There is a concept in makeup now of listing it in terms of warm and cool. This can cover foundations, powders and even blushes. It comes from a system introduced a few decades back that can be loosely described as color coding. It was, in basic terms, a system where a person (mainly women but men too) could figure out how to choose their clothes and even makeup according to an individual's skin complexion. Each skin complexion would match up with a particular season of the year. If a person had very fair skin tone, that person would be considered a "spring" and would match their clothes and even makeup to what was considered "spring" colors. If a person had a medium skin tone, that person would be considered a "summer" and would match their clothes and even makeup to what was considered "summer" colors. If a person had a more tan skin tone, that person would be considered a "fall" and would match their clothes and even makeup to what was considered "fall" colors. If a person had a more rich skin tone, that person would be considered a "winter" and would match their clothes and even makeup to what was considered "winter" colors.

Books were written and home parties were hosted on this color coding technique. It was unique in that when a person thought they knew what "season" they were under, some people on a few occasion were surprised to find themselves under another "season". It was assumed that people of an Ethnic background would automatically be classified as "winters", but some Caucasian people quite often fell under this category as well. To give a general idea how this all worked, the season "winter" will be used in the following examples and suggestions.

"Winters" would pick foundations under cool shades and with a rose base. Examples of cool foundation shades were rose and sand. Test a foundation on the jaw line to get the proper matching shade. Cover dark scars and blemishes with a cover stick in the cool shade category. Blushes were to be chosen in the cool shades particularly the rose family. Examples of cool blushes ranged from blue-pink to burgundy with the exception of clear red.

Lipsticks were to be chosen in the cool shades particularly in rose tones. Examples of cool lipstick shades were pinks, plums, burgundies, (the plums and burgundies can also be brownish) blue-reds and clear reds. The reds could be used as a base for the other colors. If any of the lipstick colors turned blue; it was suggested to try a frosted lipstick. A lipstick brush or pencil was to be used to outline the lips. When buying a lipstick brush, one that a sable tip was suggested.

Eyebrow pencils were to chosen in the cool shades. Examples of eyebrow pencils in the cool shades were charcoal brown, or the ones with grayish and/or taupe tones. Eye shadows were to be used in powder form. If using crayons, a creamy crayon was recommended.