True Summer color palette
Also called Cool Summer
True Summer is the coolest Summer: a blue undertone, medium depth, and soft, slightly greyed colour.
The palette has a watercolour quality — cool rose, raspberry, soft navy, periwinkle, cool teal.
True Summer colouring at a glance
- Skin
- Cool — rosy beige to cool brown, often with a blue-ish cast.
- Eyes
- Cool blue, grey, soft green or cool brown.
- Hair
- Ash brown, cool medium brown, sometimes ash blonde.
- Contrast
- Low to medium — soft and even.
Best colours for True Summer
Choose blue-based colour that looks slightly softened, and pair with soft navy or cool grey rather than black.
Best near your face
- Raspberry #C33B6B
- Cool rose #D98FA6
Statement colours
- Periwinkle #6A79C4
- Cool teal #2E9AA6
- Soft plum #7E5A78
Neutrals
- Soft navy #33415E
- Cool grey #8E96A3
- Soft white #ECECE6
- Rose brown #8C6F6A
Soft blenders
- Mauve #A987A6
- Denim blue #6E8FB8
Metals
- Cool silver #C6C6CC
Colours for True Summer to avoid
- Orange #E2681C The warmest colour on the wheel — directly opposes the undertone.
- Warm gold #C9A24A Adds yellow to a cool, rosy face.
- Tomato #E86A3A Too warm and too bright for soft cool colouring.
- Mustard #8A6A1E Muddy and warm; greys out the skin unpleasantly.
- Warm brown #4A2E1A Reads orange-ish and heavy on a cool complexion.
True Summer makeup
Lipstick
- Cool rose #C56C8C The everyday True Summer lip.
- Raspberry bold #B24A73 Signature cool berry.
- Soft plum-rose #A8607E Muted evening option.
Blush
- Cool pink #E19AB0 Soft rosy flush.
- Rose #D07E9C A little deeper for definition.
Eyeshadow
- Soft mauve #B7A6B8 Cool everyday lid.
- Cool taupe #8C8A9C Blended crease.
- Dusty blue bold #6E86AE A soft cool accent.
Metals: silver, white gold.
Cool and soft, never bright or warm. Rose and raspberry on the lips, cool pink blush, silver and mauve on the eyes. Choose soft brown-grey liner over black for a gentler line.
Nearby seasons
If True Summer does not feel right, you may be one of its neighbours: Light Summer or Soft Summer . Its opposite is True Spring , whose palette shows the direction to avoid.
Frequently asked questions
What colours should a True Summer wear?
True Summers look best in cool, soft colour such as raspberry, cool rose, periwinkle and soft navy. Wear the near-face colours from the palette below closest to your face.
What colours should a True Summer avoid?
True Summers should avoid orange, warm gold, tomato red, and warm brown, which fight the undertone, depth, or clarity of this season.
How do I know if I am a True Summer?
Run the free color analysis with a neutral-light photo. If it returns True Summer — or lists it as your second or third closest season — the palette below is your starting point.