What is a Soft Summer?
Soft Summer is the most muted of the Summer subpalettes. Your undertone is cool and rosy, like every Summer, but your coloring is soft and blended. Your hair, skin and eyes sit close together in depth, and none of them reads as bright.
The colors that suit you look like they've been gently grayed: dusty rose rather than hot pink, slate-blue rather than cobalt, sage rather than kelly green. On you, these shades look refined. On brighter seasons, they can look washed out. That's the point of a personal palette.
Common Soft Summer traits
- Hair: ash blonde, light-to-medium ash brown or mousy brown, often without much shine or warmth. Gray and silver usually arrive blended and look natural.
- Eyes: gray, gray-blue, gray-green, soft hazel or cool soft brown.
- Skin: cool beige, rosy or neutral. It may flush pink easily.
- The black test: black near your face looks severe and adds shadows.
- The orange test: orange, mustard and bright gold make your skin look sallow.
The Soft Summer palette
- Neutrals: soft charcoal, pewter, rose-beige, cool taupe, cocoa, grayed navy and soft white.
- Accents: dusty rose, soft mauve, grayed blue, soft sage, soft plum, muted teal and raspberry-rose.
- Deeper colors: soft plum, muted burgundy and blue-gray. Use them as anchors rather than right at the face.
Colors a Soft Summer should avoid
- Orange, rust and warm gold. These clash with a rosy undertone.
- Harsh black and optic white. Use charcoal and soft white instead.
- Neon and electric brights, such as fuchsia, cobalt and lime. They overpower muted coloring.
- Heavy earth tones such as mustard, camel and olive, which read too warm.
Soft Summer clothes
- Build on cool, soft neutrals: charcoal, pewter, grayed navy and rose-beige for coats, trousers and knits.
- Add two or three accents for tops and scarves. Dusty rose, grayed blue and sage are an easy starting trio.
- Pick soft textures: cashmere, jersey, chiffon, brushed cotton and matte silk. Very shiny fabrics add contrast you don't need.
- Keep prints watercolor-soft: tonal florals, gentle stripes in two close colors and heathered knits.
- For denim, choose medium and faded washes, or soft gray denim.
Soft Summer makeup
- Lips: dusty rose, mauve, soft berry and rosy nude. Soft Summer lips should look like your lips, only better.
- Cheeks: cool pink, soft rose and dusty mauve.
- Eyes: taupe, soft gray, plum-brown and muted slate. Gray-brown or slate liner rather than black.
- Brows: ash brown or taupe. Avoid warm, reddish brow products.
Jewelry, metals and hair color
Metals: silver, white gold, pewter and platinum, plus rose gold for a softer look. Brushed and matte finishes often beat mirror polish. Pearls, rose quartz, moonstone and soft gray stones are natural fits.
Hair color: ash and cool beige tones usually flatter. Brassy, golden or copper color tends to fight a rosy undertone. Many Soft Summers find that going silver suits them beautifully because it stays in the same soft, cool family. A colorist can tell you what works for your hair.
Soft Summer vs. Soft Autumn
Both palettes are muted and low contrast, so they're easy to confuse. The difference is temperature: Soft Summer is cool and rosy, while Soft Autumn is warm and golden. If dusty rose and silver look better on you than dusty coral and gold, you're likely a Soft Summer.
Soft Summer vs. True Summer
In our system, True Summer has the same cool, rosy undertone but a little more clarity: powder blue, lavender and cool rose rather than grayed versions. If clean pastels look fresh on you, consider True Summer. If they look slightly too sweet and the grayed shades look better, you're likely a Soft Summer.
Soft Summer after 40
Your undertone stays cool for life. As hair softens to ash or silver, coloring often becomes more blended, so Soft Summer colors tend to suit you even more with time. See Does your color season change with age? for more on how contrast shifts.