This post contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something, we may earn a commission. Thanks!
The next stop in our in-depth color analysis journey is none other than one of our favorite colors – green! From the first moment we gazed upon the luminous Emerald City in The Wizard of Oz, we knew this was no ordinary color. There are so many types of greens, from earthy and warm to bright and dazzling. And, unlike orange, each of the seasons has green in their palettes! Keep on reading to find out which greens are the best by season.
The psychology of green
According to color psychology, the color green symbolizes growth, harmony, and renewal, and has calming effects. Green is also regarded as the most restful and relaxing color to the human eye! It is often used for environmental causes – for obvious reasons – our whole world is green!)
“The green sickness”
You may also be familiar with the phrase “green with envy,” which indicates a burning desire for something someone else has. That phrase was, believe it or not, coined by William Shakespeare himself! It’s safe to say that this humble color has so many applications, perceptions, and meanings. Therefore, we would be remiss if we didn’t also mention how versatile green can be through the lens of color analysis!
Types of Greens
As with all of the other colors we have covered so far, there are a variety of qualities that categorize each green we see. We know that there are warm and cool greens and bright and muted greens. (And everything in between!) Where they fall on this scale will indicate which palette it will belong to.
Warmer greens
Greens that we classify as warm have more yellow in their undertones. These fall into the Spring and Autumn color palettes. While some are shared between the two seasons, the best greens for Spring will be brighter, while the Autumn greens will have a more muted quality. These traits reflect the actual seasons for which they are named! When we think of greens for Spring, we imagine fresh, new grass, bright leaves on trees and flowers, and spring vegetables like peas. For Autumn, we see the leaves darkening as they fade; we get hints of mossy forest floors and the richer, leafy greens that sprout in the fall.
Cooler greens
The greens that fall into the Summer and Winter palettes are cooler, and therefore have more blue in their undertones. Unlike Spring and Autumn, there really aren’t many shared greens between these two seasons, and Summer specifically only has a handful to choose from. There are not many cool + muted greens out there. And while Winter has a little more, many of them are shared with Autumn believe it or not! This is because many of the deeper greens have a balance of yellow and blue undertones, making them quite versatile. The deeper sub-seasons of Autumn and Winter are the ones that best wear these shades.
Earthy, Autumn greens
The greens that are specific to the Autumn palette have a medium to dark value, with warm, yellow undertones. Fennel is by far the lightest green as you can see here and is exclusive to Autumns! If you take a look at both evergreen and forest green, note that these colors have slightly darker counterparts that Autumns who fall into the Blue Autumn/Deep Autumn sub-seasons can wear. Those colors are called pine and alpine, and you can see examples of those colors in the Winter palette. Autumns have SO MANY GREENS that they would not fit into one palette! But fortunately, many of them are shared so you can still catch a look at what these greens look like.
Deep and cool greens for Winter
While Winter women have a wonderful green palette, most of them are shared between the Autumn palette. Everything from emerald down to alpine is borrowed from Autumn. But also, fresh lime and limeade can be found in the Spring palette! So then, electric lime green is the ONLY green that Winters have in their palette that is their own. The zesty lime that is found in both Spring and Autumn palettes is similar, but electric green has less yellow and more blue in it. Electric lime is a great green for those Winters who sit on or between the Cool and Clear sub-seasons.
Spring greens are bright and classic
Springs have a ton of greens to choose from! Like the Autumn palette, this is simply because greens tend to have a little more yellow in them and are inherently warm. The greens in this palette embody what we think of as “true green,” colors like leaf, pea green, and lime. These are the colors we see the most, like when we look at the grass in the park or front yard and vegetables at the grocery store. These shades of green are mostly going to fall on the lighter side, while still embodying the brightness that makes Spring colors so great.
A few greens for Summer
Summers have by far the least amount of greens in their palette. This is simply because the cooler greens tend to be too dark and garish for this season, and the lighter greens have too much warmth or brightness. But, that’s not to say the few that do fall into this season aren’t beautiful! Soft green and eucalyptus are relatives of Autumn’s soft sage, with significantly less tones of yellow. You’ll also find that mint ice and emerald turquoise are present in the Spring palette, but are stunning on a Cool Summer, who rocks the brighter shades of her palette.
Understanding the 4 main seasons
If you’ve been keeping up with each post in this series, you’ll have a pretty good idea by now of the qualities of each season, and how that affects their palettes. If you are new here, welcome! We would encourage you to go back and review these posts so you have a great foundation for our color exploration.
Virtual color analysis is here!
If you don’t know your season yet, never fear! There is a really great service we offer called Color Analysis, where we drape you in all sorts of fabulous color drapes to determine what your season and sub-season is. If you’re not located near Pittsburgh, however, we are now offering Virtual Color Analysis, which entails taking a series of photos of your glorious face, and analyzing the tones in your hair, skin, eyes, and lips, to determine the details of your coloring.
While we are super excited to offer this service, it is worth saying that nothing compares to having your colors done in person, but we feel strongly that services like this should be more accessible! If you’re curious to know more about this service, feel free to reach out to us and we would be happy to provide you with all the information.
