I find that the medium contrast is where it's easiest for me to see you.

It's sunny today so I was able to update my photo's so you can really see my eye color, plus I figured out that if I take them in my bathroom, where there are two windows and lots of lighting, it works better. Here are some additional photos of me, without any make-up wearing, some medium contrast and possibly low contrast scarves. I was intrigued by the two green scarves, and the blue-green one as well. I also love the very colorful print. It is clearly a mid contrast print.
pic 1. Light green print scarf - low contrast, and it looks like it may wash me out a bit compared to the next greens.
pic 2. Also light green, but warmer in tone, and I don't think it washes me out as much.
Pic 3. I just repeated the mid green photo from above so it's easier to compare. It's seems to pull out my eye color
Pic 4. A blue green print
Pic 5. Colorful saturated mid tone print
Pic 6. Purple (light to see if it works with my eyes)
Pic 7. Purple (darker to see if this works better with my eyes)

Well, thanks for indulging me as I show you more pics. I think they turned out better don't you? What do you think about the contrast and the colors? (Too bad about the light green print scarf. Seeing it in the photo it's really not as nice as I originally thought. I may sell that one.)

xpost -- numbers refer to original photos/post

Hi Staysfit --

First, thanks for sharing! I'd definitely peg you as a low (ETA low to low- medium contrast person) so comments will reflect that. Feel free to disagree!

Through similar trial and error, I've learned to start with color, then add in the contrast piece. [I'm a dark hair/eyes, fair skin type.]

IMO you (one) can be lower-contrast and wear the darkest shade from YOUR personal color palette in a dress, sweater, jacket etc. and come out looking amazing. You might benefit even more from adding in some of the lighter tones in your palette via accessories, but you'll still look awesome.

Because you look as if you fall in the general warm/light category for colors, your colors are never going to be as high-contrast *in combination* as someone who can wear everything from magenta to optic white and look good. Like how a tiger has less contrast than a zebra.

I think that's why all the warm-toned, medium-range colors with lighter warm tones (#7, 8, and 10) are getting deserved raves. The main colors flatter you, the accent shades echo your hair and/or skin tone, the colors aren't high contrast with *each other* -- so: Bob's your uncle, you look great. Also, the overall impression is one of light, which matches your personal characteristics.

Re #3 -- that brown looks a little neutral in tone to me; I'd look around for an even more golden one that has about that much depth (darkness) to it and see what you think. I bet bronze is amazing on you.

More of my .02 below on the ones that are close -- these are ones I'd pair with one of your best colors to help offset the not-quite-right.

#4 -- the blues look a little cool to me; same advice as above

#5 -- the lighter colors work well and don't "weigh you down," but I think the colors are still on the neutral-cool side (more Light Summer or Spring, where you may need to warm it up)

Please let us know how your experiments are going -- I do love the color posts!

What a fascinating thread this has been. I'm agreeing with others who've said you're definitely medium contrast. And you do indeed have the most unusual green toned eyes! Of the new pictures I would say the your best ones are 3, 1 and 4. The worst one I think is the lilac tone in 6 which is actually a colour that I never ever wear as I look sallow and ill, and I'm a Soft Autumn as diagnosed by a colour specialist. So perhaps you are an SA too? BTW I have a pinterest board if you fancy a browse : http://www.pinterest.com/dibev.....spiration/ .

Great post! I am so fickle about color - my eyes change color with the weather it seems and my hair has everything from white, blond to light brown tones. My skin tone is sort of olive but I do have some redness in my cheeks. It's crazy trying to figure out colors sometimes. The only thing I know for sure is that I do not look good in pastels. Esp. mint green. My worst color ever.

I also think lip color, hair, eyebrows, eyelashes, teeth, makeup, etc. have a lot to do with how color looks on each person.

In your last set of pics I immediately liked #4 - a LOT. I l think I like it precisely because it's blue and not green. But it's the other tones in the scarf *with* the blue that are making it work so well to my eyes (and with yours). The other colors bring out the warm tones in your skin and hair in a very nice way to me. In the first set of pics I really liked #7 - I think for the same reason in a way, the color goes with your hair and lets your eyes shine even more as the focal point.

So, I guess I'm saying that sometimes, going for the same color of your eyes (esp. in a solid), in a way can take the focus off of your eyes.

