Soft Summer Color Palette & Full Guide: All You Need To Know

This guide has all you need to know about the Soft Summer color palette, prints, color combos, makeup, and more.

You're in the right place to build your perfect Soft Summer wardrobe and express your true self.

Sit back, relax with your favorite drink, and enjoy the reading.

Reading time: 8' 

 

1. Features – Muted & Cool

You're a Soft Summer because your overall coloring is mostly muted, with a secondary cool tone.

Your defining characteristic is the seamless blending of your skin, eyes, and hair. Your features aren't vibrant or lively; instead, they have a subdued, "greyed out" quality.

This results in a soft and muted appearance.

The contrast between your skin, eyes, and hair ranges from low to medium. This highlights how well your coloring blends, avoiding stark contrasts.

Additionally, your undertones tend towards cooler tones, making silver a more flattering choice than gold for your skin.

 

1.1 Eyes

Your eyes have a soft, greyed appearance. While they are clearer and less muddy than Soft Autumn eyes, they are not particularly bright.

A common feature of the Summer eye is the presence of a crackled glass pattern on the iris.

 

1.2 Hair

Hair color spans from medium ash blonde to light to medium ash brown.

Soft Summer hair tends to be consistently muted and ashy because of the prevalence of grey pigments. It never appears saturated or bright.

Sunlight exposure may lead to the development of ash blonde highlights.

 

1.3 Skin

Your skin tone is either neutral or neutral-cool, with ashy undertones and possibly a hint of pink. This allows both silver and gold to complement your skin, although silver tends to be more flattering.

Skin tones vary from fair to tan, but they lean towards muted rather than vibrant. Soft Summers may also have freckles.

In the case of Bella Hadid, her skin is fair with neutral undertones.

 

1.4 Contrast

The contrast level between your features ranges from low to medium, depending on the combination of hair and skin.

In the images above, you'll observe that the hair is darker than the skin, but the contrast remains relatively subtle.

The image doesn't have distinct light or dark areas, and its overall coloring stays within a medium value range.

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2. Color dimensions

Soft Summer's colors lean towards the cool end of the hue scale, with more blue undertones than yellow. This results in fewer warm shades of yellow, replaced by cooler variations with a touch of blue.

The palette mainly comprises blues, pinks, and greys, all mainly blue-based and cooler in nature.

With a medium value scale, neither light nor dark colors dominate, offering a balanced mix.

On the chroma scale, the colors are medium, striking a balance between muted and vibrant. The Soft Summer's overall appearance benefits from a diverse range of hues due to this versatility.

 

3. Color Palette

True to your primary aspect, the palette includes muted and gentle colors. These shades harmonize with the low to medium contrast of this season's natural appearance.

The palette comprises less saturated, low-contrast, and cool toned hues, mainly leaning towards greys and blue-based tones. Highlighting pinks, purples, blues, and greens, these colors possess a nuanced and elusive quality, contributing to their complex appearance.

Soft Summer resides on the cusp of Summer and Autumn. It combines muted, cool, and light elements with added warmth and brownish tones from Autumn.

This blend results in a palette that is both faded and deep, making Soft Summer the darkest among the Summer family.

 

3.1 Best Colors

Some fabulous color choices include:

True black, a Winter color, is too harsh for you. It can make you appear aged and unhealthy. Instead, opt for softer, muted, greyish dark browns as your dark neutrals.

Pure white, a Winter color, is too intense for your soft coloring. Instead, opt for light greys, sand tones, and muted browns as your light neutrals.

 

3.2 Worst Colors

Your least flattering colors are those that are vibrant and warm.

Apart from white and black, bold colors clash with your inherent softness. Intense pinks and blues, for instance, may overpower your natural appearance.

Warm, rich colors, such as orangey reds and earthy browns, are also unflattering for you as they will clash with your cool undertones.

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4. Metals & Accessories

For Soft Summer transitioning into Autumn, both warm and cool metals can work.

However, silver is generally more flattering and reliable. When choosing gold, opt for a less orange, dark, or rich hue; rose gold can be suitable if it leans towards pink.

Embrace gentle and muted metal finishes such as brushed, matte, satin, and hammered.

Antiqued metals can also complement your palette, as long as they aren't overly dark.

