What Is a Soft Summer Color Palette?

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A run-down of this cool-toned seasonal palette

Co-authored by Aly Rusciano Reviewed by Maja Koziara

Last Updated: August 14, 2025 References

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Soft Summer Characteristics

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Soft Summer Features

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Styling Dos & Don’ts

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Soft Summer vs. Soft Autumn

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Soft Summer Celebrities

The Soft Summer palette is like a rainy day full of misty clouds and dewdrops. Think of the weather right before the leaves start to change—when the air is moist and a gray fog drapes over the world—that’s the Soft Summer aesthetic. People with a Soft Summer color palette have a soft appearance and neutral features, so what does that mean for their overall look? If you’re a Soft Summer, you may be a bit lost on what colors to wear. In this article, we’ll break down your seasonal color palette and describe what clothes, makeup, and hair will look best on you.

Things You Should Know

Soft Summers have gray, blue, or hazel eyes and a cool or neutral skin tone with pink undertones.
Soft Summers look best in muted colors with blue undertones, such as dusty purple, pale blue, and gray teal.
Soft Summers shine with cool, neutral makeup, like gray or purple eyeshadow and mauve or dusty pink blush.

Section 1 of 6:

Soft Summer Characteristics

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The chroma of a color determines its brightness or saturation, and the Soft Summer palette has a low chroma.^{[1]
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Research source} This means the colors in the palette are muted and gray, appearing faded rather than bright.
The Soft Summer color palette has a cooler tone than other Summer seasons. This means that colors with blue undertones look best on a Soft Summer. Because of this, there are fewer yellow-hued tones in the palette.^{[2]
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The Soft Summer color palette has a medium value, meaning it doesn’t have primarily dark or light colors. Because of this, Soft Summers can style a variety of color shades without overpowering their natural glow.^{[3]
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Section 2 of 6:

Soft Summer Features

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If you’re a Soft Summer, your eyes probably always have a gray tone. They’re not super bright or bold, but subtle, like a rainy day.^{[4]
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Neutral or cool skin tone Soft Summers usually have a neutral or cool skin tone with an ashy or pink undertone. More often than not, if you’re a Soft Summer, silver and gold jewelry looks good on you. You probably have freckles, too.
- Determine your skin tone by looking at the color of the veins on the inside of your wrist. Soft Summers tend to have green, blue, or purple veins.
If you’re a Soft Summer, your hair might have gray undertones, giving it a dull or ashy tone. Your hair may be lighter but darker than a dirty blond, and if it’s dark, it’s likely too light to be considered a deep brown or charcoal.

Section 3 of 6:

Soft Summer Styling Dos & Don’ts

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Clothing colors When it comes to clothes, Soft Summers should veer towards muted, blue and gray tones.^{[5]
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Research source} Bright yellows and bold reds can drain your complexion and overpower your natural glow. Here’s a quick overview of what colors you should and shouldn’t wear as a Soft Summer:
- Colors to wear:
  - Gray brown
  - Gray green
  - Almond
  - Dark lava
  - Gray blue
  - Light blue
  - Light green
  - Gray teal
  - Muted purple
  - Tuscan red
- Colors to avoid:
  - Sunflower yellow
  - Orange
  - Mustard
  - Tomato red
  - Caramel
  - Lime green
  - Bright pink
  - Royal blue
- Can Soft Summers wear black? Black isn’t included in the Soft Summer palette because its dark tone can overpower the season’s muted tones. Instead of wearing black, try a dark berry or lava to bring out your best features.
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Patterns As a Soft Summer, stick to muted, low-contrast prints. Bold and busy patterns can overpower your natural glow and be too harsh against your skin tone. So, rather than reaching for a loud Hawaiian shirt, opt for something with a dainty floral pattern or very light and dark colors together.
- Abstract and watercolor prints typically gear towards a Soft Summer color palette.
- With geometric patterns, stick with softer lines and cool tones.
- Wear stripes and plaids as long as they feature colors from the color palette.
- Animal prints are more than okay if they’re muted and feature a gray-tone scale (such as a gray leopard print or blue snakeskin).
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Makeup Soft Summers shine in neutral, cooler tones. Avoid bright and warm tones, such as coral blushes, golden eyeshadows, and orange lipsticks if you're a Soft Summer. Instead, opt for natural tones with a blue base, such as dusty purples, grays, and pearly whites.
- Rather than a bold, red lip, opt for a muted red with a neutral undertone (which isn’t too deep or bright).
- Gravitate toward eyeshadow palettes with muted pinks, blues, grays, and browns.
- Opt for a dusty pink, mauve, or berry blush.
- Highlight your eyes with a gray smokey eye.
Soft Summers look the most flattering with cool, ashy blond or medium brown hair. Because of the natural gray tones in your skin, it’s best to stay away from warm, bold, and vibrant colors that could wash you out. For instance, opt for a medium ash blonde color over a honey, strawberry, or platinum blonde.^{[6]
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Nail polish Soft Summers look best in muted burgundy, purple, and green nail polishes. Avoid overpowering your skin tone and overall glow by moving away from vibrant and bright colors and opting for muted tones instead.
- Wear a pale gray blue, dusty purple, or soft gray polish to accentuate your natural tones.

Section 4 of 6:

Soft Summer vs. Soft Autumn

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While these color palettes are sisters, they’re far from twins. Soft Summers look best in gentle, muted tones (like grays and olives). On the other hand, Soft Autumns glow in walnuts, beiges, and gold pigments.^{[7]
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Section 5 of 6:

Soft Summer Celebrities

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Take a look at this list of celebrities that have a Soft Summer color palette. If you’re complexion or features match theirs, you may be a Soft Summer!^{[8]
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- Bella Hadid
- Dakota Johnson
- Denise Vasi
- Hugh Grant
- Jennifer Aniston
- Katie Holmes
- Kristen Stewart
- Leona Lewis
- Maisie Williams
- Miley Cyrus
- Patrick Dempsey
- Rachel McAdams
- Rami Malek

Section 6 of 6:

How do you know if you’re a Soft Summer?

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Determine if you’re a Soft Summer by examining your features. While a stylist, professional color analyst, or fashion expert is the best person to analyze your color palette, you can still give it a try at home! To find your seasonal color palette, compare your physical traits to this list. If you answer “yes” to them, you’re likely a Soft Summer.
- I have gray, gray blue, green, or hazel eyes.
- I have a neutral or cool skin tone.
- I have dark blond or medium brown hair.

Join the Discussion...

What are the most common seasonal color trends?

Maja Koziara
Color Analysis Expert

Over the past five years, we can see some color trends that are really popular, because they reflect the style of each season:

Spring: bold and fresh colors such as pink, mint, and coral.

Summer: muted, cool tones like lavender, dusty rose, and light blue.

Autumn: warm, deep shades like burnt orange, mustard, and olive.

Winter: deep and rich colors like navy, burgundy, emerald, and black.

Pantone, the company that sets worldwide color standards has the major influence in selecting these color trends. Every year, Pantone selects a Color of the Year and seasonal color palettes that many designers and brands use. These colors create trends in clothing, home decor, and beauty.

The Color of the Year 2025 is Mocha Mousse. This shade is a warm and soft light brown inspired by cacao and coffee. It’s perfect for creating your balanced look and is already popular in fashion collections.