Vix, your summary and explanation are very helpful. I agree that in the first set, pic 5 runs a bit cool. It's interesting because I also think that scarf is a bit bright. There is a lot of contrast in the pattern, although the pattern is very small. I usually don't wear it right up against my face. I have a dress or two in the darker colors from my palette. It's funny that you mentioned this because for fall I wanted a teal shift dress. I couldn't find one I liked so I ended up with one in a charcoal color, that it decided I could accessorize. Charcoal is in my palette as a neutral.

Diane G., Thanks for sharing your Pinterest board. I am fairly certain I am a soft autumn. I had my colors done in person three times and was given three different opinions (spring, summer, autumn). I guess I am hard to classify for some reason? None of the palettes worked well, but they weren't from the 12 season system. When I read about that online, I sent good quality professional photos taken of me over a period of multiple years to an online color stylist and she told me I was a soft autumn. I purchased a palette, and it mostly seems to work! I wish there was someone near here that could confirm it in person, or create a custom palette. The colors in my palette are slightly less saturated than what I think work best for me.

I also am not fond of the lilac scarf and that is why I posted it. I thought it was low contrast, but too cool toned. I find purples very difficult.

There are your eyes! Now - I can really see them - and wow, are they gorgeous! So glad that you took some of the pics over with better light!
Of your most recent pics, I like #s2, 3, and 4 the best. I think #1 washes you out, 5 is too saturated, 6 is wrong shade of purple. Seven is not bad though - that might work with some of your "sure-thing" colors!
This has been so fun to see you go through this process - thanks for sharing!

This has been another interesting post. Thank you for sharing your journey. I found I could see your eyes and colouring in your second set of pictures. I have my DH take my pictures. I haven't posted many on the forums but I have for myself. It is easier than taking them for myself.

My eyes change colour depending on the light and over the years. Sometimes they are greener and sometimes people think they are blue. I never see them as blue and DH has never seen them as blue. They do look teal at times.

In terms of the scarves in your second set of pictures I like the ones that have a print and are not solid. I especially like #2,3, and 4. #1 was okay but I thought it "matched" you a bit too much.

I am trying to figure out the contrast thing myself. Imogen Taylor did some post on her blog. I tend to wear solids except for leopard/cheetah print which blends with me. Not to confuse things but this is good for me because I have freckles but not necessarily good for other people.

Style Fan, I also wear animal print but usually in a color. I think pic 4 is an animal print in green and yellow. One of the original pics was also an animal print scarf. Most of my wrap dresses are animal print. I have both snake and leopard. I don't have freckles but I do have wavy hair, and I do best with a small print that has more curves than straight lines, so it seems to work well for me.

Marley, I agree with your assessment about the scarves. The print in pic 5 is too saturated. I like it though, just not so close to my face, it's making me look a bit sallow. I'm sad about the scarf in pic 1. I love that print, but it really does wash me out. It became very obvious when I saw the photos, plus my eye became very critical after looking at so many scarves for this exercise. I have 52 scarves. I didn't try them all, but I pulled a good number.

I'm hoping I can find some creative ways to wear the green print scarf and the saturated print scarf so they don't detract from the overall medium contrast that I will work to establish, and also so they don't clash with my soft autumn color palette. I have a few scarves like this, some I decided to give away, but there are 4 I am keeping. I deliberately photographed 2. Now I have to learn what to do with them. If anyone has suggestions, I would be glad to hear them!

Fascinating thread! Others are far wiser than I with color theory, but I concur that medium tones, somewhat muted, with some warmth and medium saturation are your slam dunk colors! I'd also add:

1. A color that's not quite perfect can work, particularly if wearing it makes you happy. The happiness factor is huge. What about wearing the light green print (in #1 above) layered over a deeper top, sweater or jacket? The top will add a bit of saturation, even if the scarf is close to your face. A light cream blouse might be lovely, for example, layered under a deeper jacket or cardi -- the right level of white/cream can be like a mat in a photo frame -- offering a bit more focus on on the face.

2. I use my iPhone for photos, and I don't (yet) have a tripod. I use the Camera+ app, which has a rudimentary timer. I balance the camera (facing away from me) on the night stand, push the button, and step back in the 15 counts before the picture is taken. I've learned over time where to stand to get my whole self in focus in the frame.

