Lipstick colors
- Dusty rose
- Rose mauve
- Berry gray
- Cool nude
- Soft raspberry
Soft Summer lip colors are blue-based but grayed. Skip coral, orange-red and peachy nudes.
Soft Summer · muted, cool & smoky
Soft Summer Color Palette
Soft Summer is the most muted of the cool seasons: dusty rose, rose mauve, blue-gray, sage gray and slate navy — colors with a soft, smoky veil, like a watercolor left in the sun.
Soft Summers sit right next to Soft Autumn on the color wheel, so their coloring is gentle and blended, with just enough coolness that gold and orange look slightly off. The right palette makes the skin look clear and the eyes noticeably brighter.
- Cool-neutral
- Medium depth
- Low contrast
- Smoky, muted
- Dusty Rose#BC8E98
- Rose Mauve#A57886
- Heather#A8949F
- Soft Lavender#A79BB8
- Dusty Blue#8EA2B6
- Blue Gray#8A99A6
- Sage Gray#95A39B
Soft SummerMuted, cool & smoky
Palette
Soft Summer colors with HEX codes
An original 24-color Soft Summer palette. The neutrals carry most outfits; the core colors go near the face; the accents add depth. Select a swatch to copy its HEX code.
Neutrals
Core colors
Accents
Soft Summer is a 12-season type shown as reference content. Our free photo analysis estimates one of the four main seasons.
Lips first
Soft Summer lipstick, makeup and nail polish
A lip color is an easy way to try Soft Summer. Compare a muted rose or berry-gray with your natural coloring, then adjust the depth to suit your preferences.
Blush & eyeshadow
- Cool rose blush
- Gray lilac
- Taupe
- Slate
A Soft Summer eyeshadow palette is matte and cool: taupe, gray lilac, slate and soft plum. Use gray-brown liner.
Nail polish
- Gray pink
- Mauve
- Blue gray
- Soft plum
Soft Summer nail colors: gray-pink, mauve, blue-gray and soft plum. Muted, never neon.
Hair color
Best hair colors for Soft Summer
Soft Summer hair is naturally ash: dark blonde, "dishwater" blonde or cool light-to-medium brown. The best hair dye keeps that cool, smoky base and adds soft dimension.
Flattering shades
- Ash blonde
- Mushroom brown
- Cool light brown
- Soft ash brown
- Beige blonde (cool)
Use with care
- Golden copper
- Jet black
- Yellow blonde
Soft Summer blonde hair looks best as ash or beige blonde with fine, low-contrast highlights. Brunettes look polished in mushroom brown or soft ash brown. Gray blending is especially flattering, because silver is already part of the palette.
Warm copper, golden blonde and jet black are the hair colors to approach carefully. More options by undertone are in what hair color suits me.
Clothing
Soft Summer outfits and capsule wardrobe
Soft Summer clothes look their best tonal and low-contrast. Swap black for charcoal blue, white for soft white, and let one smoky color lead.
Capsule pieces
- Soft white tee
- Pewter cardigan
- Slate navy blazer
- Charcoal blue trousers
- Cocoa gray knit
- Dusty blue shirt
- Dusty rose dress
- Sage gray trench
- Muted teal scarf
- Cool taupe bag
Outfit formulas
- Smoky neutrals
Cocoa gray knit, pewter trousers and soft white sneakers.
- Blue on blue
Dusty blue shirt under a slate navy blazer, with denim blue jeans.
- Rose and gray
A dusty rose dress with a pewter cardigan and silver jewelry.
- Soft Summer men
Charcoal blue suit, blue-gray shirt and a muted teal tie; gray or taupe shoes.
By color family
Soft Summer neutrals, blues, greens, pinks and browns
Neutrals
Soft Summer neutrals are grayed: soft white, pewter, taupe and charcoal blue.
Blues & greens
Soft Summer greens are blue-leaning and gray — eucalyptus and spruce, not olive.
Pinks
Soft Summer pinks are dusty and blue-based.
