Light Summer color palette.
Light Summer is the lightest of the cool seasons. The whole palette feels like a watercolour wash — pastels with a cool, slightly powdery quality. Where Light Spring is warm sunlight, Light Summer is the same brightness through cooler, hazier light.
The Light Summer swatches
These are the same swatches Better in Style uses inside its personal color analysis report. Hex codes are shown so you can match fabrics, paints or screen colours exactly.
The colouring this palette is made for
Hair is ash blonde, light cool brown or sandy with no golden cast. Skin is fair and cool — pink, neutral-cool or light beige with no peach. Eyes are usually a soft cool blue, grey-blue or cool light green. Contrast is low and the palette is built around that softness.
Best metals for Light Summer
Polished silver, white gold, light pewter and a very pale rose gold. Yellow gold, especially bright yellow gold, will look harsh against this cool, light face.
Anchor neutrals from your own palette
Cool dove grey (#D7D2D5), soft mushroom (#C9B6A8) with a cool undertone, and a cool taupe. Skip true black — go to a soft cool charcoal at the deepest, and lean on cool ivory rather than warm cream.
Lean into
- Powder blue, periwinkle, sky
- Soft rose pink, cool blush, dusty lavender
- Sage and cool mint
- Cool light raspberry instead of red
- Cool taupe and dove grey as neutrals
Lean away from
- Orange, mustard, terracotta — the 'pumpkin' family
- Warm camel and tobacco brown
- Pure black at the face (try a cool grey or navy)
- Bright tomato red and warm coral
Shopping note
Light Summer is the season most often mistyped as Light Spring. The litmus test is jewellery: if silver looks crisp and gold looks brassy on your wrist, you're cool, not warm. Trust the metal test before you trust online palette comparisons.