Soft Summer Color Palette
By the Skintonic team · SKINTONIC LLC · Updated
Soft Summers have gentle, blended coloring that leans cool. Hair is often mousy or ash brown, skin is neutral to cool, and eyes are soft gray, gray-green or muted blue. Muted, dusty colors make you look elegant. Bright, clear colors make you look washed out. The Soft Summer color palette is dusty and blended on purpose, matching that quietness instead of fighting it.
You are likely a Soft Summer if:
- Your hair is a soft ash or mousy brown or blond, without strong shine or golden tones.
- Your skin is neutral-cool and nothing about your coloring stands out sharply.
- Your eyes are soft and blended: gray-green, gray-blue or soft hazel.
- Bright colors like hot pink or electric blue look loud on you.
- Dusty colors look rich and expensive on you rather than dull.
What a Soft Summer looks like
Your key feature is softness. Your hair, skin and eyes blend together with low contrast and no sharp edges. Your undertone leans cool, but not strongly, so muted cool colors suit you best.
Many Soft Summers think their coloring is plain. It is not. It is just easily overpowered. Bright colors take over, while muted colors match your natural gentleness and make you look refined.
Soft Summer color palette
- Muted Burgundy#7A4552
- Deep Sage#5E6E56
- Soft Navy#3E4C5E
- Dusty Plum#6E4A5E
- Deep Muted Teal#3E6E6C
- Dusty Rose#C08497
- Muted Teal#4E8C8A
- Soft Plum#8A5C74
These are dusty, grayed colors with real depth. They look best worn together in tonal outfits. For neutrals, choose taupe, greige, mushroom, soft gray or soft charcoal.
Three easy outfits
Weekend
A Muted Teal sweater with soft gray jeans and taupe sneakers. Calm, tonal and easy to wear.
Smart casual
A Soft Navy shirt or knit with a greige or mushroom jacket and soft charcoal trousers. Quiet and polished.
Going out
A Dusty Rose or Muted Burgundy top with a soft charcoal blazer and brushed silver jewelry. Soft color with depth.
Colors that work against you
Avoid anything bright, neon or stark. Neon orange, bright yellow, hot pink, bright red and electric blue are all too vivid and pull attention away from your face. Pure black is too harsh for soft coloring.
If you need a dark neutral, soft charcoal or soft navy looks far more natural than black.
Soft Summer or Soft Autumn?
Both are soft and muted with low contrast. The difference is undertone. Soft Summer leans cool; Soft Autumn leans warm.
Hold a dusty rose and a soft terracotta under your chin. If rose looks better, lean Soft Summer. If terracotta looks better, lean Soft Autumn. Brushed silver usually suits Soft Summer; soft gold suits Soft Autumn.
Soft Summer or Cool Summer?
Cool Summer is cooler and a little clearer, so it can wear raspberry and blueberry. Soft Summer is more muted. If clear cool colors look a bit sharp on you, you are more likely a Soft Summer.
Quick tips
- Metal: brushed or soft silver, pewter or rose gold. Avoid shiny bright yellow gold.
- Glasses: taupe, gray, soft plum or matte silver frames.
- Hair: soft ash and beige tones. Very dark or very bright dyes add too much contrast.
Questions
What is the best neutral for a Soft Summer?
Taupe, greige and soft gray. They are the base of almost every great Soft Summer outfit.
Can a Soft Summer wear black?
It is usually too harsh near the face. Soft charcoal is the better choice.
Is Soft Summer the same as Muted Summer?
Yes. Some systems call it Muted 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 Soft Summer carries it near the face, lower down, or not at all.
More on Soft Summer
Soft Summer hair color · Soft Summer makeup · Soft Summer outfits · Soft 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
Soft Summer vs Light Summer · Soft Summer vs Cool Summer · Soft Summer vs Soft Autumn
Related
The whole summer color palette · Color analysis quiz · All 12 seasons · Undertone test · Color combinations · How the four factors work