Clear Spring vs. Clear Winter

Clear Spring vs. Clear Winter:
how to tell which you are.

Clear Spring and Clear Winter share the same clarity — both are bright, saturated, high-contrast seasons that come alive in vivid colour and look flat in anything dusty or muted. The difference is temperature: Clear Spring leans warm (warm red, bright coral, golden yellow, clear green), while Clear Winter leans cool (icy blue-red, hot pink, cobalt, black). If muted colours drain you but you can’t tell if you’re warm or cool, you’re one of these two — and the tell is whether warm-bright or cool-bright colours light your face.

Find my bright season →

The palettes side by side

Clear Spring

See the full Clear Spring palette →

Clear Winter

See the full Clear Winter palette →

Quick comparison

Trait
Clear Spring
Clear Winter
Undertone
Warm-neutral — golden lean
Cool-neutral — blue lean
Clarity
Bright & clear
Bright & clear
Signature colours
Warm red, bright coral, golden yellow, clear green
Blue-red, hot pink, cobalt, magenta
Best neutrals
Bright ivory, stone, warm taupe, dark brown
Bright white, silver, graphite, jet black
Best white
Bright ivory
Optic / bright white
Metal
Bright gold (silver ok)
Polished silver / platinum
Both should avoid
Dusty, muted, greyed colours
Dusty, muted, greyed colours

How to tell which one is you

Best white: Clear Winter looks crisp in optic white; Clear Spring is better in a bright ivory (optic white can look slightly stark). Yellow: a golden yellow flatters Clear Spring; on Clear Winter it’s the one bright that can go sallow. Metal: bright gold warms Clear Spring, polished silver suits Clear Winter. Black: Clear Winter wears black beautifully; on Clear Spring, dark brown or navy is usually kinder than pure black.

Why people mistype here

Both love vivid colour, so the mistake is choosing by brightness alone and ignoring temperature. The decider is your warm vs. cool lean — golden vs. blue — read against a bare face. The quiz scores that lean across all your answers so a single ambiguous test doesn’t send you to the wrong bright season.

Keep comparing

Warm vs. Cool undertone→Soft Summer vs. Soft Autumn→Deep Autumn vs. Deep Winter→Cool Summer vs. Cool Winter→

Warm-bright or cool-bright?

The quiz separates Clear Spring from Clear Winter by scoring your temperature across every answer — the reliable way to tell.

Take the free quiz

Frequently asked

What's the difference between Clear Spring and Clear Winter?+

Both are bright, high-contrast seasons that need vivid colour. Clear Spring leans warm (warm red, bright coral, golden yellow); Clear Winter leans cool (blue-red, hot pink, cobalt, black). Temperature is the decider.

Can Clear Spring wear black?+

Sparingly. Pure black can overpower warm-bright colouring; dark brown or navy is usually more flattering, with black kept to accents. Clear Winter wears black straight.

Which yellow tells them apart?+

A golden yellow flatters Clear Spring but can go sallow on Clear Winter. If golden yellow lights you up, you lean Spring; if it drains you but hot pink pops, you lean Winter.

Both look good in bright colours — how do I choose?+

Ignore brightness (they share it) and judge temperature: golden vs. blue undertone, bright ivory vs. optic white, gold vs. silver. Whichever side wins the majority is your season.