Makeup for Soft Summer: Rosy, Muted, Low-Key Pretty
Some faces want neon. Yours wants a whisper. The best makeup for Soft Summer is muted and cool-leaning: a neutral-cool base, dusty rose or mauve blush, taupe, mauve, soft plum and grey-brown eyeshadow, soft charcoal or brown liner, and lips in rosewood, dusty berry and muted raspberry. Anything too bright, too warm or too high-contrast will wear you instead of the other way round.
If your problem is that every "universally flattering" shade looks loud on you, Swatch Fan finds your season and picks 6 lipsticks that fit it: Find my colors.
Soft Summer makeup in one sentence
Soft Summer makeup is blurred, rosy and slightly smoky, like you are wearing a soft-focus filter in real life.
Soft Summer is the most muted of the Summers. Your coloring is cool-neutral, medium in depth, and low in chroma: think ash-brown or dark-blonde hair, grey-green, grey-blue or soft hazel eyes, and skin that looks best in greyed, gentle colors. Your features blend together, which is why "low-key pretty" is your superpower.
That is why bright shades can look like they are floating on your face instead of part of it. The fix is muting everything a notch.
Base: foundation undertone and finish
Undertone
Neutral or neutral-cool. Soft Summers often have a slight olive or grey cast, so a very pink foundation can look off, and a very yellow one can look sallow. A neutral with a whisper of rose is usually right.
Finish
Soft matte or satin. Very dewy skin can look a bit too shiny against muted coloring. A blurring skin tint is perfect for everyday.
Highlighter
Soft pearl or pink-champagne, very sheer. A chunky gold highlight is the one to skip.
Blush and bronzer shades
Soft Summer blush
- Dusty rose
- Mauve
- Soft berry (sheer)
- Muted raspberry for going out
Blend the edges well. For Soft Summer the goal is "flushed," not "painted."
Bronzer and contour
Skip warm, orange bronzers. If you want structure, use a cool, soft taupe contour just under the cheekbones. Many Soft Summers find a muted rose blush gives enough warmth on its own.
Eyeshadow and liner colors
Eyeshadow for Soft Summer is where your season is most fun. Muted palettes (the ones with greige, mauve and plum-brown) were basically made for you.
Best eyeshadow for Soft Summer
| Shade | Use it for | Pair with |
|---|---|---|
| Greige or taupe | Everyday lid | Soft brown liner |
| Mauve | Crease or all-over wash | Plum-brown liner |
| Soft plum | Outer corner for evening | Charcoal liner |
| Grey-blue or slate | Smoky eye | Soft charcoal |
| Soft pewter shimmer | Center of the lid | Anything |
| Dusty sage | Pop of color for green eyes | Taupe liner |
A soft smoky eye in five steps
- Taupe across the lid and slightly above the crease.
- Soft plum pressed onto the outer third.
- Blend the edge with a clean brush until there are no lines.
- Charcoal pencil smudged into the upper lashes.
- Pewter shimmer tapped in the center of the lid.
Eyeshadow for Light Summer vs Soft Summer
Eyeshadow for Light Summer can go lighter and airier (baby pink, lavender, pearl), while Soft Summer shades are a bit deeper and dustier (mauve, plum-brown, slate). If you are torn between the two, the Light Summer makeup guide shows the lighter side.
Liner
Soft charcoal, grey-brown, plum-brown or navy. Black can work as a tightline, but a sharp black wing reads harsh on most Soft Summers.
Lip colors, from everyday to going-out
Lipstick for Soft Summer looks best when it is a bit smoky and rosy.
Everyday
- Rosy tinted balm
- Soft summer nude lipstick: a dusty pink-beige or rose-mauve nude, close to your natural lip
- Sheer mauve gloss
Class, work, or dinner
- Rosewood
- Dusty rose
- Soft berry
Going-out
- Muted raspberry
- Soft plum
- A Soft Summer red lipstick: a muted, cool raspberry-red rather than a bright tomato or fire-engine red
Tip: blot a bold shade with a tissue and tap it in with your finger. That instantly softens it for Soft Summer.
Judging "is this muted enough?" is the hardest thing about Soft Summer, and your brain lies to you under shop lighting. Swatch Fan's color check reads a lipstick through your camera or from a shop screenshot and answers yes, close or skip for your season, naming the nearest palette color. You can save the ones that pass to your closet. Find my colors
Shades to skip
Soft Summer makeup to avoid:
- Neon or hot pink – Too bright.
- Orange coral and warm peach – Too warm.
- Gold glitter shadow – Warm and loud.
- Jet black liquid liner – Too much contrast.
- Bright tomato red lips – Overpowers muted coloring.
- Orange bronzer – Makes skin look muddy and patchy.
Swatching makeup in store without getting it wrong
Here is a Soft Summer swatch routine for Sephora, Ulta, Boots, Superdrug or Shoppers:
- Swatch two shades next to each other, e.g. a dusty rose and a brighter pink.
- Squint. Seriously. Squinting blurs details and shows you which shade "jumps out." For Soft Summer, pick the one that does not jump.
- Check in daylight near a window.
- Photo without flash and zoom out. If the shade looks muted and blended from far away, it is a keeper.
- Try the tissue test: blot a lipstick. If you love it blotted but hate it full-strength, it is probably slightly too bright for you, and the blotted version is your answer.
Wondering if you are really Soft Autumn? Soft Autumns lean a bit warmer: peach, khaki and terracotta instead of mauve and slate. Compare with the Soft Autumn makeup guide.
See your makeup for Soft Summer colors in one minute
Swatch Fan asks quick yes/no questions about your veins, jewelry, hair, eyes and tanning, then shows your season with 12 named colors (hex codes included), 6 lipsticks and 6 hair colors. No selfie, no photo upload, free to start.
FAQ
What is the best makeup for Soft Summer?
A neutral-cool, soft matte base, dusty rose or mauve blush, taupe, mauve, soft plum and slate eyeshadow, charcoal or grey-brown liner, and rosewood or dusty berry lips.
What is the best eyeshadow for Soft Summer?
Greige, taupe, mauve, soft plum, slate grey-blue, dusty sage and soft pewter shimmer. Muted palettes with greyed shades are usually a better fit than warm bronze or bright jewel-toned palettes.
What lipstick color suits Soft Summer?
Rosewood, dusty rose, soft berry, rose-mauve nudes and muted raspberry. Blotting a bolder shade with a tissue is an easy way to soften it for Soft Summer.
Can Soft Summer wear red lipstick?
Yes, if it is a muted, cool red like raspberry-red or a soft berry-red. Bright tomato, orange-red and very saturated reds tend to overpower Soft Summer coloring.
What does Reddit say about makeup for Soft Summer?
Reddit threads can be a handy source of product ideas, but shade names and lighting vary a lot between posts. Use them for inspiration, then check each shade against the muted, cool shade families in this guide.