The Summer Color Season: Palette, Colors and Makeup
The summer color season is a cool and soft coloring: skin with a pink or neutral-cool undertone, hair with an ashy cast and gentle, medium contrast between skin, hair and eyes. Summers glow in muted, powdery, cool colors and get washed out by warm, golden and harsh shades.
Barbara · Soft Summer
Summer is one of the most common color seasons and one of the most often misdiagnosed. Many summers dye their hair golden blonde or wear warm browns and beiges that drain the freshness from their face. The real strength of a summer lies in softness: dusty, powdery colors that look as if seen through a light mist.
In the 12 season system, summer splits into three subtypes: light summer, cool summer and soft summer. They share a cool undertone and softness; what separates them is the dominant trait of the coloring: lightness, coolness or mutedness. The three subtype guides below go deeper into each palette, and a photo analysis pins down which one you are.
The 3 summer subtypes: light, cool, soft
Light summer is the lightest and most delicate, cool summer has the coldest undertone, and soft summer wears the most muted colors with a hint of warmth. The differences are subtle: the skin's undertone in a photo settles it, not guesswork.
From ash blonde to dark brown, always with a cool, ashy cast. No golden or red glints in direct sunlight.
Eyes
Most often gray, gray blue, gray green or a cool, smoky hazel. Rarely bright and intense.
Skin
Cool or neutral-cool undertone with a rosy tint. Blushes easily; a tan reads as cool beige.
Contrast
Low to medium and soft. Features and colors blend into each other gently, without sharp edges.
The summer color palette
30 colors with hex codes, from the same engine that builds the personal reports. In your own report the palette is tuned to your exact subtype and coloring.
Lavender blue#8B9DC3
Powder pink#D4A5A5
Steel blue#607B8B
Muted raspberry#B05C72
Gray green#7A9E8E
Ash navy#4A5A78
Silver frost#C2C8D2
Rose brown#9E7878
Misty blue#A0B4C4
Lavender violet#9E8FBF
Powder blue#8EAABF
Rose powder#C49BAA
Sage green#8DA899
Cool mauve#B08898
Dusty rose#C8A0A8
Ash mint#93B8B0
Pale teal#82AEAD
Icy blue#B8D4E8
Rose quartz#DDB8C0
Lavender mist#C8C0DC
Cool mint#A8D4C8
Powder rose#E8C8CC
Cool raspberry#C23060
Plum violet#7B4F7E
Sapphire accent#4A6EA8
Cool burgundy#8C3A50
Rosy off-white#EDE8E6
Cool gray beige#C8C0BC
Ash gray#8E8E96
Cool charcoal#5A5A62
Colors to avoid
Warm, golden colors clash with a summer's cool undertone: the face turns sallow next to them and shadows under the eyes deepen.
✕Orange#E07030
✕Rust terracotta#C05030
✕Warm gold#D4A020
✕Warm caramel#B8732A
✕Olive khaki#8A8040
✕Yellow green#A8B840
Metals and jewelry
Matte silver#A8A8B0
Platinum#C8C8D0
White gold#D4CFC4
Summer makeup colors
Summer makeup plays on softness: muted roses, mauves and cool beiges instead of bronzes and oranges. The rule is simple: no element of the makeup should be warmer than your natural coloring.
LipsRaspberry, rose and mauve instead of corals and brick reds.
Muted raspberryCool mauveRosy nude
CheeksA powdery, cool pink applied lightly, with no bronzed effect.
Powder roseDusty rose
EyesTaupe, gray browns and plums. Swap black eyeliner for charcoal or dark plum.
TaupePlum violetCool charcoal
Summer hair colors
Summer hair looks best in cool, ashy shades close to its natural color. The biggest mistake is warming it up: golden balayage and caramel highlights fight with cool-toned skin.
Flattering
Cool ash blonde
Pearl beige blonde
Cool ash brown
Ash chocolate
Cold espresso
Avoid
✕Warm golden blonde
✕Copper red
✕Caramel highlights
✕Warm chestnut
✕Honey brown
Outfit formulas
1A tonal look in blues: misty blue + ash navy + silver jewelry.
2Powder pink with cool gray beige instead of the classic beige and white.
3Instead of black near the face: charcoal, ash navy or cool burgundy.
4Denim in every form: it is a summer's most natural color, from light wash to indigo.
Is this your season?
Check in 2 minutes
Reading about the summer palette tells you what the colors are. The free quiz tells you whether they are yours, and the AI photo analysis goes further: it assigns your exact subtype and shows your best colors on your own photo.
Frequently asked questions about the summer season
What colors suit a summer color season?
Cool and muted colors: powder blues, lavender, raspberry rose, gray greens, ash navy and cool burgundy. Swap pure white for a rosy off-white and black for charcoal or navy.
Is the summer season warm or cool?
Cool. Summer skin has a pink or neutral-cool undertone, which is why it looks better in silver than in gold and in dusty colors rather than earthy ones.
Am I a winter or a summer?
Both are cool seasons, but winter has high contrast and carries intense colors, while summer is soft and looks better in muted shades. If black sharpens your features, that points to winter; if it drains you, to summer.
How do I know if I am a summer?
Quick check: hold silver and gold up to your face. If silver brightens you while gold makes your skin sallow, and your overall contrast is soft and low, you are likely a summer. A photo analysis that measures your undertone gives certainty.
Can a summer wear black?
Black next to the face ages a summer and deepens shadows. Charcoal, ash navy or cool plum work far better; keep black away from the face, for example in pants or a skirt.
What is the difference between soft summer, cool summer and light summer?
All three are cool and soft. Light summer is dominated by lightness (icy pastels), cool summer by coolness (the most blue-based palette), and soft summer by mutedness (dusty, grayed colors with a whisper of warmth).
