I think I know myself pretty well, but I still like validation. I’ve taken every personality test there is, from Myers-Briggs (I’m an ENFJ) to the Enneagram (I’m a Type 2). I grew up in a hippie town where I have a favorite psychic for tarot card readings. I always stop scrolling on TikTok when I see a collection of mood boards and the prompt to “pick which person you are.”
I also have a “signature color,” red, which happens to be my favorite color, and I’ve been told many times that it looks good on me. But when I recently got my “colors done” at a color analysis studio in New York, I felt strangely nervous, like I was taking an exam. A woman stood behind me and draped ROYGBIV fabrics over my shoulders while nodding in agreement or clicking her tongue. Her demeanor was so casual, like she was telling me the weather, but to me it felt like I was waiting for a medical diagnosis.
Color analysis, already a popular service in South Korea, is trending on TikTok. To participate, you pay an expert to tell you your seasonal archetype — there are 16 — like “deep spring” or “bright autumn.” All over the app, people have been sharing their results and how the analysis has impacted their lives, on scales big and small. For some, it’s made them question their life choices. User @JigglyJulia dramatically proclaimed, “I spent thousands of dollars on my gold collection only to be told I have cool skin tone and that silver suits me better. I’m literally heartbroken.” For others, it’s as simple as realizing that their favorite color (black) might not be the most flattering; according to Lily Heo, co-founder of Seklab, a color analysis salon in New York, most people actually don’t look good in black, unless you’re a winter type. This was first popularized in the 1973 book Make me beautiful by Carole Jackson—where she recommended makeup, fabrics, accessories and more based on the color season—color analysis largely fell out of favor in the U.S. But now it’s making a comeback, in a new form.
Like BuzzFeed personality tests or astrological birth charts, color analysis is a new kind of identity marker. According to astrology, I am a bull Sun and Moon in Taurus, meaning I’m doubly loyal, stubborn, and maybe a little sybaritic. In color analysis terminology, I’m also a typical “light winter.” “Silver jewelry looks better on you than gold,” my color analyst noted. As she went on, she got even more specific. If I want to wear beige, I should choose taupe tones instead of warmer browns. Black and white suit me better than brown. Jewel tones bring out my green eyes, but pastels wouldn’t do them any good. And that means my signature red lipstick was just fine. Hearing all this made me breathe a sigh of relief. Even though I wasn’t sure how much value I placed on color analysis, I felt validated in my self-image.
According to Jackson, winter and summer are cool, while spring and fall are warm. There are four different subcategories for each season, such as light, deep, soft, or true, which refer to how much gray or color saturation your skin tone has. If a person’s features are more muted (or have a higher percentage of gray), they are said to be “soft,” but if a person’s features are more vibrant (or have a lower percentage of gray), they are said to be “bright.” Colors with low chroma are like a Mary Cassatt painting—soft around the edges and calm (the watermarks of color analysis). Colors with high chroma are like a Frida Kahlo painting—louder and characterized by vibrant shocks of brightness (the firemarks).
Color analysis in Korea uses the Korean standard color system, which is based on even more undertones than the system described by Jackson. Heo explains that this is because in South Korea, most people have the same skin, hair, and eye color, so their system needed to have more nuances. Like their spas and beauty treatments, color analysis sessions in South Korea have now become a tourist attraction.
In addition, Korean color analysis is not only about clothing and accessories, but also about recommendations for Makeup and perfume. “Floral, fruity and aqua perfumes that have light and refreshing scents are recommended for the type that goes well with pastel colors,” says Diane Dasol Kim, CEO of the popular South Korean color analysis salon Color wings. “For the type who goes well with dark colors, the rich scents of musk, smoke and wood are recommended.” Light winters like me may want to try a botanical, spicy scent with notes like juniper or ginger, which makes sense since I usually reach for those scents. At Seklab in New York, they have They even let their clients try four different lipstick colors – two for everyday wear and two for special occasions. The sisters also let their clients try different eye shadow and blush colors.
Although it seems objective at first glance, after my color analysis session I could see that subjectivity may play a role. For example, I believe that the astrological characteristics assigned to me suit me, but I have also been interested in astrology since I was young; it is possible that I have unconsciously focused on these aspects of my personality. Likewise, as my color analysis session confirmed, I believe that silver, black, red and white suit me best, but they are also my favorite colors, so I feel most comfortable wearing them – and it probably shows.
At its most basic level, color analysis helps answer the age-old question, “What suits me?” – a question made even more complicated by the endless products and micro-trends on the internet. But I’ve found that it also speaks to something deeper. In today’s fast-paced, hyper-digital, algorithm-driven society, it is It has never been more difficult to develop a sense of self. Social media contributes to feelings of loneliness, Anxiety, depressionand more. Things like astrology and color analysis may seem silly at first, but when someone tells us traits about ourselves, it’s a type of validation that makes us feel more confident about who we are. You may be doomscrolling, but you know you’re a Scorpio. You may feel isolated in one aspect of your life, but you know you’re a “Bright Spring.”
Astrology and color analysis provide us with new “facts” that help us control our self-image. Being equipped with these traits can help people find more confidence to interact with the world around them, both online and offline. I’m Katie. I’m Taurus. I’m a radiant winter.
Katie Berohn is a Beauty Assistant at Good Housekeeping, Woman’s Day, and Prevention magazines, all part of the Hearst Lifestyle Group. She graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder, with a major in journalism and a minor in technology, arts, and media, and earned her master’s degree from NYU’s Graduate Program of Magazine Journalism. Additionally, Katie has completed editorial internships at Denver Life Magazine, Yoga Journal, and Cosmopolitan, a digital editorial internship at New York Magazine’s The Cut, a social impact fellowship at Mashable, and freelanced for HelloGiggles. _When she’s not obsessing over the latest skincare products or continuing her never-ending search for the perfect shade of red nail polish, you can find Katie in a hot yoga class, trying everything on the menu at the newest restaurant in New York, or hanging out at a trendy wine bar with her friends.
