Light Summer
Cool, light and gentle — watercolour, not poster paint.
Light Summer is the lightest cool season. Skin, hair and eyes are all light and slightly muted, with a cool blue or rosy cast. The palette is soft cool pastels — powder blue, dusty rose, soft periwinkle — colours that look like they have had a drop of water added.
Depth is the dominant axis here: the palette is defined first by how light or deep it is, and only then by temperature. (Depth is what the 12-tone system calls this season's primary characteristic.)
Where this season sits
Every one of the twelve seasons is a position on three axes. These are the coordinates our analysis scores you against.
Is this you?
- Skin
- Fair to light with a cool pink, rosy or neutral cast.
- Hair
- Light ash blonde to light ash brown; cools further with age.
- Eyes
- Soft blue, grey-blue, grey-green or soft light hazel.
- Contrast
- Low. Everything sits in a light, blended range.
The palette
The 20 colours that work hardest for Light Summer, with hex codes so you can match them exactly.
- Powder pink#F2C4D0
- Dusty rose#E5A9BC
- Rose pink#D98BA5
- Soft raspberry#C2739A
- Soft lilac#B8A4CC
- Periwinkle#A6A9D6
- Powder blue#93B4DB
- Cornflower#7FA8CC
- Soft denim#6C97BF
- Sea glass#9CC8D6
Neutrals to build on
- Soft white#F4F1EC
- Pearl grey#D5D2CC
- Light cool grey#A9A6A2
- Blue grey#7C8894
- Soft navy#4A5C78
Metals and makeup
Best metals: Silver, White gold, Rose gold (pale).
Lip
- Rose pink
- Soft berry
- Cool nude pink
Blush
- Powder rose
- Cool pink
- Soft mauve
More on Light Summer
Often confused with
Frequently asked
What is a Light Summer?
Light Summer is one of the twelve seasonal colour types. It is cool, strongly light and moderately soft. In practice that means powder pink, dusty rose and rose pink sit comfortably on you, while the colours in the avoid list make you look tired. Depth is the dominant axis here: the palette is defined first by how light or deep it is, and only then by temperature. (Depth is what the 12-tone system calls this season's primary characteristic.)
How do I know if I am a Light Summer?
Three checks. Fair to light with a cool pink, rosy or neutral cast. Light ash blonde to light ash brown; cools further with age. Soft blue, grey-blue, grey-green or soft light hazel. Contrast is the fourth: low. everything sits in a light, blended range. If two of those four describe you, Light Summer is very likely your season — our free analysis scores all twelve and tells you how close the runners-up are.
What colours should a Light Summer avoid?
The clearest ones to drop are black, bright orange and mustard gold. Too heavy for delicate light colouring — soft navy gives the same anchor without the harshness. Full explanations for each are on the colours-to-avoid page.
What is the difference between Light Summer and True Summer?
They are neighbours, which is exactly why they get confused. The deciding axis is depth: Light Summer is the light one and True Summer is the deep one. We have a full side-by-side comparison if you are torn between them.
Can a Light Summer wear black?
Not near your face. Light Summer colouring is too light for true black — it drops a hard edge under the chin and pulls shadows forward. Use Soft navy (#4A5C78) instead for anything worn up top, and keep black for trousers, shoes and bags where it has no effect on your skin.
What metals suit a Light Summer?
Silver, White gold and Rose gold (pale). Metal is one of the fastest at-home tests there is: hold silver and gold either side of your face in daylight and watch your skin rather than the jewellery — the wrong metal leaves a grey or sallow cast along the jaw.