Soft Autumn
vs. Soft Summer
Two palettes. A clearer way to tell them apart.
Soft Autumn
Warm. Muted. Unhurried.
Pale Rose
#E7B1A7
Toupe
#D1AA87
Greenish Grey 2
#96A98A
Green Grey
#849577
Dirty Blue
#458594
Slate Green 2
#607458
Soft Summer
Color with the edges softened.
Robin's Egg Blue
#77CAD2
Cloudy Blue
#ABA6C3
Light Mauve 2
#AF8995
Dusty Teal
#509084
Grey/blue
#6C7485
Ugly Blue
#396A8F
The three color qualities
| Quality | Soft Autumn | Soft Summer |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | Warm-neutral | Cool-neutral |
| Depth | Medium | Medium |
| Clarity | Soft | Soft |
| Makeup direction | Rose-brown, muted peach, soft terracotta | Dusty rose, muted mauve, rose-brown |
| Hair families | Beige blonde, soft honey brown, warm mushroom brown | Mushroom blonde, ash brown, cool soft chestnut |
Start with temperature
Compare warm peach with cool rose at similar depth and saturation. The temperature difference is the largest in these two palette profiles.
Soft Autumn is warm-neutral; Soft Summer is cool-neutral. Notice the effect of that change, then test the other qualities separately.
Set up a consistent fabric testKeep the comparison fair
- Use indirect daylight and similar fabric finishes.
- Hold the same amount of each color below your face.
- Repeat the pair and look for a consistent preference.
Neighboring palettes overlap. A preference between two colors is a clue, not a confirmed season.
Use the quiz to collect more cluesDescriptions referenced from Soft Autumn and Soft Summer guides. The swatches and comparison here are original.