In this article you will discover:
- The Soft Summer palette, Soft Summer Makeup, Hair and Jewellery
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Common characteristics of a Soft Summer
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The benefits of using the Soft Summer palette for your wardrobe
- The Soft Summer outfit secrets to looking effortless
- If you should have a seasonal colour analysis for a professional confirmation
After styling countless clients both in London and through our online service, we know that the colour analysis process is not always straightforward.
To ensure accuracy, it is necessary to consider both your undertones and the contrast between your eyes, skin tone and hair.
This will enable us to determine the shades that will be the most favourable for your unique appearance.
By matching your colours, undertones and contrast level, you can make sure your features are presented in the most attractive way.
5 common characteristics of a Soft Summer
It is important to remember that everyone is unique and even if you are a Soft Summer, you may not have all the characteristics typically associated with the season.
This is especially true for people of colour, as colour analysis advice is regularly tailored to those with lighter skin tones.
As experienced stylists who are also of mixed racial backgrounds, this issue is something that we can relate to on a personal level.
Given the need to consider nuance, here are 5 typical features of a Soft Summer:
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Your natural appearance is only slightly cool with ashy and pink undertones. You can be considered neutral cool and you may have tanned skin.
- Soft Sumemr eyes have a grey look to them, no matter if they are blue, green or brown (such as grey hazel)
- There is not a striking contrast between your hair, skin and eye colour. Instead, you will have a soft and ashy appearance.
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Soft Summer lip colours naturally have pink undertones and look pink in appearance
- Your hair is cool and ashy rather than warm and red
Please note, the vein analysis is not the most accurate way to determine your colour season as we also take into account your contrast levels.
Not sure if you are a Soft Summer?
Get your color seasonal analysis results within 72 hours.
The Soft Summer Palette
The Soft Summer colours have a cool, smokey and ashy feel to the palette.
As you can see there are no warm or bright colours in the Soft Summer palette, as your colours are both cool and soft. Your colours are of medium value, meaning neither overly light or dark.
As a Soft Summer, these colours will enhance your natural beauty and radiance in a way that won't be overwhelming or draining.
Click here to view our Soft Summer Colour Guide
You will look radiant and effortless in these colours, as they will subtly enhance your natural beauty.
Soft Summer Best Jewellery Metals
As soft summer is cool, cool metals such as silver and rose gold are the best metals to harmonise with your Soft Summer undertones. Rather than bright and shiny metals, instead choose hammered metals, as this will best flatter your soft colouring.
For a well-put-together look, we recommend using your best metals for both your jewellery and hardware, including as zips, bag clasps, buttons, belt buckles etc.
Soft Summer Makeup
When it comes to Soft Summer makeup colors, it is best choose colours soft colours that are similar to your color palette. As you do not have yellow undertones, stay away from bright and warm tones and choose cooler colours instead.
As Soft Summer skin tones can vary from one person to the next, it is best to seek a professional opinion to accurately match you with colours that best flatter your undertone, the surface of your skin and contrast levels. Overall, cool neutral makeup is the best option for Soft Summers.
Rather than simply choosing colors that appeal to us, it is more beneficial to wear neutral and blue based colours that complement our undertones and contrast levels.
Soft Summer Nail Polish Colours
To best flatter your Soft Summer outfits, choose nail polish colours from your palette.
It may be tempting to go for vibrant and bright colours, but to ensure you have a polished look, stick to the tones of your Soft Summer palette.
Best Soft Summer Hair Colors
If you are considering changing your hair colour, we strongly advise that you should opt for another Soft Summer hair color for your best look.
Flattering hair colours have ashy tones, such as cool ash blonde, medium ash blonde or medium ash brown or medium brown. For darker skin tones, dark ash brown look stunning on you.
Be sure to avoid warm strawberry blonde or auburn hair colours as they can drain your colouring and overwhelm your soft features.
If you dye your hair slightly lighter or slightly darker, it may negatively impact your contrast levels. Therefore, we highly recommend seeking professional advice before committing to a new hair colour.
The best shade to enhance your features depends on a combination of both the surface colour of your skin (which varies across all Soft Summer clients) as well as your undertone and contrast level.
