COLOUR ANALYSIS 101
Seasonal Colour Analysis is a systematic process that helps identify colours best suited for you, based on your natural colouring (skin tone, eye colour, and hair colour). Each “season” has a corresponding palette of colours that complement your natural features and colouring, leaving you looking radiant, healthy, and effortlessly put-together.
At Hue Got Styled, I am trained in and use the 16-23 season system, which is the most comprehensive colour analysis system. It builds upon the essential 4 season system but makes way for even fully neutral palettes and subtle nuances between seasonal palettes, unlike the 4 or even the 10/12 season systems.
THE THREE DIMENSIONS OF COLOUR ANALYSIS
UNDERTONE
WHAT IS IT?
It is the underlying temperature of a colour: warm, cool, or neutral. On the colour wheel, orange is warmest and blue is coolest, so colours closer to orange read warmer and those closer to blue read cooler. Relativity is key.
WHY DOES IT MATTER?
It’s the first and most crucial step in colour analysis. Your undertone tells us your colour temperature. If it's warm, yellow-based colours will harmonise with you; if it's cool, blue-based colours will.
VALUE
WHAT IS IT?
Value describes the lightness or darkness of a colour. Colours get lighter as white is added to them, and darker when black is added to them. Colours that have white added to them are called tints, and those that have black added to them are shades.
WHY DOES IT MATTER?
The value of your overall colouring (skin, hair, eyes) matters in finding your home season. Light features need lighter colours, while dark features are best complemented by deeper, richer shades.​
INTENSITY
WHAT IS IT?
It signifies how bright or muted a colour is. Bright colours are more saturated and contain more of the pure hue, whereas muted colours are colours that have grey added to them (known as tones), rendering them softer.
WHY DOES IT MATTER?
People with softer/muted features look best in softer or less intense colours, whereas people with a natural brightness in their colouring also look best in colours that are vibrant and saturated.
UNDERSTANDING THE 4-16-23 SEASONAL SYSTEMS
Each dimension (Undertone, Value, Intensity) in colour analysis exists on a spectrum. You could be anywhere from fully warm to fully cool, very light to very deep, fully bright to fully muted. Or you could land somewhere in the middle. Your colour season is where all three factors, a combination unique to you align, not determined by any single feature like skin tone or hair or eye colour in isolation. Which is why the 16-23 seasonal system, with its range of permutations and combinations for each of the palettes, produces such a precise result. But let’s not jump the gun.
THE BASIC FOUR-SEASON SYSTEM
The Four "HOME" Seasons are:
Winter: Cool (undertone), Deep (value), and Bright (intensity)
Spring: Warm (undertone), Light (value), and Bright (intensity)
​Autumn: Warm (undertone), Deep (value), and Muted (intensity)
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Summer: Cool (undertone), Light (value), and Muted (intensity)
THE DETAILED 16 SEASONAL SYSTEM
WINTER​
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True Winter: cool undertone, light to dark value, bright intensity, sharp/high contrast
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Bright Winter: neutral-cool undertone, high intensity, high contrast
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Deep Winter: neutral-cool undertone, deep value, high intensity, low to medium contrast
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Cool Winter: cool (undertone), light to dark (value), medium intensity, medium contrast
SPRING​
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True Spring: warm undertone, light value, bright/high intensity
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Light Spring: neutral-warm undertone, light (value), medium intensity, low contrast
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Bright Spring: neutral-warm undertone, high intensity, high contrast
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Warm Spring: warm undertone, light to medium value, medium to high intensity, low to medium contrast
AUTUMN
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True Autumn: warm undertone, deep value or light and muted (value and intensity)
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Muted Autumn: neutral-warm undertone, low/muted intensity, low contrast
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Deep Autumn: neutral-warm undertone, deep value, high intensity, low to medium contrast
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Warm Autumn: warm undertone, light to medium value, medium to high intensity, low to medium contrast
SUMMER​
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True Summer: cool undertone, light to deep value and muted/low intensity
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Light Summer: neutral-cool undertone, light value, medium intensity, low contrast
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Muted Summer: neutral-cool undertone, low intensity/muted, low contrast
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Cool Summer: cool undertone, light to dark value, medium intensity, and medium contrast
THE EXPANDED 23 SEASONAL SYSTEM
And finally, let’s take it to 23 seasons by including fully neutral palettes with no home season.
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True Cool: cool, medium depth, medium intensity, medium contrast (between Summer and Winter)
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True Warm: warm, medium depth, medium intensity, medium contrast (between Spring and Autumn)
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True Deep: neutral, deep, high intensity, low–medium contrast (between Winter and Autumn)
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True Light: neutral, light, medium intensity, low contrast (between Spring and Summer)
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True Bright: neutral, high intensity, high contrast (between Winter and Spring)
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True Muted: neutral, low intensity, low contrast (between Summer and Autumn)
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Universal: neutral, medium value, medium intensity, medium contrast
WHY CHOOSE THE 16-23 SEASON SYSTEM?
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Colour analysis has evolved significantly since the original 4-season system was developed.
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While the 4-season system laid the foundation for modern colour analysis, newer systems recognise that human colouring is far more nuanced than four broad categories.
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The 16–23 Seasons System is one of the most comprehensive colour analysis systems available today.
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It considers multiple colour dimensions, including undertone, value, intensity, and contrast, resulting in a more personalised and precise outcome.
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It accurately identifies fully neutral undertones and subtle colour characteristics that are often overlooked by broader systems.
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It is particularly well suited to the rich diversity of South Asian complexions, where colouring can be beautifully complex and difficult to categorise using simpler methodologies.
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Rather than simply assigning you a season, the system helps uncover the specific colours that bring harmony, clarity, and vibrancy to your natural features.
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The result is a colour palette that feels intuitive, practical, and uniquely yours.
WHY CHOOSE US?
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Your analysis will be conducted by Bangalore’s first and only internationally certified analyst in the 16–23 Seasons System.
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Training has been completed at mastery level, the highest level of in-person training available within the system.
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The training was undertaken directly under the founder of the 23-season methodology.
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Ongoing mentorship and continuing education ensure knowledge and techniques remain current and refined.
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Every session is conducted using internationally sourced, standardised drapes and a variety of professional colour analysis tools.
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Additional drapes and assessment tools have been incorporated to ensure clients in India are able to see the full range of colours that work best for them.
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You’ll receive a detailed digital report covering your unique colour dimensions, wow colours, custom palette, and personalised hair and makeup recommendations, making it easy to apply your results in everyday life.
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As a certified personal stylist, I also provide a style moodboard tailored to your colour results, helping you translate your palette into real-life outfits and wardrobe choices.
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With a background in psychotherapy, I understand that colour, style, and appearance can be deeply personal topics. Every session is conducted with empathy, respect, and a commitment to helping you feel comfortable, understood, and confident throughout the process.
READY FOR YOUR COLOUR ANALYSIS SESSION?
You will be seated in front of a mirror in natural light (we use additional lights, as needed, calibrated accurately for the analysis), and draped in a series of colour fabrics, working systematically to find your undertone, value, contrast, intensity, and eventually your season and sub-season. I will then help you identify your “wow” colours. Based on the package opted for, we will also talk about your ideal colours for hair and makeup.