Light Summer vs True Summer

Soul of Colour
Dec 22, 2025
6 min read

Updated: 5 days ago

So, you’re pretty sure you’re a Summer. You’ve figured out that cool tones suit you best, you shine in lighter colors, and anything too warm or earthy drains you fast. But now you’re stuck on the details: are you a Light Summer or a True Summer? The difference can feel frustratingly subtle at first. Don’t worry, we’lll break it down in this blog post.

Both Light Summer and True Summer sit in the Summer family, which means they are cool, light-to-medium, and soft overall. They share a gentle, airy quality and look best in colors that feel calm rather than bold. But while they’re closely related, they are not the same season.

The difference lies in the primary characteristic.

For Light Summer, the primary characteristic is lightness
For True Summer, the primary characteristic is coolness

If we go back to the colour wheel, this becomes clearer:

Light Summer: light, cool, soft
True Summer: cool, soft, medium-light

Both are cool and muted, but Light Summer is pushed lighter and closer to Spring, while True Summer sits right at the heart of Summer - fully cool, balanced, and evenly muted.

True Summer colours are cool, with soft, desaturated tones. This palette has an air of serenity and feels gentle, evoking a cool, misty day. Even deeper shades within this palette (like soft navy) are more muted and never overpowering. True Summer colours generally have blue or grey undertones and all of the colors have a little bit of gray mixed into them to soften them.

The Light Summer colors are serene, airy, and slightly ethereal. 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.

So while both palettes are gentle and understated, Light Summer is airier and brighter, whereas True Summer is cooler and more grounded.

How to Determine If You’re a True Summer vs Light Summer?

To tell these two apart, you’ll want to focus on value (lightness) and temperature (degree of coolness).

Light Summer is very light and slightly more neutral-cool. True Summer is fully cool with a bit more depth.

1. Find Your Primary Characteristic:

This can be difficult to determine, since as a Summer you share all characteristics, regardless of your home season. The trick is finding out whether you are primarily light or primarily cool. Which one is your dominant characteristic?

What is the first thing that people might notice about your appearance? Is it the lightness? Or is it your crisp coolness, icy appearance and subtle contrast?
Do you gravitate more towards lighter neutral-cool colors or towards more crisp, cool and more saturated?
Do soft pastels like lavender, powder blue, light mint, icy pink feel effortless on you? Or do you look better in rose, slate blue, soft navy, cool mauve? Which one feels more harmonious?
Does your appearance have some contrast to it with darker hair and lighter skin (True Summer), or do your features tend to blend more together with lighter hair and light skin (Light Summer)?

2. Eye and Hair Color:

True Summer: True Summers typically have blue, grey, or soft green eyes. Their hair is often an ashy medium brown, cool brown, or light brown. There is usually a gentle contrast in their appearance, with darker hair and lighter skin and eyes. The contrast is not enough to make them a Winter but they do have the most contrast out of the Summer seasons.
Light Summer: Light Summers often have light blue, grey or soft green eyes. Their hair might be light blonde, dark blonde, or light brown with a slight ashy quality to it.

3. The Color Test:

Another great way to see which season suits you best is to pick up fabrics from the Light Summer and True Summer palettes and compare them to each other. Look at the effect the color has on your skin tone, eyes and lips.

Baby Pink vs. Dusty Rose: Which one makes your complexion look more vibrant?
Baby Blue vs Soft Navy: Which one brightens your eyes and skin?
Mint vs. Soft Sage: Which one makes you look more radiant?

This should give you some indication of which season might be your home season and which colours suit you best. Experiment a little with the different colours and watch how you feel and how other people react - some hints that you are on the right track are:

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 make-up

4. The Blonde Test

Can you pull off blonde hair? Light Summers often have naturally blonde (or dark blonde hair) and look good with blonde highlights. True Summers on the other hand, often don’t suit blonde very well and look much more harmonious with darker hair. They need that contrast in their appearance and blonde often makes them look washed out. People might often assume True Summers will look good in blonde, since they typically have fair skin and eyes and then be surprised when blonde actually does not look great.

5. Comparing Sister Seasons

Finally, the method that might give you the most reliable answer - 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 which shares the primary characteristic. You should be able to borrow some colors from your sister season and feel comfortable in that palette as well.

For Light Summer, the sister season is Light Spring. For True Summer, it's True Winter.

Could you pull off wearing light yellow, soft peach, soft apple green and aqua? Do you still look good in light gold jewellery if needed? If so, you might be a Light Summer.
Could you wear more vivid blues, reds, greens and purples? Do you look good with more contrast in your appearance? If so, you might lean more towards True Summer.

Light Summer: The Cool and Airy 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.

Check out the best and worst colors and color combinations for Light Summers in this in-depth color palette guide.

LIGHT SUMMER FULL PALETTE

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.
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.

True Summer: The Cool and Soft Palette

The True Summer palette is filled with cool, delicate, feminine and soft colours that are gentle and harmonious. These colours have a subtle, understated beauty that’s perfect for those who prefer a more natural, elegant look. Key colours include:

Soft Blue: A light, cool dusty blue with a soft, calming quality.
Rose Pink: A gentle, cool pink that’s soft and romantic.
Lavender: A cool, soft purple with a delicate, soothing feel.
Cool Gray: A soft, cool grey that’s neutral and elegant.
Soft Navy: A deep, cool blue that’s more muted and less intense than True Winter’s version.

Check out the best and worst colors and color combinations for True Summers in this in-depth color palette guide.

TRUE SUMMER FULL PALETTE

Wardrobe Staples: Choose soft, cool colours like dusty blue, rose pink, soft teal and lavender. Think light, flowy fabrics that create a calm, harmonious look.
Makeup: Opt for soft, cool tones in your makeup—think soft pink blushes, cool mauves, and light grey eyeshadows. Avoid anything too dark, intense, contrasting or warm.
Hair Color: Embrace cool, soft hair colours, such as ash blonde, light brown, or cool grey. Keep your hair colour light and avoid overly warm tones.

SOUL OF COLOR