Season comparison
Light Summer vs True Summer: how to tell the difference
Both palettes side by side, the colors they genuinely share, and the one thing that actually decides it — depth.
Light Summer and True Summer are both cool, medium-clarity seasons; the only axis that separates them is depth — Light Summer is light, True Summer is medium in depth. Their palettes overlap on 8 of Light Summer’s 16 colors and 9 of True Summer’s; the widest gaps are Light Summer’s Cool Lemon and True Summer’s Soft Fuchsia.
What’s the difference between Light Summer and True Summer?
The 12-season system runs on three axes — undertone, depth and clarity. Light Summer and True Summer are both cool, medium-clarity seasons, so everything below the one row marked as the split is common ground.
| Undertone | Light Summercool (pink/blue-based) True Summercool (pink/blue-based) Identical — this axis cannot tell you apart. |
|---|---|
| Depth — the split | Light Summerlight True Summermedium This is where the two seasons part company. |
| Clarity | Light Summermoderately clear True Summermoderately clear Identical — this axis cannot tell you apart. |
| Best metals | Light SummerSilver True SummerSilver Same verdict — jewelry cannot settle this pair. Judge on depth instead. |
| Signature neutral | Light SummerSoft White #F6F4F0 True SummerSoft White #F5F3EF The color each season reaches for instead of black. |
| Palette lightness (mean L*) | Light Summer78 True Summer53 Mean L* of each 16-color palette. Light Summer runs 24 points lighter. |
| Palette saturation (mean C*) | Light Summer23 True Summer34 True Summer runs 11 points more saturated. |
| Palette warmth (mean b*) | Light Summer−6 True Summer−15 Positive is yellow, negative is blue — the numeric version of warm versus cool. |
Light Summer vs True Summer: the two palettes side by side
Sixteen colors each, with hex values. This is the comparison most articles on these two seasons never actually show you.
The Light Summer palette
Light Summer coloring is cool (pink/blue-based), light in depth, and moderately clear.
Powder Blue#A7C7E7 Ballet Rose#F3B8C8 Sea Glass#B5DED4 Lavender Mist#C5B8E0 Cool Lemon#F2E6A2 Dusty Aqua#8FC6CE Rose Quartz#E8A9BD Wisteria#A99BD1 Soft Sky#B9D6EE Cool Mint#A8DEC6 Petal Pink#F5CCD9 Heather#B790B8 Light Denim#7FA6CC Watery Rose#DE8FA8 Cloud Lilac#D4C6E8 Spearmint#8FCDB4
The True Summer palette
True Summer coloring is cool (pink/blue-based), medium in depth, and moderately clear.
French Blue#5B7FB4 Raspberry Ice#C4577E Cool Jade#5FA88F Slate Blue#6A7BA2 Orchid#B06BA8 Dusty Teal#4E8E96 Cool Rose#D07C97 Periwinkle#7C89C9 Soft Fuchsia#C4519E Sea Blue#3E7CA6 Plum Mist#8E6790 Cool Emerald#3B8A6E Blueberry#4A5D94 Rosewood Pink#B96A80 Lagoon#2E8B9A Amethyst Smoke#9678B6
Where the Light Summer and True Summer palettes agree
Every color in one palette was measured against every color in the other in CIELAB. 11 pairings came back close enough to call the same color: 8 of Light Summer’s 16 have a near-identical counterpart in True Summer’s palette, and 9 of True Summer’s have one going back the other way. These are the colors you can wear whichever of the two you turn out to be.
Left: Light SummerRight: True Summer
Watery Rose#DE8FA8 Cool Rose#D07C97 4.7 ΔE apart
Watery Rose#DE8FA8 Rosewood Pink#B96A80 9.0 ΔE apart
Spearmint#8FCDB4 Cool Jade#5FA88F 9.3 ΔE apart
Heather#B790B8 Plum Mist#8E6790 9.7 ΔE apart
Wisteria#A99BD1 Amethyst Smoke#9678B6 11.2 ΔE apart
Light Denim#7FA6CC Slate Blue#6A7BA2 11.6 ΔE apart
Light Denim#7FA6CC Sea Blue#3E7CA6 12.8 ΔE apart
Rose Quartz#E8A9BD Cool Rose#D07C97 13.0 ΔE apart
Dusty Aqua#8FC6CE Dusty Teal#4E8E96 13.0 ΔE apart
Cool Mint#A8DEC6 Cool Jade#5FA88F 14.1 ΔE apart
Wisteria#A99BD1 Periwinkle#7C89C9 15.2 ΔE apart
Where Light Summer and True Summer split
This is the section that decides it. 8 of Light Summer’s colors and 7 of True Summer’s have no near equivalent in the other palette — and because the gap runs along depth, these are the exact swatches to hold against your face when you cannot decide. The shared colors above will look fine either way, which is precisely why they are useless as a test.
Each color below is listed with the closest thing the other season has to it, and how far apart the two measure. The bigger the number, the more that color belongs to one season and not the other.
Light Summer only — 8 of 16
The 5 furthest from anything in the True Summer palette:
- Cool Lemon#F2E6A2Nearest True Summer color: Cool Jade — 52 ΔE away
- Petal Pink#F5CCD9Nearest True Summer color: Cool Rose — 24 ΔE away
- Soft Sky#B9D6EENearest True Summer color: Dusty Teal — 23 ΔE away
- Cloud Lilac#D4C6E8Nearest True Summer color: Slate Blue — 23 ΔE away
- Sea Glass#B5DED4Nearest True Summer color: Cool Jade — 20 ΔE away
True Summer only — 7 of 16
The 5 furthest from anything in the Light Summer palette:
- Soft Fuchsia#C4519ENearest Light Summer color: Heather — 34 ΔE away
- Blueberry#4A5D94Nearest Light Summer color: Wisteria — 20 ΔE away
- Orchid#B06BA8Nearest Light Summer color: Heather — 19 ΔE away
- Lagoon#2E8B9ANearest Light Summer color: Dusty Aqua — 18 ΔE away
- Raspberry Ice#C4577ENearest Light Summer color: Watery Rose — 17 ΔE away
Can a Light Summer wear True Summer colors?
