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Light Summer vs Cool Summer: two cool summers, two depths

Same cool undertone, different weight: Light Summer wears pastels, Cool Summer (True Summer) stronger mid-tone cool colors.

Find what fits me best

Light Summer and Cool Summer side by side

Light Summer

Its best colors

  • powder blue #B6D0E2
  • light rose pink #F2B8C6
  • lavender #C9B6DE
  • soft aqua #A8D8D8
  • periwinkle #9FA8DA
  • light dove grey #C9CDD2

Its neutrals

  • soft white #F2F2EF
  • light grey-blue #A9B9CA
  • cool taupe #A39A9C
  • medium grey #9EA2A8
The full Light Summer palette →

Cool Summer

Its best colors

  • raspberry #B3446C
  • slate blue #5D6D8E
  • cool rose pink #D98BA5
  • spruce blue-green #3F7A7A
  • soft navy #2F3E5C
  • cool grey #8E959C

Its neutrals

  • soft white #F2F2EF
  • light grey #C5C8CC
  • cool taupe #A39A9C
  • charcoal blue-grey #4A5563
The full Cool Summer palette →

The difference test

Undertone

Same undertone

Both are cool. Compare periwinkle with golden yellow at your chin: golden yellow makes either season look sallow, and silver beats gold on both. Undertone confirms the coolness they share; the other three rows decide.

Depth

Cool Summer is deeper

Drape light dove grey, then charcoal blue-grey, and look at your jaw and eyes. If the dark grey hollows your face while the light one looks easy, Light Summer; if the light grey drains you and the dark one gives you definition, Cool Summer.

Chroma

Cool Summer is clearer

Compare raspberry with light rose pink. A Cool Summer takes the stronger color of raspberry and looks fresher in it; on a Light Summer raspberry tends to take over, while light rose pink looks like a natural flush.

Contrast

Cool Summer has more contrast

Pair soft navy with soft white at the face, then light grey-blue with soft white. A Cool Summer usually holds the darker pairing; a Light Summer looks best when everything stays close in value, as in the paler one.

  1. 1

Step 1 / 1

Take a selfie in daylight

Face a window, without makeup if you can, hair as it naturally falls. Daylight and no filter keep your real skin tone — colored lamps and beauty filters change the result.

🙂

Your selfie is used for your reading and saved in your private Color Suite only if you go on to a try-on. Never shared, never used for training.

Light Summer and Cool Summer, also called True Summer, share an undertone. Both are cool, both look best in blue-based colors, and both find golden colors such as rust or mustard gold hard to wear. That shared coolness is why they get confused, especially with ash-blond hair and grey-blue eyes, which can belong to either.

What separates them is weight. Light Summer is light first: its coloring is airy and its palette pastel, with powder blue, light rose pink, lavender and soft aqua. Cool Summer is cool first and medium in depth, with moderate contrast between hair and skin, so it carries raspberry, slate blue, spruce blue-green and soft navy.

Those deeper colors are what is at stake. On a Light Summer, soft navy and raspberry can look heavier than the face wearing them. On a Cool Summer, an outfit made only of pastels can look unfinished, with the features fading into it.

What both summers can wear

Several colors work for both because they are cool and sit at the light end of medium. Cool rose pink is a little stronger than light rose pink but light enough for many Light Summers. Periwinkle, from the Light Summer palette, often works on a Cool Summer too, especially next to soft navy. Soft white and cool taupe are neutrals in both palettes.

Grey is the easiest crossover: Light Summer's medium grey and Cool Summer's light grey and cool grey belong to the same family. Silver, white gold and pewter suit both, so jewelry rarely needs to change.

Translating Light Summer colors into Cool Summer

If you move from Light Summer to Cool Summer, deepen everything by a step or two. Powder blue becomes slate blue, light rose pink becomes cool rose pink or raspberry, soft aqua becomes spruce blue-green, and light grey-blue becomes soft navy for coats and trousers.

Moving the other way, lighten each color: raspberry to light rose pink, spruce blue-green to soft aqua, charcoal blue-grey to medium grey, slate blue to periwinkle. Keep the soft white and the cool taupe, since both seasons share them.

How to tell if you are a Light Summer or a Cool Summer

  1. 1

    Lay out a pastel and a mid-tone

    Lavender or powder blue for the pastel, raspberry or soft navy for the mid-tone. Plain fabric works better than a print.

  2. 2

    Check the room light first

    Use daylight from a window with no lamp on and no makeup, so shadows and color look as they really are.

  3. 3

    Watch the shadows under your eyes

    A color too dark for you deepens the shadows around the eyes and mouth. If soft navy does that, you are probably Light Summer; if lavender makes your features disappear, Cool Summer.

  4. 4

    Look at a greyscale photo

    A black and white picture of your face shows your natural contrast. Hair, eyes and skin in near-equal greys point to Light Summer; a clearer gap between them points to Cool Summer.

  5. 5

    Get your season read for free

    Use a daylight selfie without a filter and tap "Find what fits me best" to see which of the 12 seasons you are, the one-sentence reason and the colors to wear.

FAQ

Is Light Summer lighter than True Summer?

Yes. Light Summer is the lightest of the summers, and its colors are pastels. True Summer, called Cool Summer on this site, sits at a medium depth, so its colors are stronger and darker: raspberry and soft navy rather than light rose pink and powder blue. The cool undertone is the same.

Can a Light Summer wear Cool Summer colors?

The lighter half, yes: cool rose pink, cool grey, soft white and cool taupe sit well on a Light Summer. Soft navy, charcoal blue-grey and spruce blue-green are usually too heavy near the face, though they work in trousers, skirts or shoes.

Can a Cool Summer wear pastels?

Light accents are fine, but a whole outfit in powder blue or lavender tends to wash a Cool Summer out. Pair a pastel with soft navy or charcoal blue-grey and the face keeps its definition. A Cool Summer's pinks look best with some depth, like cool rose pink or raspberry.

What hair color suits Light Summer vs Cool Summer?

Light Summer suits light ash or pearly blond and fine, cool highlights. Cool Summer suits ash brown or dark ash blond, which keeps some depth around the face. Golden, copper and brassy tones fight the cool undertone of both.

Which lipstick suits a Light Summer and which a Cool Summer?

Light Summer suits sheer pinks and light rose, close to the natural lip. Cool Summer can wear raspberry, berry and cool rose with more pigment. Both are better off without coral and orange-red, and a Light Summer should go easy on very dark berry and plum.

Do Light Summer and Cool Summer wear the same neutrals?

Partly. Both wear soft white and cool taupe. Light Summer adds medium grey and light grey-blue as its main basics; Cool Summer adds light grey and charcoal blue-grey, a darker neutral that stands in for black. Neither looks its best in black itself.