Season comparison
True Summer vs True Winter: how to tell the difference
Both palettes side by side, the colors they genuinely share, and the one thing that actually decides it — clarity.
True Summer and True Winter are both cool, medium-depth seasons; the only axis that separates them is clarity — True Summer is moderately clear, True Winter is clear. Their palettes overlap on 1 of True Summer’s 16 colors and 1 of True Winter’s; the widest gaps are True Summer’s French Blue and True Winter’s True Red.
What’s the difference between True Summer and True Winter?
The 12-season system runs on three axes — undertone, depth and clarity. True Summer and True Winter are both cool, medium-depth seasons, so everything below the one row marked as the split is common ground.
| Undertone | True Summercool (pink/blue-based) True Wintercool (pink/blue-based) Identical — this axis cannot tell you apart. |
|---|---|
| Depth | True Summermedium True Wintermedium Identical — this axis cannot tell you apart. |
| Clarity — the split | True Summermoderately clear True Winterclear and true This is where the two seasons part company. |
| Best metals | True SummerSilver True WinterSilver Same verdict — jewelry cannot settle this pair. Judge on clarity instead. |
| Signature neutral | True SummerSoft White #F5F3EF True WinterTrue Black #101014 The color each season reaches for instead of black. |
| Palette lightness (mean L*) | True Summer53 True Winter54 Mean L* of each 16-color palette. True Winter runs 0 points lighter. |
| Palette saturation (mean C*) | True Summer34 True Winter44 True Winter runs 10 points more saturated. |
| Palette warmth (mean b*) | True Summer−15 True Winter−9 Positive is yellow, negative is blue — the numeric version of warm versus cool. |
True Summer vs True Winter: 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 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
The True Winter palette
True Winter coloring is cool (pink/blue-based), medium in depth, and clear and true.
True Red#C8102E Royal Blue#2242A8 Icy Pink#F4C6DE Pure White#FFFFFF True Black#101014 Fuchsia#D6187F Emerald#00885A Cobalt#0047AB Icy Blue#C9E4F5 Magenta#BE0E6F Amethyst#6E3FA3 Icy Lemon#F5F3C0 Cool Crimson#AF0F2E Ultramarine#2B4CC0 Icy Mint#CFF0E2 Deep Emerald#046A47
Where the True Summer and True Winter palettes agree
Every color in one palette was measured against every color in the other in CIELAB. One pairing came back close enough to call the same color: 1 of True Summer’s 16 have a near-identical counterpart in True Winter’s palette, and 1 of True Winter’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: True SummerRight: True Winter
Cool Emerald#3B8A6E Deep Emerald#046A47 11.2 ΔE apart
Where True Summer and True Winter split
This is the section that decides it. 15 of True Summer’s colors and 15 of True Winter’s have no near equivalent in the other palette — and because the gap runs along clarity, 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.
True Summer only — 15 of 16
The 5 furthest from anything in the True Winter palette:
- French Blue#5B7FB4Nearest True Winter color: Icy Blue — 39 ΔE away
- Blueberry#4A5D94Nearest True Winter color: Amethyst — 38 ΔE away
- Periwinkle#7C89C9Nearest True Winter color: Amethyst — 37 ΔE away
- Sea Blue#3E7CA6Nearest True Winter color: Icy Blue — 35 ΔE away
- Amethyst Smoke#9678B6Nearest True Winter color: Amethyst — 34 ΔE away
True Winter only — 15 of 16
The 5 furthest from anything in the True Summer palette:
- True Red#C8102ENearest True Summer color: Raspberry Ice — 57 ΔE away
- Ultramarine#2B4CC0Nearest True Summer color: Periwinkle — 50 ΔE away
- Cool Crimson#AF0F2ENearest True Summer color: Raspberry Ice — 45 ΔE away
- Royal Blue#2242A8Nearest True Summer color: Periwinkle — 42 ΔE away
- Cobalt#0047ABNearest True Summer color: Periwinkle — 40 ΔE away
Can a True Summer wear True Winter colors?