Great ideas Beth Ann! I will try you ideas for my print scarves! I bet they would work well,

I just checked my phone camera settings, I do have a timer! Now I have to figure out where to place it and where to stand! I will start to work on this and see what happens! Thanks for the idea!

Hi again SF --

You said:

>I had my colors done in person three times and was given three different opinions (spring, summer, autumn).

>I sent good quality professional photos taken of me over a period of multiple years to an online color stylist and she told me I was a soft autumn.

>The colors in my palette are slightly less saturated than what I think work best for me.

One thing I've found really helpful in working out my own palette -- and it sounds like this is what you're doing -- is seeing where colors more or less overlap and where my boundaries lay. Yours are a lot more flexible, so you get to play even more!

The usual disclaimer re photos, monitors etc but I popped some of your scarf photos against various palettes. In set 2, I too really like you in #4 and #2.

Prints/patterns are kind of a PITA to use for this type of noodling because they often mix cool/warm and/or bright/muted color to great artistic effect. Also, no matter what the individual colors are, I find it's the OVERALL effect that matters.

• Set 2, scarf #4 seems to pull its slate blue base color from Soft Summer, then incorporate shades from SSu, SAu, and Lt Spring.
• Set 2, scarf #2 is even trickier -- it looks very at home in SuAu and SSu, though I'd place it *slightly* more in SSu (e.g. a bit cooler) in terms of overall effect
• Set 2, scarf 3 seems a solid SuAu olive. I don't love it as much on you. My eyes get called dark brown, but they're actually a warm burnt sienna/amber-y shade so I can't match them without looking dead (cool-toned shades here!) -- I need to contrast with a complementary blue or use the color as an accent. This color may be too much for you as a solid.

I honestly don't think there's a magic formula for figuring out what contrast works best -- it's easier to see what's worst! So keep experimenting.

As a high contrast pale-skinned brunette, it should be easy for me, right? My best dark shades to contrast with skin, my best light(er) ones to contrast with hair. But I find what often looks best is when there's a *mix* of contrast levels -- and generally I prefer light-with-medium shades or medium-with-dark shades vs light-with-dark.

In case it helps, examples of this in photos 5-6 below. Pardon orange skin tone from reflecting walls/floor.

I LOVE #7 on you. So pretty! I'm trying to figure out the contrast thing for myself, so I won't pretend to have any wisdom for you there, but wanted to chime in to say that #7 was my hands-down favourite on you.

Vix, thanks for all the helpful diagrams along with the color swatches attached. I have wondered about the soft summer idea before. I'm not surprised. If I'm understanding the seasonal color theory, soft autumn sits between soft summer and soft spring and if there is a little more coolness you can slide towards the summer and more warmth towards the spring. Does that make sense?

I understand what you mean by contrast also. I will have to experiment to see what works for me, just as you have found that mixing a medium with either a light or dark works better than mixing a light with a dark for your situation. Your illustrations were very helpful.

I am also still working out the colors and which ones I like best. I think I have a slight preference for the warmer colors of soft autumn and soft spring. I know that soft summers have some warmth. i see the color palettes as a guide not something that locks you in. They help to make a cohesive wardrobe that will mix and match. In some ways it would be good to pick one palette and stick with it so I can make things work together. People who use only a few colors can have smaller wardrobes because it is easier to coordinate items. I seem to have a rainbow, and I love colors!

A more focussed color palette would allow me to hone my wardrobe further. The original purpose of this exercise was to figure out if a higher contrast level would be better, and it turns out that there are many more questions and interesting ideas to follow!

Wow, some really good observations and advice here--what an amazing forum! I think you've already intuited that low-to-medium contrast is most flattering on you. When you want to go darker for a more formal look, just let one of your pretty scarves or a lighter shirt buffer the harsh contrast around your face.

The fact that you work with children and parents is significant. Having worked with young children myself, I know that they have visceral reactions to color: they tend to hate black clothing (connotations of witches, etc.) and love brights (especially pink, purples and blue-greens.) They also appreciate soft textures like cashmere and velvet, and colorful prints.

Do you generally wear lip color? I think a sheer lip butter in muted melon or coral would be amazing on you.