The Light Summer Color Palette - Everything You Need to Know by Expert London Stylists

From our experience styling thousands of clients in London and online, we understand that the colour analysis process is not always clear-cut. 

To conduct a precise seasonal colour analysis, it is crucial to consider three factors: the temperature of your undertones, the value of your features, and the chroma of your hair, skin tone, and eye colour.

Doing so will enable us to determine the best colours to suit your unique appearance so that you can ensure that you present yourself in the most flattering and harmonious way.

It is essential to bear in mind that everyone is one of a kind and, even if you are a Light Summer, you may not have all the usual attributes and typical coolness linked to the season.

This is especially valid for people of color, as the advice for color analysis is usually tailored to those with lighter skin tones.

We, as stylists who also come from mixed racial backgrounds, can relate to this issue on a personal level!

Given the need to consider nuance, here are 5 typical features of a Light Summer:

• Your skin’s natural appearance is neutral cool as you have pink undertones
• You have light features, such as light eyes or light hair with blue undertones
• You have medium contrast between your, skin, eyes and hair
• Your eyes are typically blue or green with a grey, ashy appearance
• Your hair is both 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.

The Light Summer colours have a cool, light and fresh feel to the palette.

As you can see there are no warm or dark colours in the Light Summer palette, as your colours are both cool and light which best flatters your light and cool features.

These colours will complement your natural beauty, giving you a luminous, yet not overpowering, summer look.

As you have a cool undertone, silver is the best metal for you. As you neighbour a warm palette, can wear both silver and white gold due to Light Spring’s influence. Avoid dark, rich gold, as this will look too heavy on you. 

For a well-put-together look, we recommend using your best metals for both your jewellery and hardware, including zips, bag clasps, buttons, belt buckles etc.

For Light Summer makeup colors, it is advised to choose lighter colours that are similar to your color palette.

Stay away from dark colours with warm tones as you do not have yellow undertones or dark features, and choose lighter, cooler colours instead. Think lilac rose, candy pinks and shadow greys. 

As Light 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, the value of your features and your medium contrast levels. 

Overall, as your undertones are cool, but not on the coolest end of the spectrum, neutral cool makeup is the best option for Light Summers.

Rather than simply choosing colors that appeal to us, it is more impactful to wear light, neutral cool colors that complement your cool coloring.

To best coordinate with your Light Summer looks, choose nail polish colours from your palette. 

It may be appealing to go for dark and warm colours, but to ensure you have a well-put-together outfit, stick to the colours of your Light Summer palette.

If you are considering changing your hair colour, we strongly recommend that you should opt for another Light Summer hair color to ensure your most flattering look.

Maintain the same qualities of your natural hair colour when choosing an alternative Light Summer colour, such as cool ash blonde, light ash blonde or light ash brown or medium brown. 

Stay away from anything too warm including strawberry blonde or auburn hair colours as they can drain your colouring and overwhelm the natural delicacy of your features..

If you dye your hair slightly lighter or slightly darker, it may negatively impact your low contrast level. 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 Light Summer clients) as well as your undertone and contrast level.

It’s recommended to avoid dark and warm tones as these colours have the direct opposite qualities to the cool light summer colours that best flatter your natural beauty.

To be precise, avoid olive green, bright yellow, bright oranges and mustard.

These dark and warm colours will clash with your cool and light features and drain your complexion. For your best look choose lighter shades that are cool toned to best complement your light colouring.

There are three summer seasons within the cool summer family: Light Summer, True Summer, and Soft Summer. 

If you’re a “Light Summer”, then think of yourself as the beginning of the Summer season, whereas the two other summer seasons are True Summer (the middle of summer) and Soft Summer (the end of summer) on the seasonal flow chart.

True Summer has the coolest colours compared to Light Summer and Soft Summer.

Both Light Summer and Soft Summer neighbour True Summer, however, Light Summers sits next to warm Light Spring, and Soft Summer sits by warm Soft Autumn.

We recommend exclusively wearing your Light Summer colours rather than a mix of other light springs or summer colours, as these are the specific colours that elevate your natural beauty.