Partly, and the split is measurable rather than a matter of taste. 1 of the 16 True Winter colors sit close enough to something in the True Summer palette to borrow freely — starting with True Winter’s Deep Emerald (#046A47), which measures 11.2 ΔE from True Summer’s Cool Emerald (#3B8A6E). The remaining 15 are where True Winter pulls away along clarity, and those are the ones that read as almost-right on a True Summer.
It runs the same way in reverse: 1 of True Summer’s colors are fair game for a True Winter, and 15 are not. Neither palette is the better one — they are different answers to different faces.
How do I know if I’m True Summer or True Winter?
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. Does bright read vivid or harsh?
Hold True Summer’s most saturated color, Soft Fuchsia (#C4519E), beside True Winter’s, True Red (#C8102E). If the clearer color makes your eyes come forward, you are the clearer season. If it looks like it is shouting over you — the color wins, your face goes flat — you are the softer one.
2. The head-to-head
The cleanest single test on this page: put True Summer’s French Blue (#5B7FB4) next to True Winter’s True Red (#C8102E). 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 — True Summer and True Winter 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 clarity once it is answered.
True Summer — the test colors
True Winter — the test colors
What a True Summer and a True Winter 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 | True Summercool berry, raspberry rose and mauve pink — satin, not gloss-heavy True Winterblue-red, cool fuchsia and icy rose — crisp, saturated finishes |
|---|---|
| Blush | True Summermuted cool rose True Wintercool pink, precise placement |
| Foundation | True Summerrosy-neutral; avoid anything golden or bronzy True Wintercool undertone; porcelain-clean finish over warmth every time |
| Hair color | True Summerash brown, cool mocha, smoky blonde — depth is fine, warmth is not True Winterkeep it cool and decisive: black, cool dark brown, icy platinum — no caramel |
| Jewelry | True SummerSilver True WinterSilver |
| Wardrobe | True Summerblended cool tones; grey navy over black; matte fabrics over shine True Winterblack + white + one icy bright; contrast is the whole outfit |
Deeper on each: True Summer makeup and True Summer hair, or True Winter makeup and True Winter hair.
True Summer vs True Winter: common questions
What is the difference between True Summer and True Winter?
True Summer and True Winter are both cool, medium-depth seasons, and the only axis that separates them is clarity — True Summer is moderately clear, True Winter is clear. In palette terms that shows up as 15 of True Summer's 16 colors and 15 of True Winter's having no near equivalent on the other side — for example True Summer's French Blue (#5B7FB4) and True Winter's True Red (#C8102E).
Can a True Summer wear True Winter colors?
Some of them, and the count is exact: 1 of the 16 colors in the True Winter palette have a near-identical counterpart in True Summer's, so those are safe to borrow. The other 15 are where True Winter pulls away — wearing those is what makes a True Summer look slightly off rather than lit. Borrow the overlap, skip the rest.
How do I tell if I'm True Summer or True Winter?
Test the axis that separates them, which is clarity. Hold True Summer's Soft Fuchsia against True Winter's True Red: if the brighter one reads vivid you are the clearer season, if it reads harsh you are the softer one. Run it in daylight with no makeup on, and watch your skin rather than the fabric.
Do the True Summer and True Winter palettes share any colors?
Yes — measured in CIELAB, 1 of True Summer's 16 colors have a near-identical match in True Winter's palette, and 1 of True Winter's have one in True Summer's. The closest single pairing is True Summer's Cool Emerald (#3B8A6E) against True Winter's Deep Emerald (#046A47), 11 ΔE apart. Those are the colors you can wear either way while you decide.
Does a True Summer or a True Winter wear gold?
True Summer: silver. True Winter: silver. Same verdict — jewelry cannot settle this pair. Judge on clarity instead.
What if I'm somewhere between True Summer and True Winter?
That is a normal place to land — these two are on this list precisely because they are confused constantly. Live in the overlap: the 1 near-identical pairings between the two palettes work either way. Then judge yourself on clarity 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 True Summer rather than True Winter?
True Summer should steer clear of orange rust, golden yellow, camel; True Winter should steer clear of camel, rust, mustard gold. 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.