Soft Summer Colours to Avoid
It’s recommended to avoid bright and warm tones as these are the direct opposite of the muted and cool soft summer colours that best flatter your natural beauty.
To be precise, avoid warm bright yellow, bright oranges and mustard.
These vibrant and warm colours will overpower your soft features and drain your colouring.
Soft Summer, True Summer or Light Summer?
In colour analysis, each color season has three subcategories. For the cool summer family, the three summer seasons are Light Summer, True Summer, and Soft Summer.
If you’re a “Soft Summer”, then consider yourself as the end Summer season, and the two other seasons are Light Summer (the beginning of summer) and True Summer (the middle of summer) on the seasonal flow chart.
True Summer has the coolest colours compared to Light Summer and Soft Summer. Light Summer is closer to the bright shades of the Spring palette, whereas Soft Summers sits between True Summer and the warm, Soft Autumn palette (think of early autumn).
We recommend wearing your Soft Summer colours rather than other summer colour seasons as these are the most precise colours to harmonise with your natural beauty.
Can Soft Summers wear black?
Black is not included in the Soft Summer color palette, as it would be too harsh for your appearance as you have a muted appearance rather than a high contrast level. Therefore, Soft Summer color palette shades are typically softer.
Making the switch from wearing black to soft summer colour can be intimidating for some. Black is often thought of as a timeless staple in many wardrobes and tends to be the primary colour for the majority of people.
We suggest transitioning away from black clothing by wearing it on the lower half of your outfit and opting for a Soft Summer colour on the top.
Wearing colors near your face has the most impact on your complexion, so wearing black on the upper half of your outfit won't enhance the beauty of a Soft Summer.
However, be aware that black on the lower half of your attire can impact how polished and put-together you appear overall. If you want to look your best, you should opt for Soft Summer colours from head to toe.
The Soft Summer palette is complete with darker colours. To achieve balance and to capture the essence of the Soft Summer colours, Dark lava is a wonderful substitute for black that pairs well with the cool Soft Summer colour palette.
Gradually replacing black with colours from the soft Summer palette can help you discover your individual style and a newfound appreciation for the darker, cooler shades of Summer. This may even lead to you giving up black entirely.
6 game-changing benefits of a Soft Summer Wardrobe
Using a flattering color palette as a wardrobe guide is a game changer for fast easy outfit building.
Here are the main ways in which your Soft Summer color palette will radically improve your shopping and outfit-building habits for the long haul:
- Save time getting ready - Putting together outfits that look great in minutes is a real time-saver. Choosing colours from the Soft Summer palette allows you to create multiple looks quickly, without having to spend hours testing out various garments.
- Save a staggering amount of money - By selecting Soft Summer clothes that flatter you, you will save a great deal of money. Say goodbye to buying clothes that you never wear again! Making flattering choices when curating your wardrobe with your soft summer colours eliminates buyer's remorse.
- Look effortless without trying hard- The ultimate way to look effortless is to wear clothes that are in harmony with your colouring and figure. By dressing head to toe in cool soft summer clothes, you will instantly elevate your look without looking like it required any effort.
- Less stress, more confidence - With the Soft Summer palette, you don't need to doubt your wardrobe. You can be certain that the clothes you choose will look great on you and go well together, giving you more assurance in your clothing choices.
- More outfits with less items - curating a wardrobe based on your best colours will ensure that the items can be easily combined, thus maximising the range of looks you can achieve with the same pieces.
- More sustainable - Knowing that your colour season will stay the same for the rest of your life means that you can invest in pieces with longevity in mind.
As a Soft Summer, curating your wardrobe using the Soft Summer color palette is the fastest and easiest way to help you achieve all of these goals.
Soft Summer Wardrobe Secrets To Successful Outfits
The most effective way to wear your Soft Summer colours is to experiment with your colours in a variety of fabrics.
As your season is muted and of medium value, we encourage you to express your personal style through eye-catching textures such as suede, silk or velvet, rather than bright or warm colours.
As your colour palette is soft, consider these colours fairly understated, yet powerful enough to make you glow. The best part about your palette is you will never look ‘too much’. Therefore, you can embrace a Soft Summer wardrobe that is diverse in both colours and fabrics!