As your colour palette is primarily made up of light colours, black is not included in the Light Summer color palette. 

Black would be too harsh for your appearance as you have light rather than dark features and you have a medium rather than high contrast level.

Transitioning out of black to a Light summer color palette option can be uncomfortable for some. It’s no secret that black is usually considered a wardrobe staple for many clients.

If you are somebody who lives in black clothing, we recommend starting your colour journey by wearing black on the lower half of your outfit and opting for colour from your Light Summer colour palette on the top half of your look.

Colors worn closer to your face have a greater impact on your complexion, so wearing black on the bottom half of your outfit will not look jarring against your colouring.

However, it must be noted that wearing black overall will affect how put-together your outfit looks. If you want to look your best, you should opt for a head-to-toe look from your light summer colour palette.

Using your Light color palette as a wardrobe guide is a game-changer for changing the way you dress, shop and outfit build for the long haul.

Here are 6 wonderful benefits of using your Light Summer color palette that will help you quickly achieve your wardrobe goals with ease:

• Save time getting ready - Say goodbye to lengthy and stressful outfit building. Choosing clothes in Light Summer palette colours allows you to create multiple looks quickly.
• Save a staggering amount of money - When you know what clothes best flatter you, you can end the cycle of spending money on clothes you never wear for good. By purchasing Light Summer clothes that flatter you, you will save a great deal of money over time as each purchase will be a worthwhile investment.
• Look effortless without trying hard- The only way to achieve an effortless look is by wearing pieces that flatter your colouring and body shape. An easy way to elevate your look without looking like you’re trying hard is to wear a Light Summer outfit as the flattering colours will make you look well put together.
• Less stress, more confidence - When using the Light Summer palette, you can be assured that the outfits you select will flatter you and coordinate together well, providing you with added confidence in your attire.

• More outfits with less items - curating your wardrobe around your most complementary colours will guarantee that the items can be easily matched, thereby increasing the number of outfits you can create with the same items.

• More sustainable - As your colour season will stay the same for the rest of your life, you can confidently invest in a long-term wardrobe that prioritises longevity, quality and sustainability.

For many, white, camel and black are popular neutral colours when putting together an outfit.

However, Light Summers should steer away from these neutrals as they can make them look washed out and dull.

The best Light Summer neutrals include dark ash browns, light grey, sea glass and eggshell.

No matter how delicate your colours may be, you can still create an unforgettable head-turning look.

Many Light Summers have fallen in love with rose quartz pink or cherry blossoms, grape purple or sky blue in the palette to create a statement outfit.

However, the ultimate way to create a look that is eye-catching, choose a Light Summer colour that makes you feel like the best version of yourself. 

You may find that the light blues or light greens in the Light Summer palette gives you more confidence than pink or purple ever will - allow whichever colour resonates with you the most to be your accent colour.

For Light Summers, the best way to combine your colours are to use a combination of the brighter colours in your palette with a slightly muted colour. 

As Light Summers sits next to the Light Spring palette, your colours are brighter than any of the summer family colour palettes. Therefore, you can inject the most vibrancy into your look out of all the summer seasons.

Keep in mind that these colour combinations can work as either a head-to-toe look, or, as part of a patterned item of clothing.

Here are some of our client’s favourite Light Summer colour palette combinations:

If you're looking for an alternative to black for a professional setting, there are plenty of darker colours in your palette that are great options.

From light greys and dark greens to soft navy, light blue greys and medium blues - all of these are great choices for a Light Summer. These beautifully complement the lightest colours in your palette.

You can also combine pastel shades with a darker colour to create a look that is appropriate for a corporate setting. Be sure not to choose something as harsh as winter’s icy lights, and opt for a pastel colour that is softer.

At first, it can be challenging to differentiate between Light Summer and Light Spring colours when shopping, but they should not be seen as conflicting.

In fact, these two colour seasons are neighbours on the colour season flow chart and can be viewed as sister seasons, since their palettes share the same chroma and value properties.

There is, however, a key difference between them: Light Summers incorporate cool, tones such as bright grey or lavender, whereas Light Springs are usually warm and light, like peach or cream.