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Light Summer vs Light Spring: same lightness, opposite undertone

Both are light and delicate; a cool, soft lean makes you a Light Summer, a warm, clear one a Light Spring.

Find what fits me best

Light Summer and Light Spring 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 →

Light Spring

Its best colors

  • peach #FFCBA4
  • light coral #F88379
  • warm aqua #7FD1C7
  • butter yellow #F6E19C
  • light clear green #A6D785
  • warm ivory #FFF4DC

Its neutrals

  • golden beige #E6CFA6
  • light camel #D4B48C
  • light warm grey #C4BAAC
  • light navy #5B6F9E
The full Light Spring palette →

The difference test

Undertone

Light Spring leans warmer

Hold peach under your chin, then lavender. If peach makes you glow and lavender looks grey on you, you lean Light Spring; if peach turns sallow and lavender brightens your skin, Light Summer.

Depth

Similar depth

Both are light, so light colors carry the right weight for either: light coral and light rose pink sit at the same depth. Deep colors like dark navy or chocolate brown look heavy on both seasons.

Chroma

Light Spring is clearer

Compare light clear green with light dove grey or soft aqua. Light Spring looks lively in the clear green; Light Summer looks calmer and smoother in the greyed colors, and the clear green can look a little loud on it.

Contrast

Similar contrast

Both are low in contrast, with hair, eyes and skin close in value. Neither wants black with white: Light Summer pairs light grey-blue with soft white, Light Spring light navy with warm ivory, both gentle steps rather than jumps.

  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 Light Spring are both light first. Light hair, light eyes and a delicate overall look, with little contrast between them, so dark colors like black and burgundy overpower either one. That shared lightness is why a quick look rarely separates them.

The second trait is where they part. Light Summer is cool and soft: ash-blond hair, blue, grey or soft green eyes, and colors with a hint of grey, like powder blue, lavender and light rose pink. Light Spring is warm and clear: golden or strawberry blond hair, bright eyes, and fresh, sunny colors like peach, light coral, butter yellow and warm aqua.

At stake are the colors that sit right on the line: pinks, aquas and whites. Light rose pink and light coral, soft aqua and warm aqua, soft white and warm ivory look almost alike on a hanger and quite different next to a face.

Colors on the line between the two

A few light colors sit close to neutral and suit both. Soft aqua and warm aqua are near twins, so an aqua with neither a grey nor a yellow cast usually works for either. A light pink with a touch of peach, between light rose pink and light coral, often flatters both.

Among neutrals, a light grey with no strong lean, between Light Summer's light dove grey and Light Spring's light warm grey, is the safest shared basic. Rose gold is the metal between Light Summer's silver and Light Spring's light gold.

Swapping Light Summer colors for Light Spring ones

If you turn out to be a Light Spring after dressing as a Light Summer, keep the lightness and add warmth and clarity. Powder blue becomes warm aqua, light rose pink becomes light coral or peach, lavender gives way to light clear green or butter yellow as the fresh accent, soft white becomes warm ivory, and cool taupe becomes golden beige or light camel.

The other way round, cool each color and add a little grey: peach to light rose pink, warm aqua to soft aqua, light camel to cool taupe, light navy to light grey-blue.

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

  1. 1

    Choose a peachy and a rosy pink

    Peach or light coral against light rose pink: two light colors of the same depth that differ only in undertone.

  2. 2

    Wash off makeup, then face a window

    Foundation and blush cover exactly the undertone you want to see, and window daylight shows it without the yellow cast of a lamp.

  3. 3

    Watch your cheeks and eye whites

    The right pink gives your cheeks color and makes the whites of your eyes look clear. The wrong one leaves the skin sallow or flushed.

  4. 4

    Hold gold, then silver, at your ear

    Light gold that looks like part of your skin points to Light Spring; silver that looks brighter on you points to Light Summer.

  5. 5

    Ask for a free second opinion

    Upload a selfie taken in daylight, unfiltered, and tap "Find what fits me best". The reading says Light Summer, Light Spring or another of the 12 seasons, and why.

FAQ

Can a Light Summer wear Light Spring colors?

The softest of them, yes. Warm aqua and light camel are close enough to soft aqua and cool taupe to work. Peach, butter yellow and light coral usually bring out sallowness in a cool face, so wear them further away from it, in a skirt or shoes.

Is strawberry blond hair Light Spring or Light Summer?

Strawberry blond carries warmth, so it often points to Light Spring. It is not proof, though: hair is one part of your coloring, and the undertone decides. A Light Summer with a hint of red in the hair still looks best in cool colors.

Should a Light Spring or Light Summer wear gold or silver?

Light Spring suits light gold and rose gold, which repeat its warmth. Light Summer suits silver and white gold. Rose gold is the one metal both can wear, which makes it a safe choice while you are unsure.

What makeup suits Light Summer vs Light Spring?

Light Spring suits peach and coral blush, warm pink or peachy nude lips and soft golden-brown eyeshadow. Light Summer suits cool pink blush, rose or soft pink lips and grey or taupe eyeshadow. Keep both sheer: heavy, dark makeup overwhelms the delicate coloring of either season.

Which neutrals replace black for Light Summer and Light Spring?

Neither suits black. Light Summer uses light grey-blue or medium grey as its darker basics, with soft white in place of bright white. Light Spring uses light navy or light camel, with warm ivory or golden beige where others wear white.

What if I am between Light Summer and Light Spring?

Some people lean only slightly one way, with skin that looks close to neutral. Then the colors on the line, a middle aqua, a peachy pink, rose gold, work best, and the undertone test decides which palette you build the rest of your wardrobe from.