Light Summer
Cool, light, and soft.
Light Summer is cool, light and gently muted. Colouring is soft throughout with low contrast — ash or cool-light hair, cool skin, and soft eyes. The palette is the one people picture as 'pastel', but with a cool cast rather than a warm one.
Cool undertone · light value · soft chroma
Your palette
Core colours
- Powder Blue
#A9C7E0 - Soft Rose
#E6B5C0 - Lavender
#C9B6E0 - Periwinkle
#9FA8DA - Mint
#B6E0CF - Dove
#D6D3CB
Neutrals
- Soft White
#F1F0EC - Cool Grey
#A9AAA6 - Taupe
#B3A89A
- Best metal
- Silver or white gold
- What to avoid
- Orange, black, and heavy warm earth tones overpower you.
How to tell you are Light Summer
- 01
Overall colouring is light and low-contrast.
- 02
Silver sits better than gold, or both work but silver never looks wrong.
- 03
Cool pastels lift you; warm pastels look slightly sallow.
- 04
Strong or dark colours dominate you rather than framing you.
Commonly confused with
Mistyping almost always happens between neighbours. These are the two most likely, and the quickest way to settle each.
Light Summer vs Light Spring
Undertone is the split. Soft pink versus peach against your face — whichever makes your skin look even rather than blotchy is your side.
Light Summer vs True Summer
True Summer carries more depth. If medium cool shades like slate blue suit you better than powder blue, lean True.
Makeup for Light Summer
Foundation with a neutral-to-cool base; anything golden will look like a mask. Blush in soft cool pink or a light rose. Lips in soft rose, cool pink or a pinkish nude — warm brick and orange will overwhelm you. Keep eyes soft: taupes, cool browns, soft greys, and no hard black.
Makeup guidance reviewed by Viktoria (@vioda.makeup), a working makeup artist. This is styling judgement rather than measured data — see our editorial policy.
The other Summer seasons
Questions, answered.
What colours suit Light Summer?
Light Summer suits powder blue, soft rose, lavender, periwinkle, mint, dove. For neutrals, use soft white, cool grey, taupe. Silver or white gold is your best metal. Keep the strongest colours near your face — tops, knitwear and scarves — where they do the most work.
Is Light Summer warm or cool?
Cool undertone · light value · soft chroma. Light Summer is cool, light and gently muted.
What colours should a Light Summer avoid?
Orange, black, and heavy warm earth tones overpower you. You do not have to remove them from your wardrobe entirely — keep them below the waist or as outerwear, away from your face, where they affect your skin far less.
Light Summer vs Light Spring — how do I tell?
Undertone is the split. Soft pink versus peach against your face — whichever makes your skin look even rather than blotchy is your side.
Not sure you are Light Summer?
Take the free eight-question quiz — no signup, about two minutes. It reads your undertone, value and contrast and places you in one of the twelve sub-seasons.