Browns
Soft Summer browns are rosy or grayed — cocoa, taupe and rose brown, never camel.
Wear with care
Soft Summer colors to avoid
Soft Summer worst colors are the ones that are warm, saturated or extremely light-dark.
Wear with care: Orange
Try instead: Raspberry MistWarm brights turn the skin ruddy; raspberry mist gives warmth-free color.
Wear with care: Mustard
Try instead: Sage GrayGolden yellows look sallow. Use sage gray or eucalyptus as your earthy color.
Wear with care: Black
Try instead: Charcoal BlueBlack is too harsh; charcoal blue or slate navy are just as smart.
Wear with care: Camel
Try instead: Cool TaupeCamel is a warm neutral; cool taupe gives the same softness without the gold.
Coloring
Soft Summer coloring: how to recognize it
Soft Summer coloring is defined by muted chroma first and coolness second. Skin is neutral-cool to cool — beige with a pinkish or slightly grayish cast — and may show some redness. Hair is ash blonde to medium ash brown. Eyes are gray-blue, gray-green, soft hazel or cool gray-brown, often with a gray ring.
In black-and-white photos, Soft Summers look soft and tonal. Bright white or black next to the face makes them look tired; dusty rose or blue-gray makes the skin look even.
There is also a deeper Soft Summer — people with darker ash-brown hair who are still clearly muted and cool. They can lean into the deeper end of the palette: slate navy, spruce gray and berry gray.
Celebrities
Soft Summer celebrities
Often-cited Soft Summer celebs, for a sense of the gentle, cool-muted impression.
- Kate MiddletonCool brown hair, neutral-cool skin, soft contrast.
- Sarah Jessica ParkerMuted ash-blonde and blended features.
- Taylor SwiftNatural ash-blonde coloring often cited as Soft Summer.
- Jennifer LawrenceFrequently listed as Soft Summer when her hair is ash.
- Kristen StewartMedium ash brown hair and gray-green eyes.
- Prince WilliamA frequently cited male Soft Summer example.
Based on public photos and widely shared opinions; not official analyses.
Comparisons
Soft Summer vs True Summer and Light Summer
vs True (Cool) Summer
- Soft Summer vs True Summer (soft summer vs cool summer): True Summer is cooler and a touch clearer — raspberry and cornflower.
- If clearer cool colors look fresh rather than loud, you lean True Summer.
vs Light Summer
- Soft Summer vs Light Summer: Light Summer is lighter and airier; Soft Summer can go deeper and grayer.
- Pastels look sweet on Light Summer and a little faded on Soft Summer.
Unsure whether you are Soft Summer or Soft Autumn? Read the full [Soft Autumn vs Soft Summer](/color-seasons/soft-autumn-vs-soft-summer) comparison.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the questions people ask most about this topic.
What colors are in the Soft Summer color palette?
Muted, cool colors of medium depth: dusty rose, rose mauve, heather, soft lavender, dusty blue, blue-gray, sage gray, muted teal, soft plum and berry gray, with soft white, pewter, cool taupe, cocoa gray and slate navy as neutrals.
What lipstick colors suit Soft Summer?
Dusty rose, rose mauve, berry gray, cool nude and soft raspberry. Avoid coral, orange-red and peachy nudes.
What is the best hair color for Soft Summer?
Ash or beige blonde, mushroom brown, cool light brown and soft ash brown, with fine low-contrast highlights.
What colors should Soft Summer avoid?
Orange, mustard, camel, bright warm colors, stark black and optic white. Use raspberry mist, sage gray, cool taupe and charcoal blue instead.
Can Soft Summer wear black?
Black is usually too harsh near the face. Charcoal blue, slate navy and cocoa gray are the Soft Summer alternatives.
Is Soft Summer cool or warm?
Cool-neutral: it is the warmest of the Summers but still cooler than Soft Autumn. Gold and orange look slightly off; silver and rose look natural.
See which season your photo points to
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