Deep skin
If your swaps land you here, keep the muted colors rich in depth, like a deep rose or a soft plum, and check them at your jaw and lips. A very dusty, pale shade can read gray on deep skin.
- Deep rose
- Soft plum
Summer, the soft one
SoftSummer.
Think blended, muted color where nothing jumps ahead of your face.
- Dusty rose
#C98393At the window - Soft plum
#8A5E82On a video call - Greige
#B5AEA6In the closet
01 Is this you
Is this you?
- DepthMedium
- ClaritySoft
- TemperatureCool-leaning
Clarity leads. Softness stands out first, so clarity names this season, and a cool to neutral lean decides which side of the ring it sits on.
Muted, mixed colors tend to read as part of you, and very clear, saturated ones can compete with your face.
02 Your colors
Your colors.
Tap a color to copy its HEX.
Neutrals
Accents
Statements
Handle with care
Best white
Soft white
#F2F0ECA softer black
Dusty charcoal
#55595EDenim
Faded medium blue-gray wash
03 Wear it
Wear it.
Keep muted, blended color closest to your face.
Try dusty rose, mauve or gray-blue.
Soft white, gray-taupe and muted navy are your neutrals.
If black reads stark, try dusty charcoal near your face.
Keep your pieces close in lightness and blend the edges.
Add one muted accent near your face.
04 Neighbors
Or a neighbor?
Soft Autumn
Soft Summer
Soft Autumn
Both are soft. Soft Autumn leans warm where Soft Summer leans cool.
The swap test. Run two swaps, one at a time: dusty pink against dusty terracotta, then gray-taupe against warm khaki. Hold each under your chin by a window.
True Summer
Soft Summer
True Summer
Both lean cool. True Summer keeps a little more clarity, where Soft Summer is more muted.
The swap test. Hold a dusty blue-pink under your chin by a window, then a cleaner blue-pink at the same depth. If the dusty one keeps your face first, you are closer to Soft Summer.
05 Your skin
Same season, your skin.
Olive skin
Olive tends to sit between warm and cool, so Soft Summer and Soft Autumn can look close. Hold a dusty rose and a soft terracotta by a window and ask whether your skin looks grayer or more yellow-green.
- Dusty rose
Medium to tan skin
A tan can shift your depth reading, so run the strip again in another season. Mauve and gray-blue are easy first swaps to hold against a warm terracotta.
- Mauve
Fair skin
Redness in your cheeks can look like a cool undertone when it is only blood flow, so test with a rested face. Dusty rose against a clearer pink, by a window, shows how much softness you want.
- Dusty rose
07 Questions
Questions about Soft Summer.
Two apps gave me two seasons.
Photos carry their own light, and a consultant's room has another. The two answers are often next door: Soft Autumn and True Summer.
Can deep skin be Soft Summer?
If your swaps land you here, keep the muted colors rich in depth, like a deep rose or a soft plum, and check them at your jaw and lips. A very dusty, pale shade can read gray on deep skin.
Do I have to give up black?
No. Dusty charcoal does the black job near your face.
Is Soft Summer the same as Soft Autumn?
No, but they are neighbors. Both are soft, and they differ in temperature: Soft Summer leans cool where Soft Autumn leans warm.
Can Soft Summer wear black and white?
Stark black and stark white can read hard next to a blended coloring. Softer versions tend to sit better: soft white, dusty charcoal and muted navy keep the contrast gentle.
What lip color suits Soft Summer?
Dusty rose or mauve tends to read as part of a soft coloring. Pick the depth by how far your lips sit from your skin, and swatch by a window.
Carry Soft Summer with you.
A closet in blended, cool-leaning colors with outfit formulas, the words for a colorist, and a page for your skin tone.
or just the palette on your phone
Not sure it is yours? Take the free test.
