Bright Spring:
A Comprehensive Guide

I. Characteristics

Please note: Do not worry too much if one characteristic of your appearance deviates from the below descriptions. You may still fall into this colour season if your overall appearance matches the profile.

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You are a Bright Spring if the primary colour aspect of your overall appearance is bright, and the secondary aspect is warm – meaning warm colours suit you more than cooler ones.

When you look in the mirror, the first thing you notice about your colouring is that it is highly saturated. There is no greyness in any of your features, and your appearance is vibrant and bright. There is also a very high contrast between your skin, eyes and hair. Your eyes will probably be clear and perhaps sparkling.

In addition, your colouring has warmer undertones, meaning gold flatters your skin more than silver.

The Features

I. Eyes

Bright Spring eyes are generally clear. Because of the high contrast with the whites of the eye, they typically stand out.

They can be blue, green, topaz or even brown as long as they are bright. Bright Spring eyes have warm undertones, and you may notice a sunburst pattern on the iris, which is typical for Spring eyes.

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II. Skin

Bright Spring skin comes in a broad range of shades: from fair to tan. It has either neutral or neutral-warm undertones - meaning both gold and silver look good against it, but gold look somewhat better.

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III. Hair

Like the skin, the hair is typically warmer and tends to develop highlights when exposed to the sun. Medium golden to dark golden blonde with highlights are very common. But copper, auburn and medium brown with reddish undertones are also possible.

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IV. Contrast

Bright Spring has one of the highest contrast levels between skin, hair and eyes among the twelve colour season. There is even a high contrast between the iris and the whites of the eye. This is because brightness creates contrast. In the images below, you can see how the features all contrast rather than blend into each other.

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Bright Spring vs Bright Winter

Individuals who fall into the Bright Spring colour season are sometimes tricky to analyse - they may look like Bright Winters, with piercingly bright eyes and often relatively dark hair. Plus, both colour seasons' primary colour aspect is bright.

However, the distinguishing characteristic is the warmer, yellowish undertone of Bright Spring's features compared to Winter's cool, blue-tinted features. The colouring is slightly less intense and has a fresher feel than Bright Winter's harsher appearance.

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II. The Colour Palette

The Bright Spring colour palette is reminiscent of exotic summer holidays. From tropical waters to remote islands, these are the most saturated colours out of the twelve seasons.

These colours are vibrant, wild and vivid – the colours of tropical landscapes, plants and fruit. In the western part of the northern hemisphere, Bright Spring colours are present in the first spring flowers, announcing the end of the dark days of winter.

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The Palette

Bright Spring colouring combines brightness with warmth. And while this colour season has the typical freshness that is characteristic of all the Spring seasons, it also has some of the crisp and starker contrast of Winter.

The primary aspect of the Bright Spring colour palette is its vibrancy. The colours are bright and highly saturated. These are the most intense of the Spring colours. But they do retain the relative lightness of the Spring family. And so the colours are warm, fresh and full of new life, like the first budding signs of spring.

The palette features a broad range of hues with a heavy focus on pinks and jewel-like tones, such as turquoises and lime greens.

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Colour Dimensions

On the three dimensions of colour, Bright Spring has the following settings:

Hue

Because of Bright Spring's secondary aspect, the colours lean towards the warm end of the scale but are not extremely warm. That means they contain more yellow than blue undertones. So even if you choose blue (the coolest colour), you will find only warmer shades with a tint of yellow. Some of these are the turquoises and pastel colours.

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Value

The colour palette ranges from light to dark, but it does not include very light or dark colours. Although you may find darker shades of blue, green and purple, these are only supporting colours. Most colours cluster around the middle of the value scale, leaning slightly towards the lighter end because of the greater concentration of yellow undertones.

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Chroma

In line with this colour season’s primary aspect, the colours are very high in chroma; meaning they are intensely bright and vibrant. Only the sister palette Bright Winter can rival this intensity.

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Sister Palettes

Bright Spring sits between Bright Winter and True Spring on the seasonal flow chart. The colour season falls at the Winter end of the Spring family. That's why its colours are brighter, slightly darker and less warm than those of True Spring.

