Step-by-step guide
How to do color analysis at home
To do color analysis on yourself, stand facing a window in daylight with no makeup and your hair covered, then check three things: undertone (gold or silver, white or cream), depth (how light or deep your hair, skin and eyes are) and chroma (whether bright or muted colors make your skin look smoother). Hold colored fabrics under your chin to confirm, then match the strongest trait to one of the 12 seasons. It takes about 30 minutes; the free test and a photo report can check your answer.
Updated
What you need to do color analysis at home
- A window with daylight, ideally north-facing or on a cloudy day. No lamps on.
- A mirror large enough to see your face and shoulders.
- A white towel or T-shirt to cover your clothes, and a headband or towel to cover dyed hair.
- Something gold and something silver: jewelry, foil, a gift ribbon.
- Fabrics in a few colors: whatever you own, scarves, T-shirts, towels, even paper.
- Your phone, to photograph each comparison and look at them side by side later.
Step by step: how to do color analysis on yourself
- 1
Set the light
Face the window so light falls evenly on your face. Remove makeup, tie back or cover your hair, wear white near your face.
- 2
Check your undertone
Gold vs silver at the jaw, then pure white vs cream under the chin. The one that makes your skin look even and clear tells you warm or cool. Use the undertone check to score it.
- 3
Check your depth
Photograph your face and turn it black and white. Is everything light, mid-tone or dark? Very light points to a Light season, very dark to a Deep one.
- 4
Check your chroma
Compare a bright, clear color with a dusty version of the same hue (a clear blue against a greyed blue). If the bright one makes you look alive, you are bright; if it overpowers you, soft.
- 5
Drape the families
Hold one warm-clear, one cool-soft, one warm-muted and one cool-vivid color under your chin. Note which family flatters you most.
- 6
Name your season
Take your strongest trait and your undertone and read the season from the 12 seasons table. Then look at that season’s palette and its two neighbours.
How to read what you see in the mirror
Compare in pairs and change only one thing at a time: temperature first, then depth, then chroma. Photos taken in the same light make it far easier than trusting memory, and a color seen next to another color is easier to judge than a color on its own.
| A flattering color | An unflattering color |
|---|---|
| Skin looks smooth and even | Redness, shadows or dark circles show more |
| Eyes look brighter and whites whiter | Eyes look tired, whites look yellowish |
| You notice your face first | You notice the color first |
| Jawline looks defined | Skin looks grey, yellow or washed out |
Mistakes that give the wrong season
- Warm indoor light: it makes almost everyone look like an Autumn.
- Makeup or self-tanner: they repaint the undertone you are trying to see.
- Judging dyed hair instead of roots and brows.
- Choosing colors you like instead of colors that change your skin.
- Testing one color alone: always compare two at once.
Check your DIY color analysis
Got two seasons you cannot separate? Take the free color analysis test for a second opinion, or upload a daylight selfie for the AI color analysis: it reads your undertone, depth, chroma and contrast, names a runner-up and gives a 30-color palette for 5 credits. Prefer ChatGPT? Use our color analysis prompt.
FAQ
Questions people ask
Can I do a color analysis myself?
Yes. With daylight, a mirror, gold and silver, and a few fabrics you can find your undertone, depth and chroma and narrow the 12 seasons to one or two. A second opinion from a test or photo report helps when two seasons stay close.
What colors should I use to drape myself?
Use pairs that differ in one way: cream vs pure white, coral vs fuchsia (warm vs cool), camel vs grey, clear blue vs dusty blue (bright vs soft), navy vs black.
How long does a DIY color analysis take?
About 30 minutes with photos. The free online test takes about two minutes; a photo report about one.
What two colors should not be worn together?
There is no universal ban, but colors from different families clash next to the face, for example a warm mustard with an icy pink. Combining colors from one season’s palette keeps outfits in harmony.
How do I do color analysis online?
Take the free 12-question test, or upload one daylight selfie on docoloranalysis.com for an AI report with your season, palette, makeup and hair colors.
Keep exploring
Free color analysis test
12 questions, a likely season, no sign-up.
AI color analysis
Upload one selfie, get a full report.
Undertone test
Warm, cool or neutral in 30 seconds.
Gold or silver test
Which metal makes your skin glow.
ChatGPT color analysis prompt
A careful prompt and its limits.
12 color seasons
Every season with its palette.
Find your colors today
Start with the free test, or upload a selfie: your first photo analysis is free, and the full AI report adds a 30-color palette, makeup and hair.