Cool Summer Color Palette
By the Skintonic team · SKINTONIC LLC · Updated
Cool Summers have clearly cool coloring with medium depth and a soft finish. Hair is often ash brown or ash blond, skin has a pink or rosy undertone, and eyes are gray, blue or cool hazel. Cool, medium colors make you look polished. Warm colors make you look tired. The Cool Summer color palette holds its depth without ever warming up.
You are likely a Cool Summer if:
- Your hair is ash brown, ash blond or turned silver early, with no golden or red tones.
- Your skin has pink or rosy undertones and may flush easily.
- Your eyes are cool: gray, soft blue, gray-green or cool brown.
- Orange, camel and rust make your skin look yellow or gray.
- Silver jewelry looks clean on you; yellow gold looks off.
What a Cool Summer looks like
Your main feature is a cool undertone. Unlike winters, your coloring is not high contrast: hair, skin and eyes blend together softly. Unlike Light Summer, you have medium depth, so you can wear richer cool colors without looking overwhelmed.
The right colors for you are cool and calm, with enough depth to hold their own. Raspberry, blueberry and cool teal all fit that description.
Cool Summer color palette
- Deep Raspberry#A83358
- Blueberry#3D4F91
- Plum#6E3B60
- Cool Teal#2C7C82
- Cool Burgundy#7A2E3E
- Raspberry#C33C63
- Cornflower#4E7AB5
- Cool Fuchsia#C24E93
These cool, medium-deep colors are your power shades. Use them on shirts, sweaters and scarves. For neutrals, choose cool gray, slate, soft navy or cool charcoal.
Three easy outfits
Weekend
A Blueberry sweater with gray jeans and white sneakers. An easy cool outfit that brings out gray and blue eyes.
Smart casual
A Cool Teal shirt or blouse with a slate gray jacket and navy trousers. Calm, polished and fully cool.
Going out
A Deep Raspberry or Plum top with a cool charcoal jacket and silver jewelry. Rich color without warmth.
Colors that work against you
Avoid warm and earthy colors. Orange clashes directly with your undertone. Camel, rust, olive and bright gold all bring out yellow in your skin. Bright yellow is too warm and loud.
If you like earth tones, swap them for cool versions: cool taupe instead of camel, plum instead of rust.
Cool Summer or Cool Winter?
Both are fully cool. The difference is contrast and clarity. Cool Winter has high contrast and can wear black, pure white and vivid colors. Cool Summer is softer and looks best in calmer, slightly muted cool colors.
Try true black against soft navy near your face. If black looks sharp and striking, lean Cool Winter. If it looks harsh and soft navy looks better, lean Cool Summer.
Cool Summer or Soft Summer?
Soft Summer is more muted and a little less cool, with grayed, dusty colors. Cool Summer is cooler and slightly clearer. If dusty sage and taupe look great on you, you may be a Soft Summer.
Quick tips
- Metal: silver, white gold or pewter.
- Glasses: gray, cool blue, plum or silver frames.
- Hair: ash and cool tones. Golden highlights usually fight your undertone.
Questions
What is the best neutral for a Cool Summer?
Cool gray, slate and soft navy. They give depth without the harshness of black.
Can a Cool Summer wear black?
Black is usually too harsh near the face. Cool charcoal or soft navy gives the same effect more gently.
Is Cool Summer the same as True Summer?
Yes. Some systems call it True Summer because it is the coolest, most typical summer.
Check any color against your season
Holding something in a shop and not sure? The free color checker takes any color and tells you whether Cool Summer carries it near the face, lower down, or not at all.
More on Cool Summer
Cool Summer hair color · Cool Summer makeup · Cool Summer outfits · Cool Summer colors to avoid
If this is you
Colors for cool undertones · Colors for medium skin · Colors for brown hair · Colors that make blue eyes pop
Often confused with
Cool Summer vs Light Summer · Cool Summer vs Cool Winter · Cool Summer vs Soft Summer
Related
The whole summer color palette · Color analysis quiz · All 12 seasons · Undertone test · Color combinations · How the four factors work