Compared to Bright Winter, the colours are similarly bright but warmer and slightly lighter. Winter's effect on Bright Spring is to turn up the saturation of Spring's naturally bright colours to maximum brightness.

Winter also cools the colours somewhat. For example, Bright Winter’s fuchsias have been warmed up and introduced to the palette, but True Spring’s golden browns have been dropped.

As sister palettes, Bright Winter and True Spring both share Bright Spring’s aspects of bright and warm, respectively. Depending on where you fall on the Bright Spring spectrum, you can borrow some colours from your sister palettes since they are close enough to the Bright Spring colour palette.

If you lean more towards Bright Winter, opt for the warmer shades on the Bright Winter palette – such as Honeysuckle, Beetroot Purple or Foliage. Whereas if you lean more towards True Spring, choose the brighter colours on the True Spring palette – such as Pansy, Marina or Green Flash.

III. Styling

Neutrals

Since Bright Spring flows from Winter, black is included in the palette. But the best versions of black for Bright Spring are a slightly yellowish charcoal and a slightly greenish black. These are warmer and more suitable dark neutrals than the cool blue-black of Winter.

Besides, black on its own is not flattering on a Bright Spring since you need vibrant colours to lift your appearance. It’s better to mix it with some of the other warmer, more saturated colours on the palette.

There are also darker greyish browns and warm blues which you can also use as dark neutrals.

A soft white, a more yellowish off-white, and gentle greens act as light neutrals. These are slightly warmer than the cool, harsh whites of Winter.

Colours to Avoid

Since the main colour aspects of Bright Spring are brightness and warmth, your worst colours are muted and cool.

Desaturated, toned-down colours, such as dusty blues and muddy browns, will dampen your natural brightness and make you look muddy.

Very cool colours, such as icy blues and greys, will clash with your naturally warmer colouring.

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Colour Combinations

Technically, you can combine any of the colours on the Bright Spring palette with each other. But certain combinations will look much better than others. Those are the combinations that repeat the contrast level that is naturally present in your appearance.

Bright Spring’s natural appearance is highly contrasting because of its brightness. Therefore, the best colour combinations for your outfits are similarly contrasting.

The obvious way to create contrast is by pairing a dark colour with a light colour, such as dark blue and light blue. This is called value contrast.

However, this may not be enough contrast for a Bright Spring. Instead of value contrast, aim for hue contrast. Don’t be afraid to combine unlike colours - particularly those sitting opposite each other on the colour wheel, such as pink and green. The more unusual the combination, the more striking.

The other way you can create a high contrast is by combining a neutral with a bright accent colour. Either pair a dark neutral with a lighter, brighter accent colour or a light neutral and a different darker accent colour. Make sure to select different hues to create additional hue contrast.

In general, always aim for at least one bright colour in your outfit. Avoid neutrals-only combinations, monochromatic looks and low contrast combinations. These will diminish your naturally vibrant colouring.

Patterns & Prints

If you are thinking of incorporating some patterns and prints into your wardrobe, consider the following:

The best patterns are those that only contain Bright Spring colours – like in the first example below.

If a pattern contains some but not much colour from a disharmonious palette – like in the second example, you can also wear it.

The last example contains too much of a disharmonious colour (a Soft Summer grey, which is muted and cool). Avoid this pattern.

Since your natural colouring is highly contrasted, opt for patterns with higher contrast between the elements rather than ones which blend too much.

In the example below, both patterns contain only Bright Spring colours and are wearable. However, the second pattern displays a higher contrast between the elements and is consequently more flattering.

Great patterns for Bright Spring are dotty, busy, creative, and geometric patterns. Hand-drawn elements are also good. Since this sub-season borders on Winter, natural floral patterns are best avoided. If you want to wear floral patterns, opt for stylised flowers.

Elements should be bigger and not too dense.

Avoid small elements, very loose and very dense arrangements – like in the first example.

Metals & Accessories

Although Bright Spring is warm, gold is not the only metal that works for this season. Since your skin’s undertones are neutral-warm, rose gold, white gold, and even silver and platinum may work for you.

Make sure that metals have a shiny or polished finish. Matte finishes will clash with your naturally bright colouring.