Light Summer vs True Summer
Both are cool, gentle Summers. Light Summer lives at the pale end of the palette; True Summer goes a step deeper and a step cooler.
Light Summer · Light first, then cool
True Summer · Cool first, then soft
Top band: each season's 16 best colors. Lower band: its 6 neutrals.
What they share, and why they get mixed up
Light Summer and True Summer share a cool, blue-based palette and a dislike of strong orange and golden yellow. Both suit powder blue, lavender, soft periwinkle and cool pinks, and both prefer blue grey and soft navy to stark black. Lavender and powder blue appear on both palettes almost unchanged, which makes the two easy to confuse in practice.
The split is about depth and how cool each is. Light Summer is light first and cool second, so it shines in pale, airy colors and can even borrow a hint of warmth such as cool lemon. True Summer is cool first, wears medium-depth colors like raspberry, blueberry and spruce, and stays firmly blue-based. Someone who tests cool without testing depth can land on either, and a cool, pale wardrobe often works well enough on both that the question never quite gets answered.
The deciding differences
| Light Summer | True Summer | |
|---|---|---|
| Warmth | Gently cool | Very cool |
| Depth | Light: powder blue, rose pink, aqua mist | Medium: raspberry, blueberry, spruce |
| Clarity | Slightly soft | Moderately soft |
| Neutrals | Soft white, light grey, rose beige, soft navy | Soft white, pewter, charcoal blue, summer navy |
| Pinks | Rose pink, strawberry ice | Raspberry, summer rose, plum rose |
Compare a pale color with its medium-depth version: powder pink against raspberry, powder blue against blueberry. On a Light Summer the pale one looks fresh and the deeper one can sit heavily, especially around the eyes. On a True Summer the deeper one adds definition and the pale one can look faded, as if the face needs a bit more color to hold its own.
How to tell at home
- Daylight, a mirror and minimal makeup, with your hair covered by a light grey towel.
- Compare powder pink with raspberry under your chin.
- Compare powder blue with blueberry or cadet blue.
- Compare light grey with charcoal blue, watching how defined your features look in each.
- If the pale side wins, Light Summer is likely; if the medium-depth side wins, True Summer. If both look fine, try the same pairs again with a very dark color added, such as navy: it usually feels heavy on a Light Summer first.
Still split? That's common.
If both depths look fine on you, that is common: many Summers sit between pale and medium. The free quiz tests light against deep and cool against warm with drapes on your own calibrated photo, and shows your top two seasons with a confidence level.
Take the free quizQuestions
Can Light Summer wear navy?
Yes, a soft navy works well near the face, especially paired with lighter colors. Very dark navy can feel heavy.
Why is True Summer sometimes called Cool Summer?
Because coolness is its leading quality: it is the most blue-based of the three Summers.