light caramel streaks can add dimension and vibrancy.

Balayage: A warm balayage technique can create a natural, sun-kissed look that enhances the overall warmth and radiance of True Spring.

You will find a lot of True Springs warm up their hair with hair dye.  Here are some colors to consider:

Golden Blonde: A bright, warm blonde that adds a sunny glow.

Honey Blonde: A rich, golden shade that enhances natural warmth.

Strawberry Blonde: A warm, reddish-blonde that complements the True Spring palette.

Light Copper: A soft, warm red that adds vibrancy without overpowering.

I need help!? I don’t know my season!

I’d love to help you find your best colors. For more information on my in-person services sign up here.  

What if I hate these colors?

Getting acquainted with your new palette takes time. Many, many people receive their PCA results and are shocked ( I include myself in this category!). My recommendation is to give it some time to sink in and for you to explore your new palette.

Don’t start by buying a whole new wardrobe. Instead, replace one clothing piece you wear regularly with a similar piece in your palette. Every palette with a range of each color, so if you don’t like greens don’t start with the greens in your palette.

For me, I love red so integrating the bright poppy and warm reds of the bright spring palette was a much easier entry point than going for colors that were more foreign to me.

Over time you will develop a new baseline and begin to see how they new colors can work for you.

Remember that embracing your True Spring palette is not just about following “rules” but about celebrating your unique, vibrant self. By leveraging the warmth and brightness inherent in your natural coloring, you can elevate your style and confidence to new heights. So, take this opportunity to experiment with your wardrobe, makeup, and hair choices, knowing that you’re highlighting the best version of you.

Fashion is a form of self-expression – wear your Warm Spring colors with pride and let your inner radiance shine. Keep exploring, keep experimenting, and most importantly, keep finding strength through style. 

Pin the below image so you always have this to refer back to!