Soft Summer Wardrobe Neutral Colours
For many, light beige, camel and black are popular choices when putting together an outfit.
However, Soft Summers should steer away from these dark and light neutrals as they can make them look washed out and dull.
The best Soft Summer neutrals include grey brown, grey green, almond, dark lava, and grey blue offer Soft Summers the best way to achieve a flattering look.
Soft Summer Wardrobe Accent Colours
No matter how muted your colors may be, you can still create an eye-catching look.
Our Soft Summer clients understand that their cool-toned shades of pink and purple are the perfect way to make a statement.
To make sure that the look is truly yours, select an accent shade that resonates with you, such as light blue or light green, that will make you feel your best.
Soft Summer Wardrobe Colour Combinations
For Soft Summers, the best way to go is to stick to colour combinations with low contrast levels, which is no problem seeing as all the colours of your palette are able to blend together nicely.
When wearing a combination of Soft Summer colours, remember to consider every part of your outfit from head to toe and to play around with the colours in different fabrics.
Here are some of our client’s favourite Soft Summer colour combinations:
Soft Summer Wardrobe Workwear Colors
Don't worry, there are many options to choose from if you're looking to avoid wearing black in a professional setting.
Light grey, dark green, soft white, light blue grey and darker blue are all good colors for a Soft Summer to wear to work.
You may even want to venture out and experiment with the Soft Summer purples and pinks that complement your complexion for an intentional bold choice for a corporate setting.
These colors are still soft and muted, so they are perfect for making an understated yet powerful statement without looking over the top.
Soft Summer vs Soft Autumn
Many clients initially find it difficult to tell the difference between Soft Summer and Soft Autumn colours when shopping.
It can be easy to assume that Soft Summer colours would conflict with the Soft Autumn palette, yet this is not the case.
Soft Summer and Soft Autumn neighbour one another on the color season flow chart and can be considered sister seasons, as both palettes are muted and are both suited to those with a low contrast level.
However, there is a distinction in whether they are warm or cool colours.
While Soft Summers opt for cool, soft, muted tones such as dusty grey or cloud grey, Soft Autumns can wear warm, soft muted colours such as camel or latte.
Soft Summer FAQ’s
WILL I LOOK DULL IN MUTED COLOURS?
Not at all! Soft Summers should keep in mind that opting for bright and warm colours is not the best way to 'brighten' their appearance.
Having worked with countless Soft Summer clients who had previously chosen vibrant and warm colours, we can assure you that embracing their cool palette enhances their natural beauty in a more delicate and muted way than bright and warm colours. Since you have blue undertones, always go for dove-grey as opposed to bright spring orange!
WILL MY SEASON CHANGE IF I TAN, AGE OR DYE MY HAIR?
We get asked this often: will the Soft Summer colours still work if my skin tone changes due to tanning or ageing?
The answer is a resounding yes - no matter what, your cool skin tone will be complemented by Soft Summer colours, due to the harmony between your skin, hair and eye colour.
If you are a Soft Summer, you can be sure that the colors you choose will flatter you throughout your life - regardless of age, or if you your hair turns grey! This means you can feel secure in investing in classic pieces that will remain fashionable for many years.
CAN SOFT SUMMERS HAVE BROWN EYES?
Yes, many Soft Summers do have brown eyes, as long as they are ashy rather than warm. It’s more common that Soft Summers have light grey-blue eyes, but this is not always the case.
ARE SOFT SUMMERS RARE?
Speaking purely from our experience as stylists, Soft Summer is one of our most regular colour analysis results!
CAN I BE A SOFT SUMMER AND STILL GET A TAN?
Yes, you can. It is not true that skin with cool undertones cannot tan in the sun. In fact, it can darken when exposed to the sun's rays.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN COOL SUMMER AND SOFT SUMMER?
True Summer and Cool Summer are two different names for the same colour season, whereas Soft Summer is a different palette within the Summer family.
CAN SOFT SUMMERS HAVE BROWN HAIR?
Yes, you can be a Soft Summer and have brown hair.
Should you have a skin tone analysis?
Not sure if you’re a Soft Summer?
Receive your seasonal colour analysis results within 72 hours of a professional analysis
