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Find your season, then use that green.
Green can turn yellow, blue, gray, brown, or icy. Pick your parent season below, then use the swatches and color names as shopping filters.
Grass green or apple
Your green should feel warm, fresh, and yellow-based.
Sage or seafoam
Your green should look cool, soft, and slightly gray.
Olive, moss, or fern
Your green should look warm, muted, and earthy.
Emerald or pine
Your green should look cool, clear, deep, or icy.
Best green by season at a glance
| Season | Best greens | What to look for | Usually avoid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | grass green, apple, clear mint | warm, fresh, yellow-based | olive, dusty sage, blackened forest |
| Summer | sage, seafoam, blue-green | cool, soft, slightly gray | lime, olive, neon green |
| Autumn | olive, moss, fern, forest | warm, earthy, muted | icy mint, emerald, blue spruce |
| Winter | emerald, pine, icy mint | cool, clear, deep or icy | moss, olive, dusty sage |
Best green for Spring
Spring's best green is grass green, apple, clear mint, or fresh kelly green. The shade should look warm and clean, not olive or gray.
Use these greens
- Grass green
- Apple
- Clear mint
- Fresh kelly green
Be careful with
- Olive
- Dusty sage
- Blackened forest
- Muted eucalyptus
A Spring green should make the face look fresh. If the green makes the skin look dull or the outfit look muddy, it is probably too muted.
Best green for Summer
Summer's best green is sage, seafoam, eucalyptus, blue-green, or soft pine. The shade should look cool and gently softened.
Use these greens
- Sage
- Seafoam
- Eucalyptus
- Blue-green
Be careful with
- Lime
- Olive
- Neon green
- Yellow grass green
A Summer green should calm the face and even the skin. If the shade looks acidic or too earthy, it is usually wrong.
Best green for Autumn
Autumn's best green is olive, moss, fern, khaki green, or warm forest. The green works because it has warmth, depth, and earthiness.
Use these greens
- Olive
- Moss
- Fern
- Warm forest
Be careful with
- Icy mint
- Emerald
- Blue spruce
- Clean kelly green
An Autumn green should sit naturally with camel, rust, chocolate, cream, and brass. If it looks icy or synthetic, it is probably too cool or clear.
Best green for Winter
Winter's best green is emerald, pine, icy mint, blue spruce, or clear kelly green. The shade should look cool, crisp, and high contrast.
Use these greens
- Emerald
- Pine
- Icy mint
- Blue spruce
Be careful with
- Moss
- Olive
- Dusty sage
- Muted khaki
A Winter green can look sharp without looking separate. If the green looks faded, browned, or dusty, it is usually too muted.
Best green by 12-season subtype
The 12-season system makes green more specific. Use these names for knits, coats, prints, glasses, scarves, and jewelry stones.
Light Spring
clear mint, light grass green, fresh aqua green
Warm Spring
grass green, leaf green, warm turquoise green
Bright Spring
lime, bright emerald, clear kelly green
Light Summer
seafoam, cool mint, light sage
Cool Summer
blue-green, soft pine, cool teal green
Soft Summer
sage, eucalyptus, muted blue-green
Soft Autumn
soft olive, eucalyptus, muted moss
Warm Autumn
olive, moss, fern, warm forest
Deep Autumn
deep olive, peacock green, dark forest
Deep Winter
deep emerald, pine, blue spruce
Cool Winter
emerald, icy mint, cool pine
Bright Winter
clear emerald, kelly green, vivid mint
How to test a green before buying it
Ask whether the green is yellow, blue, gray, brown, or icy. Those undertones tell you more than the word green on the label.
If green often feels hard to wear, start with accessories. A scarf, earrings, or knit near the face will show whether the shade supports your coloring.
Good sign
The green makes skin look calmer and the face look more connected. It should support your palette without pulling attention away from you.
Wrong sign
The green makes the face look gray, yellow, shadowed, or separate. It may be too acidic, too dusty, too earthy, or too icy.