What being a True Summer means for your makeup

True Summer, which some systems call Cool Summer, is defined by a cool undertone. Your coloring is medium in depth and soft in contrast, and colors with a blue or pink base look clean on you. Warm, golden colors tend to make the skin look yellow or tired.

What the palette looks like

Think rose, raspberry, mauve-pink, soft berry and cool gray-blue. The colors are cool, but not icy, and not as saturated as Winter colors. If you hold a True Summer lipstick next to a True Winter one, the Summer shade looks a little softer and more powdery.

Lips

Rose, raspberry, cool mauve-pink and soft berry. Avoid coral, orange-red and brick, which usually sit apart from True Summer skin rather than blending into it.

Satin, soft-gloss and blurred finishes all work. Very high-shine glass finishes can tip into Winter territory, which is fine if your contrast is on the higher side.

Cheeks

Rose or cool pink, applied lightly. Peach and coral blush are the most common mistake for this type.

Eyes

Taupe, mauve, cool gray-brown and soft plum. Choose a soft brown or gray liner over black, unless your hair and eyes are dark.

Base

Look for cushions and foundations with neutral or pink undertones. Many Korean cushions label undertone with a letter after the number: C for cool, N for neutral, W for warm. True Summer usually lands on C or N.

Brand-labeled shades for True Summer

rom&nd publishes the color types each shade was designed for. These are labeled for True Summer by the brand:

• Better Than Cheek W01 Odi Milk
• Glasting Melting Balm 02 Lovey Pink
• Blur Fudge Tint 05 Bibi Candy

See the full list on the True Summer page.

The neighbors

True Summer sits between Light Summer, Soft Summer and True Winter. If a shade is labeled for one of those types, and it is not strongly warm, it is worth trying too.