Deep Winter
Cool and deep — bold and high-contrast.
Deep Winter is cool-neutral, deep and clear. Colouring has real depth and definition — usually dark hair against cooler skin — and the palette runs to black, true red, pine and deep plum. Muted colours are your main enemy.
Cool · deep value · clear chroma
Your palette
Core colours
- Black
#1A1A1A - True Red
#C8102E - Emerald
#1F7A52 - Sapphire
#1F4E8C - Magenta
#A8195E - Icy White
#F2F4F6
Neutrals
- Black
#1A1A1A - Charcoal
#33373B - Pure White
#F7F7F5
- Best metal
- Silver
- What to avoid
- Muted earth tones and warm golds dull your striking contrast.
How to tell you are Deep Winter
- 01
High contrast between your hair and skin.
- 02
Black works on you rather than overwhelming you.
- 03
Muted, dusty shades make you look tired.
- 04
Deep jewel tones look natural, not heavy.
Commonly confused with
Mistyping almost always happens between neighbours. These are the two most likely, and the quickest way to settle each.
Deep Winter vs Deep Autumn
Undertone. True red versus rust: Deep Winter sharpens in true red, Deep Autumn warms in rust.
Deep Winter vs True Winter
True Winter is more definitively cool and slightly brighter. If icy shades suit you as well as deep ones, lean True Winter.
Makeup for Deep Winter
Cool or neutral-cool foundation with adequate depth. Blush in cool plum or deep rose. Lips are your strongest feature — true red, deep berry, wine. Eyes can take real definition: black liner works here where it fails almost everywhere else. Deep plums, charcoals and cool greys.
Makeup guidance reviewed by Viktoria (@vioda.makeup), a working makeup artist. This is styling judgement rather than measured data — see our editorial policy.
The other Winter seasons
Questions, answered.
What colours suit Deep Winter?
Deep Winter suits black, true red, emerald, sapphire, magenta, icy white. For neutrals, use black, charcoal, pure white. Silver is your best metal. Keep the strongest colours near your face — tops, knitwear and scarves — where they do the most work.
Is Deep Winter warm or cool?
Cool · deep value · clear chroma. Deep Winter is cool-neutral, deep and clear.
What colours should a Deep Winter avoid?
Muted earth tones and warm golds dull your striking contrast. You do not have to remove them from your wardrobe entirely — keep them below the waist or as outerwear, away from your face, where they affect your skin far less.
Deep Winter vs Deep Autumn — how do I tell?
Undertone. True red versus rust: Deep Winter sharpens in true red, Deep Autumn warms in rust.
Not sure you are Deep Winter?
Take the free eight-question quiz — no signup, about two minutes. It reads your undertone, value and contrast and places you in one of the twelve sub-seasons.