Light Summer vs Soft Summer
- Mar 23
- 5 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
Soft Summer and Light Summer are both part of the summer season and share a lot of characteristics. Both seasons are neutral-cool, muted and light. The features, like hair color, skin color and eye color can even look quite similar. Both have low contrast, soft and slightly cool features, so it can sometimes be difficult to tell the two apart without draping.
The difference between Light Summer vs Soft Summer lies in the primary characteristic.
Light Summer: light, neutral-cool and muted. Primary characteristic: Light.
Soft Summer: muted, neutral-cool and medium-light. Primary characteristic: Muted.
The Soft Summer colour palette feels more subdued and blended, like early evening light, a hazy afternoon or a soft overcast sky. There’s more grey mixed in, which lowers contrast and creates a gentle, smoky effect. These colours feel quieter and more neutral overall.
The Light Summer palette feels ethereal, elegant and airy. It’s reminiscent of a cool, misty morning or the soft light of dawn. The colours have blue or grey undertones, giving them a cool, refreshing feel.
How to Determine If You’re a Light Summer vs Soft Summer?
To tell these two apart, focus on brightness vs softness and lightness vs darkness.
Light Summer is light first, neutral-cool second.
Soft Summer is muted first, neutral-cool second.
1. Find Your Primary Characteristic
Determining your primary characteristic can be challenging. Both seasons are neutral-cool. The trick is finding out whether you are primarily light or primarily muted.
Which one is your dominant characteristic? Are your features lighter and brighter or more muted and darker?
Appearance: What’s the first thing people notice about you: your soft and ashy features and how they blend together (Soft Summer) or your light and airy appearance (Light Summer)? The appearance can occasionally be similar, so if you’re still unsure, try to rely on color checks and draping.
Light Color Check: Do extremely light colors harmonise with you (Light Summer), or do they underwhelm you (Soft Summer)?
Muted Color Check: How do you look in muted and dusty tones? Do they suit you (Soft Summer) or do they wash you out (Light Summer)?
Color Check: How do you feel in neutral-light colors like baby blue, pale pink, light lavender and light mint (Light Summer) versus softer and dustier colors like mauve, dusty blue, muted teal and muted purple (Soft Summer)? Which one feels more harmonious?
If colors ever feel “too muted” or underwhelming on you, Soft Summer is probably not your season. Likewise, if colors feel “too light”, you might not be a Light Summer.
2. Eye and Hair Color
Light Summers are more likely to have light blue, grey or soft green eyes. Their hair might be light blonde, light brown, or a soft ash brown, with cool undertones. The overall features are cool and delicate.
Soft Summers are more likely to have gray, blue-gray, green-gray eyes or cool hazel eyes. Their hair will typically have a cooler ashier quality to it instead of a golden glow. Colors like mushroom brown, dirty blonde, dark ash blonde, light ash brown, medium ash brown, are common. The overall features are soft and dusty.
3. The Color Test
Another great way to see which season suits you best is to pick up fabrics from the Light Summer and Soft Summer palettes and compare them. Look at the effect the color has on your skin tone, eyes, and lips.
Mint vs. Dusty Teal: Which one makes your complexion look more vibrant?
Baby Blue vs. Gray Blue: Which one brightens your eyes and skin?
Pastel Pink vs. Mauve: Which one makes you look more radiant?
Pale Yellow vs Soft Beige: Which harmonises with you better?
This should give you some indication of which season might be your home season and which colors suit you best. Experiment a little with the different colors and observe how you feel and how others react. Some hints that you are on the right track include:
People asking you if you changed something about your appearance (even if you haven’t);
Feeling more refreshed, awake, confident, and radiant;
Not needing to wear as much makeup.
4. Comparing Sister Seasons
Finally, the method that might give you the most reliable answer is looking at the sister seasons. This should give you a pretty clear answer since one of them will usually be a complete no-go.
All palettes in the 12-season color analysis system have a sister season that shares the primary characteristic. You should be able to borrow some colors from your sister season and feel comfortable in that palette as well. Read more about sister seasons and the logic behind it here.
For Light Summer, the sister season is Light Spring. For Soft Summer, it's Soft Autumn.
Could you pull off wearing terracotta, soft olive, warm beige, or warm plum? If so, you might be a Soft Summer.
Could you wear light lime, yellow, light coral, or warm lilac? If so, you might lean more towards Light Summer.
Comparing Soft Summer and Light Summer Celebrities
Soft Summer celebrities.
Light Summer celebrities.
Notice how the appearance of Soft Summers is slightly softer and more hazy and the features are more blended. Whereas, Light Summers have slightly lighter features, especially skin, and there is less blending and more of a delicate quality.
Read more about Summer celebrities here.
*It's important to note that most of these celebrities have not been truly color analysed and therefore, it's impossible to know their season with 100% certainty. However, their features and the way they look in certain colors are consistent with certain seasons. But as always, take celebrity analyses with a grain of salt.
Light Summer: The Light and Cool Palette
The Light Summer palette is filled with cool, soft colours that are light, delicate, ethereal and airy. These colours are gentle and harmonious, with an emphasis on cool pastels and light neutrals.
Key colours in this palette include:
Pastel Pink: A soft, cool pink with a hint of blue.
Icy Blue: A light, cool blue that feels fresh and clean.
Lavender: A gentle, cool purple that’s delicate and soothing.
Soft Mint: A cool, light green that’s refreshing and subtle.
Light Gray: A cool, neutral grey that complements the palette’s overall coolness.
Wardrobe Staples: Go for cool pastels, light greys, soft blues, and delicate lavenders. Think of airy, ethereal fabrics in these shades that create a serene, feminine and delicate look.
Makeup: Choose cool-toned makeup like soft pinks, cool mauves, and light greys. Avoid overly dark, warm, brown or orange-based products. Read more about makeup for Summers here.
Hair Color: Stick to cool-toned highlights or hair colours, such as ashy blonde or soft, cool browns. Avoid adding too much warmth or depth to your hair. Find out more about the best hair colors for Summers here.
Read more about Light Summers.
Soft Summer: The Muted and Cool Palette
The Soft Summer color palette is characterized by a wide range of cool, muted tones. Think of soft blues, grays, muted pinks, and gentle purples. The colors have a calm, serene quality to them.
Some key colors include:
Dusty Rose: A muted pink with a cool, almost blue undertone.
Muted Lavender: A soft, light purple that leans toward blue rather than red.
Soft Blue-Gray: A muted blue with grayish tones that cool it down further.
Muted Teal: A gentle teal that has been softened with a hint of gray.
Soft Periwinkle: A cool blue with a hint of purple, soft and delicate.
Wardrobe Staples: Go for soft blues, cool grays, muted purples, delicate pinks and mauves. Think of airy fabrics and soft knits in these shades.
Makeup: Opt for cool-toned makeup like rosy pinks, soft mauves, and cool browns. Avoid overly warm or orange-based products. Explore makeup tips for Summers here.
Hair Color: Stick to cool-toned highlights, like ashy blonde, dark blonde or soft, cool browns. Avoid too much warmth in your hair color. Find out more about the best hair colors for Summers here.
Read more about Soft Summers.
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