True Summer Color Palette (Cool Summer)

True Summer is the coolest of the three Summer types in 12-season color analysis. Coolness leads and softness follows. The palette looks like a field of lavender and blue hydrangeas: blue-based pinks and purples, cool blues and sea greens, with no golden or orange shades at all.

True Summers usually have light-medium to medium coloring with low to medium contrast. Typical signs:

• hair in ash blonde to ash brown;
• eyes in grey-blue, blue, cool grey-green or soft cool brown;
• skin with a pink or blue undertone that turns pink, not golden, in the sun;
• gold jewelry and orange clothes make your skin look ruddy or yellow.

A quick test: compare a raspberry top with a tomato red one. If raspberry looks natural and tomato red makes your skin look red, you are on the True Summer side.

Navy, charcoal blue, blue grey, medium grey and soft white are your neutrals; they do the job black does for others. Build outfits around them with rose, raspberry, periwinkle and teal. Blue-based reds and pinks are your most flattering accents, and lavender and lilac add softness. Silver hardware and grey or navy frames suit you.

Orange, mustard, rust, camel, olive, golden brown, black and bright lime are the colors to avoid. They are too warm or too harsh for your cool, soft coloring. Keep them away from the face and choose navy, rose or blue near it.

Rose, cool pink, raspberry and berry lipsticks suit you, with rose or cool pink blush. Charcoal grey, navy, plum and grey taupe work well on the eyes. Hair looks best in ash blonde to ash brown; golden, red and copper tones fight your skin. Silver, white gold and platinum are your metals, with pearls, sapphire, amethyst and blue topaz.

True Summer sits between Soft Summer and True Winter. Compared with Soft Summer, it is clearer and bluer: if periwinkle and raspberry look better than greige and mauve, True Summer fits. Compared with True Winter, it is softer: if black, pure white and fuchsia look too harsh, you are the Summer.

See the palettes side by side: Soft Summer and True Winter.

If you are torn between True Summer and Soft Summer or True Winter, compare two colors from each palette under your chin in daylight; the one that makes your skin look smoother and your eyes clearer wins. A photo is a second opinion: the free selfie analysis reads your skin, hair and eye colors, and the color analysis quiz works without a photo. If it says Summer, the paid report tells you whether you are this type or a neighbor, with a printable True Summer color card. See pricing.

Yes. Some systems call it True Summer, others Cool Summer; both describe the coolest, most blue-based Summer type.

Black is usually too harsh. Navy, charcoal blue and slate are better dark neutrals for a True Summer.

Silver, white gold and platinum. Yellow gold tends to make cool skin look sallow.