True Spring
True Spring is the palette of new life.
This season is energetic, verdant and bursting with freshness.
Think South Pacific lagoons, vibrant new shoots, fruit salad, radiant sunshine, tropical cocktails and clotted cream.
Overview
True Spring is a high value palette with maximum warmth and plenty of brightness.
There is no influence from other seasons, meaning these colours are purely warm and entirely yellow-based.
True Spring colours are clear and fresh, polished and new.
This palette is the spiritual home of coral, turquoise, buttercup and a startling array of lush greens.
Because there is no coolness at all and yellow is such a driving influence, all pinks and reds are oranged and all blues are greened or purpled.
Palette highlights include delicious tones of mango, papaya, guava, watermelon, cucumber and peach.
Neutrals present as pecan, caramel, golden khaki, peanut butter and camel.
Black and white are replaced with medium-dark maple browns and buttercream.
Jewellery
Being a purely warm season, yellow gold is a True Spring’s best friend.
Smoother finishes are always safe but texture can be ok, provided the quality of the metal is still yellow and luminous.
Antique or bronzy golds are too heavy and more suited to other seasons.
Hammered gold sometimes ends up with a greenish tone, which can be very flattering if there’s still plenty of lightness going on.
Rose gold is also lovely but be careful it isn’t too high value. Look for oranged or peachy versions.
Metallics should look shiny, not chromy, and definitely not oxidised, tarnished or “dirty”.
Jewellery with reflective or polished stones, or clear detailing that allows light through, are a great option.
Remember this when selecting stones in colours from the palette - you want to capture a radiant airiness like streaming sunshine.
Yellow pearls and creamy shell will amplify your warmth and lightness.
Eyewear
Like your metallics, glasses for True Spring need to be light and warm.
Keep to yellow gold and warmer rose gold. Clean, shiny bronze - more like a browned gold - is great if you can find it.
Anything with black or heavier colours will be distracting on your face and drag you down. The result is really uncompromising, so try to break old habits and open yourself up to more flattering options you may not have considered before.
Coloured frames in tones from your palette are surprisingly natural.
Transparent materials that allow the light to pass through are terrific. In fact, you could wear rimless glasses quite successfully.
Some wooden frames work well if they complement the True Spring aesthetic.
Blonde tortoiseshell is unbelievably good.
Mirrored or reflective lenses will suit you, provided you keep the colour warm and the metal isn’t super bright or chromy.
Wardrobe basics
A key quality for all Springs is their colourfulness. This allows some to wear lots of colours together without looking overdone.
It also means many of the colours in the palette can also work as neutrals, so experiment with coloured denim.
Your blue denim is medium dye, solid and looks brand new. Preferably in cornflower or purple-blue tones.
Faded or worn effects can be tricky to get right for True Springs and will appear shabby unless the chroma is kept really high.
Classic camel is the heart of the season’s neutrals. You’ll find it in suiting, coats - particularly shearling and trench - and leather goods.
Cream is great for corporate wear - if you can avoid spilling your coffee! You might need to look a little harder for your browns and green-greys but they are out there.
Springs do well with contrast so even if you prefer neutrals, introducing a touch of colour somewhere will balance your look.
Shiny or satiny fabrics and patent leather emphasise your "Springiness”.
Many True Springs lament the loss of ubiquitous, conservative black, white, navy or dark grey. They may feel the bright palette will be difficult to find in shops, lacks seriousness or draws too much attention.
Remember that working with colour harmony actually creates natural, unobtrusive results, no matter the occasion.
If you have seen these colours looking childish or gaudy, the chances are they weren’t being worn by a True Spring.
On you, this is the most professional, most elegant, most appropriate and most flattering of all palettes.
Hair
Hair can be red, blonde, many versions of light to medium brown, or blends of these tones.
Golden brunette, warm caramel, dark blonde and deeper nutty browns are the most common naturally-occurring hair colours for this season.
True Springs can make convincing blondes - just keep the colour very, very warm and beware of going all the way to the lightest levels.
Your blonde is super yellow although on you the effect is radiant and sunlit, not at all brassy.
Ashy, platinum or cool-warm versions of blonde won’t harmonise at all and can be very ageing.
People with bright coppery, orangey or strawberry blonde hair are often Springs. Not every redhead is an Autumn!
Natural grey tends to be lighter, coming through easily in blondes and containing a little sparkle.
When some True Spring redheads age, their hair turns a distinct pale golden-yellow that often looks more blonde than grey and is very unique.
Beauty
A key feature of True Spring beauty is their radiant warmth.
Black contains absolutely no warmth or lightness and in makeup will appear extremely heavy and stage-like, robbing your face of life and energy.
Brown is unfailingly better for mascara and eyeliner.
True Spring skin can be sunny, creamy, peachy or golden - but always youthful.
Sheer, illuminating finishes are breathtaking.
Avoid contouring completely and beware of bronzer. Unless you’re quite experienced with makeup, and can find an extremely lightweight, golden version, it’s best skipped entirely.
Instead, you can achieve a unique sun kissed look with cream blush and gold highlighter. Your magic is in glow, not smoulder.
Great colours for eyes include turquoise and tropical green, coral, buttercup yellow, pale khaki and gold.
You can handle some unexpectedly colourful makeup without looking outlandish.
Brown is fine as a neutral eyeshadow but keep it peachy so you don’t lose the lift. It is easy to wander into Autumn territory by going too rich.
Tomato is your version of bright red lipstick.
Citrusy tones in pink grapefruit and orange are gorgeous and you have a wide selection of corals for lips, eyes and cheeks.
Lip gloss is amazing.
Matte and powdery finishes are too dry for Springs. Shimmer, shine, creamy, glossy and wet looks are far more flattering.
The overall look is warm, luscious and juicy, like fresh fruit bathed in sunshine.
Loving your look
When fully embracing your palette, it’s like the gorgeous tropical sun has turned a light directly on your face.
True Springs beam with divine radiance - the very light of the gods. We are not worthy!
