Light SummerversusTrue Summer

The Light Summer palette sits in the Summer family: The Light Summer palette is fresh, airy, and delicate. It's a blend of cool and neutral undertones, with an emphasis on lightness and subtlety. If you're a Light Summer, you'll glow in ethereal colors that are neither too bright nor too muted. The True Summer palette belongs to the Summer family: The True Summer palette, also known as Cool Summer, is the quintessential summer palette. It features entirely cool undertones with medium intensity. If you are a True Summer, you look best in colors that are serene and tranquil, like a calm ocean. The clearest way to tell them apart is to compare their signature shades side by side and notice which set feels more harmonious against your skin, hair, and eyes.

Both Light Summer and True Summer are variations within the Summer family, so they share an overall temperature and mood but differ in the specific shades, contrast, and saturation that flatter you most.

Light Summer leans on shades such as Powder Blue, Primrose Pink and Lavender Haze, while True Summer is anchored by tones like Icy Blue, Rose Pink and Deep Sea Green. Holding these signature colours next to your face is the simplest way to feel which palette harmonises with your colouring.

Seasonal colour analysis matches a palette to your natural undertone, contrast level, and the depth of your skin, hair, and eyes. Light Summer is characterised by neutral-cool undertones, whereas True Summer is characterised by purely cool undertones. Drape the key colours of each palette in natural light and choose the set that makes your skin look clearer and more even.

Faces often associated with the Light Summer palette include Naomi Watts, Gwyneth Paltrow and Cate Blanchett. Examples linked to the True Summer palette include Emily Blunt, Kate Middleton and Allison Williams. These examples are illustrative — your own colouring is the most reliable guide.