Partly, and the split is measurable rather than a matter of taste. 9 of the 16 True Summer colors sit close enough to something in the Light Summer palette to borrow freely — starting with True Summer’s Cool Rose (#D07C97), which measures 4.7 ΔE from Light Summer’s Watery Rose (#DE8FA8). The remaining 7 are where True Summer pulls away along depth, and those are the ones that read as almost-right on a Light Summer.
It runs the same way in reverse: 8 of Light Summer’s colors are fair game for a True Summer, and 8 are not. Neither palette is the better one — they are different answers to different faces.
How do I know if I’m Light Summer or True Summer?
Only test the axis that separates them. Everything else is common ground and will give you an answer that fits both. Do this in daylight near a window, with no makeup on, and watch your skin rather than the fabric.
1. Do deep colors ground you or swallow you?
Hold Light Summer’s deepest color, Heather (#B790B8), against True Summer’s, Blueberry (#4A5D94). If the deeper of the two anchors your face and sharpens your features, you belong to the deeper season. If it takes over — your eyes and mouth recede and the garment arrives before you do — you belong to the lighter one.
2. The head-to-head
The cleanest single test on this page: put Light Summer’s Cool Lemon (#F2E6A2) next to True Summer’s Soft Fuchsia (#C4519E). Those two measure furthest from each other’s palettes of anything either season owns, so whichever one your face prefers is the strongest signal available without a full analysis.
Undertone will not separate these two — Light Summer and True Summer share it. If you are not yet certain you are in the right half of the system at all, settle that first with the undertone guide or the free undertone quiz, and come back to depth once it is answered.
Light Summer — the test colors
True Summer — the test colors
What a Light Summer and a True Summer wear differently
Same three axes, applied to the things you buy. Where the two seasons agree, the advice is interchangeable; where they do not, this is what changes.
| Lipstick | Light Summercool rose, soft berry and pink nude — sheer and fresh True Summercool berry, raspberry rose and mauve pink — satin, not gloss-heavy |
|---|---|
| Blush | Light Summercool pink with a satin finish True Summermuted cool rose |
| Foundation | Light Summerrosy or neutral undertone; keep coverage airy True Summerrosy-neutral; avoid anything golden or bronzy |
| Hair color | Light Summercool and light: ash blonde, beige blonde, light ash brown — golden warmth fights you True Summerash brown, cool mocha, smoky blonde — depth is fine, warmth is not |
| Jewelry | Light SummerSilver True SummerSilver |
| Wardrobe | Light Summertonal pastels head-to-toe; swap black for grey-blue or soft white True Summerblended cool tones; grey navy over black; matte fabrics over shine |
Deeper on each: Light Summer makeup and Light Summer hair, or True Summer makeup and True Summer hair.
Light Summer vs True Summer: common questions
What is the difference between Light Summer and True Summer?
Light Summer and True Summer are both cool, medium-clarity seasons, and the only axis that separates them is depth — Light Summer is light, True Summer is medium in depth. In palette terms that shows up as 8 of Light Summer's 16 colors and 7 of True Summer's having no near equivalent on the other side — for example Light Summer's Cool Lemon (#F2E6A2) and True Summer's Soft Fuchsia (#C4519E).
Can a Light Summer wear True Summer colors?
Some of them, and the count is exact: 9 of the 16 colors in the True Summer palette have a near-identical counterpart in Light Summer's, so those are safe to borrow. The other 7 are where True Summer pulls away — wearing those is what makes a Light Summer look slightly off rather than lit. Borrow the overlap, skip the rest.
How do I tell if I'm Light Summer or True Summer?
Test the axis that separates them, which is depth. Hold Light Summer's Heather against True Summer's Blueberry and watch whether the deeper one grounds your face or swallows it. Run it in daylight with no makeup on, and watch your skin rather than the fabric.
Do the Light Summer and True Summer palettes share any colors?
Yes — measured in CIELAB, 8 of Light Summer's 16 colors have a near-identical match in True Summer's palette, and 9 of True Summer's have one in Light Summer's. The closest single pairing is Light Summer's Watery Rose (#DE8FA8) against True Summer's Cool Rose (#D07C97), 5 ΔE apart. Those are the colors you can wear either way while you decide.
Does a Light Summer or a True Summer wear gold?
Light Summer: silver. True Summer: silver. Same verdict — jewelry cannot settle this pair. Judge on depth instead.
What if I'm somewhere between Light Summer and True Summer?
That is a normal place to land — these two are on this list precisely because they are confused constantly. Live in the overlap: the 11 near-identical pairings between the two palettes work either way. Then judge yourself on depth alone, in daylight, using the colors each season does not share with the other. Those are the only colors that can actually tell you apart.
Which colors should I avoid if I'm Light Summer rather than True Summer?
Light Summer should steer clear of jet black, pumpkin, mustard; True Summer should steer clear of orange rust, golden yellow, camel. The avoid lists are a useful cross-check: if one season's "avoid" colors are the ones you already know look bad on you, that is a vote for the other season.