Redness in your cheeks can look like a cool undertone when it is only blood flow, so test with a rested face.
- Cool white
Fair to deep skinPlum #7A3A78
True Summer
Your season is 26 colors to wear and to mix. Start with three.
Tap to mix
At the window#E79AB4
Cool pink
Warm yellow can clash
Cool pink and soft blue look calm on you.
On a video call#B8336A
Raspberry
Orange can look loud
Raspberry stays calm on a small screen.
In the closet#6F8096
Slate blue-gray
Warm brown can pull yellow
Slate, cool gray and navy sit easy.
Tradition Stylist practice. No study tests season color lists.
26colors, named
Your palette.
Each drop is the closest color next door. Tap one.
Neutrals
Accents
Statements
Handle with care
Hold it to your face
True Summer or a neighbor?
Two answers? They are often next door.
True Summer your season
- Cool white
- Rose taupe
- Cool navy
- Rose
- Raspberry
- Orchid
Light Summer the neighbor
- Soft white
- Light cool gray
- Soft gray-blue
- Dusty navy
- Rose pink
- Powder blue
Both lean cool. Light Summer stays light, where True Summer sits at medium depth.
The swap test
Use this swap only if the gray strip left you close to the line between light and medium. Hold a light powder pink under your chin by a window, then a medium pink with some gray in it. The one that keeps your face first is the closer season.
True Summer your season
- Cool white
- Rose taupe
- Cool navy
- Rose
- Raspberry
- Orchid
Soft Summer the neighbor
- Soft white
- Soft gray
- Rose brown
- Muted navy
- Dusty rose
- Mauve
Both lean cool. Soft Summer is more muted, where True Summer keeps a little more clarity.
The swap test
Hold a clean blue-pink under your chin by a window, then a dusty blue-pink at the same depth. If the dusty one keeps your face first, you are closer to Soft Summer. If the clean one does, True Summer is closer.
- Bare face, window light.
- Phone under your chin, like a scarf.
- Watch your skin and your eyes.
Your skin
Same season, your skin.
A tan can shift your depth reading, so run the strip again in another season.
- Rose
Olive tends to sit between warm and cool, so a cool pink can turn it gray.
- Cool pink
- Rose
If your swaps land you here, keep the cool colors rich, like a deep raspberry or a plum that stays clear against your skin.
- Deep raspberry
- Plum
Use it
Lips, closet, hair. Start anywhere.
Questions about True Summer
Two apps gave me two seasons.
Photos carry their own light, and a consultant's room has another. The two answers are often next door: Light Summer and Soft Summer. Hold both to your face by a window.
Can deep skin be True Summer?
If your swaps land you here, keep the cool colors rich, like a deep raspberry or a plum that stays clear against your skin. Dusty or very pale versions can read gray, so check them at your jaw by a window.
Do I have to give up black?
No. Charcoal blue and cool navy sit closer to you near your face. Black works lower down, with a softer color between it and your skin.
Is True Summer the same as Cool Summer?
Some systems use other names for the same idea, and Cool Summer is a common one for what I call True Summer. The twelve season names are a convention, so they drift from one source to the next. Judge a palette by what its colors do next to your face, not by the label.
Does True Summer look better in silver?
Cool metals like silver and white gold tend to sit quietly with a cool palette, so they are a fine place to start. Metal is a style choice, though, and no study ties it to undertone. Wear the one you like and mix them when you want.
Can True Summer wear black?
It can. Black is the sharpest neutral, so near the face it can read harder than a soft coloring. Charcoal blue or navy keeps the depth with less edge, and a cool scarf between black and your face softens it.
Your palette, in your pocket.
- 57named colors
- 14outfits drawn
Opens with the site. The same price on Etsy. Not sure it is yours? Take the free test.
