UndertonaSoft Summer is defined by softness. Your coloring is muted and blended, leaning cool to neutral, with low contrast between hair, skin and eyes. Saturated brights and pure black look loud on you, while dusty rose, slate blue and sage look quietly expensive and let your features lead.
- Defining qualitySoft
- Undertoneneutral cool
- Depthmedium
- Chromamuted
- Contrastlow
The best colors for Soft Summer
Wear these closest to your face: tops, scarves, glasses and lipstick. Each swatch shows its hex code so you can match it when shopping online.
- Dusty rose#C99AA0
- Mauve#B784A7
- Soft plum#8D6A8A
- Slate blue#6A7FA0
- Sage#9CAF88
- Soft teal#5E8E8C
- Grey blue#8497B0
- Muted raspberry#A8506A
- Soft lavender#A99BBD
- Eucalyptus#7FA39A
- Rose brown#A07E7A
- Denim#6F8FAF
Soft Summer neutrals
Build a wardrobe on these instead of default black, white and grey.
- Soft white#EFEDE8
- Taupe grey#A79E94
- Cocoa#7A6660
- Pewter#8E9196
- Soft navy#414C63
Colors Soft Summer should avoid
These fight your natural coloring near the face. You can still wear them below the waist, in shoes or in bags.
- Black#0A0A0A
- Bright orange#FF6A13
- Lime#9BE22C
- Stark white#FFFFFF
- Bright yellow#FFD700
- Hot pink#FF1493
Best metals and jewelry
Pewter, brushed silver, rose gold and matte white gold. Brushed finishes suit you better than high shine.
How to tell if you are a Soft Summer
- Your natural hair is ash brown or dark ash blonde, often described as mousy.
- Eyes are soft and greyed: grey blue, grey green, soft hazel or cool brown.
- Bright red, hot pink and black look like they are wearing you.
- Dusty, greyed colors make your skin look even and calm.
- Contrast between your hair and skin is low.
Not sure? Take the free color analysis quiz or compare with the related seasons below.
Go deeper
Soft Summer makeup
Lipstick, blush, eyeshadow and foundation shades.
Soft Summer hair colors
The most flattering hair colors and what to avoid.
Soft Summer outfits
Clothing colors, capsule formulas and prints.
Soft Summer FAQ
What is the difference between Soft Summer and Soft Autumn?
Both are muted and low contrast. Soft Summer leans cool, so dusty rose, slate blue and pewter work; Soft Autumn leans warm, so sage, camel and bronze work better.
Can Soft Summer wear black?
Black is usually too harsh. Soft navy, charcoal or cocoa give the same depth without overwhelming muted coloring.
Why does Soft Summer look mousy in the wrong colors?
Soft Summer coloring is subtle, so bright or high contrast colors grab attention and make natural features look faded next to them. In muted colors the same features look refined.
Not sure you are Soft Summer?
These seasons share a quality with Soft Summer and are the most common mix-ups.
Soft Autumn
Warm, muted and earthy, like a hazy golden afternoon.
Light Summer
Airy, cool and gentle, like a watercolor sky.
Cool Summer
Cool, calm and elegant, with soft blue-based color.
Side by side: Soft Summer vs Soft Autumn · Cool Summer vs Soft Summer · Light Summer vs Soft Summer