Avoid overly bright and shiny metals, as they may overpower your delicate coloring. Consider pearls with complex coloring, spanning from light to medium-dark.

 

5. Color Combinations

Technically, you can combine any colors from the Soft Summer palette. However, the best combinations are those that match the natural low-to-medium contrast in your appearance.

Opt for monochromatic combinations, like pairing different shades of the same hue, for a harmonious look.

You can combine neighboring hues with the same value, like lavender purple with a lighter blue. Instead, mix a neutral with a similar-value accent color, such as light beige with a similarly light yellow.

 

 

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6. Prints

6.1 Colors

Opt for patterns that exclusively feature Soft Summer colors, as seen in the first example below.

The second example contains too much of a clashing color (which is dark and warm). Avoid this pattern.

6.2 Contrast

Choose patterns that align with your medium contrast natural coloring, avoiding those that are overly bold.

In the example below, the second pattern exhibits a high contrast between elements, making it less flattering.

6.3 Pattern arrangements

If you have a Soft Summer color palette, opt for gentle and delicate patterns. Look for designs with small and loosely arranged elements, like watercolor florals, textures, feathers, birds, and flowers.

Avoid large, ordered arrangements and stiff geometric patterns that clash with a soft and delicate appearance.

7. Makeup

Your appearance is inherently gentle, with less saturated and greyish undertones. The overall lack of saturation results in a low to medium contrast between features.

To achieve a balanced makeup look, it's important to mimic these natural characteristics in your makeup routine.

Keep in mind that a natural look for you is subtle and understated.

Soft Summer individuals effortlessly embody the essence of 'nude makeup' in its true sense. They reflect the softness and muted elegance of this color palette.

 

7.1 Foundation & concealer

Your skin is neutral or neutral-cool with an ashy appearance.

However, it's not possible to give recommendations on complexion make-up - such as foundation and concealer. These are best color-matched to your individual skin.

Your foundation and concealer are best matte and smooth.

Avoid shiny and dewy finishes with warm undertones, as these will clash with your naturally cooler complexion.

 

7.2 Bronzer & contouring

You can gracefully incorporate subtle bronzing and contouring, thanks to the gentle warmth of Autumn.

Opt for a medium pink-gold powder as an excellent bronzer.

When contouring, select a cool, matte shade or a powder foundation that is two shades darker than your usual tone.

Make sure your application is smooth by blending your products thoroughly and applying them in gentle swirls.

Avoid creating harsh lines that may appear too prominent on your soft features.

 

7.3 Blush Palette

Your blush and lip colors come from the pink and plum areas of the Soft Summer color palette.

Soft Summer offers a delightful array of pink tones on its palette. This gives you many blush options to enhance your natural glow.

Choose blushers with a matte finish, as anything overly sparkly or shiny may appear less flattering. Blending your blusher seamlessly is crucial for a polished look. Avoid harsh lines that can be too pronounced for a Soft Summer aesthetic.

Avoid blushers with overly warm undertones, like oranges and reds, as they may not complement your cooler complexion effectively.

 

7.4 Lipstick

Better select lipsticks with a matte finish. Glossy and sparkly finishes may not complement your look as well, so it's best to stick with matte options for a polished appearance.

 

8. Eye makeup

8.1 Eyeshadows

The neutral eyeshadow colors that complement you include creams, browns, and greys.

For highlight eyeshadows, consider the muted, cool tones of pinks, plums, blues, or greens from your palette.

Choose eyeshadows with a matte finish to subtly enhance your muted appearance. Steer clear of shimmer or glitter, as they can create an overstated effect.

Also, avoid overly dark or bright colors as they may appear overly dramatic. Steer clear of those with a strong yellow undertone.

 

8.2 Mascara

Because you are a member of one of the most muted color seasons, your palette leans towards desaturation.

This implies that excessively bold or bright colors may appear stark against your natural tones. Similarly, black mascara might come across as too harsh.

Opting for cooler browns and dark grey shades offers a more harmonious and flattering choice for your makeup.

 

8.3 Eyeliner

Eyeliners come in various colors like brown, grey, purple, or navy. Choose a color that complements your eyes for a natural look.

Opt for non-saturated colors with subtle transitions. When using eyeshadow, choose an eyeliner color different from the eyeshadow but not significantly darker for a seamless appearance.

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Written by Alexandra Stan