Can I be True Summer with warm undertones?
Piecing together the clues around undertones can be tricky. “True Summer” (or Cool Summer) is fundamentally a cool colour season. If you truly have warm undertones, it’s therefore less likely that this particular season applies to you.
Why are olive tones often confused with warmth?
- Olive-coloured skin can appear yellow or green and be interpreted as warm.
- In reality, olive often contains more cool undertones than you might initially think.
- That’s why it’s easy to mistake a cool skin tone for a warm one, especially in artificial light.
Signs of warm undertones
- Gold flatters more than silver. If you feel fresher and more harmonious in gold compared to silver, it may indicate a warmer or neutral skin tone.
- The hairdresser’s opinion. If professional colour experts perceive your hair as warm, that also points towards a warmer season.
- Colours in clothing. Garments in typically warm tones usually enhance the skin better than cool pastels.
Does this fit a True Summer?
Not really. A True Summer needs a clearly cool foundation with blue undertones in both skin and hair. If gold, coral, and warm brown shades make you look healthier than cool colours, that points more towards a warm or neutral season, such as Soft Autumn or Soft Summer.
How to evaluate yourself
- Compare silver and gold in daylight. Which makes the skin look more even and clearer?
- Test cool and warm colours against your face – use a neutral top or scarf to create contrast so you can clearly see which option gives the most radiance.
- Photograph yourself in different lighting and colours to note how your skin tone changes.
If you’re still unsure, a new colour analysis can provide answers. In some cases, only small details separate a cool season from a warm one. The analyst can then carry out a more in-depth undertone assessment and find the colour palette that truly enhances you.
Remember that the goal is to feel confident in your colours. If gold and warmer shades feel best, that’s probably where you belong – even if the first analysis pointed towards True Summer.
Also read Can you have blue veins but a warm skin tone? for more on undertones. When you want to know for sure, we recommend our Bespoke Analysis.