Light Spring Color Palette: Every Color, What to Avoid, Outfits and Makeup

Light Spring is the lightest and most delicate of the spring seasons. Your coloring is light first and warm second: fair or ivory skin with a golden or peachy glow, blonde to light golden brown hair, and clear light eyes. Your best colors are light, warm and fresh: peach, coral pink, light turquoise, periwinkle, buttercream and warm ivory.

The rule that sums it up: keep it light and keep it clear. A Light Spring can wear a color that leans slightly cool, as long as it is light and fresh. A dark or heavy color fails every time, however warm it is.

The Light Spring color palette

This is the complete palette we use in our analysis: 38 colors in five groups, plus the eight shades that work against Light Spring coloring. Neutrals are the base of a wardrobe (coats, trousers, bags), everyday colors are tops and knitwear, accents are for one piece per outfit, and the deeps are your darkest options, used for contrast in small amounts.

Spring family · 38 colors

The Light Spring color palette

Light, warm and clear, like a sunny spring morning.

Neutrals

• Warm Ivory
  #FFF5E1
• Buttercream
  #FAEAC6
• Golden Beige
  #E6CFA5
• Light Camel
  #D4B48C
• Stone
  #D3CABB
• Warm Grey
  #B8AFA3
• Café au Lait
  #B49A7E
• Light Navy
  #4F6A96

Lights

• Pale Yellow
  #FBEBA2
• Peach
  #FFCFA8
• Shell Pink
  #F9CAC0
• Mint
  #C0EBCF
• Light Aqua
  #B3E6E1
• Light Periwinkle
  #C4CBEE

Everyday colors

• Coral Pink
  #F7877A
• Salmon
  #F9A283
• Apricot
  #F9B67A
• Daffodil
  #F6D66B
• Spring Green
  #A5D477
• Seafoam
  #8FD9B6
• Light Turquoise
  #63CBC1
• Sky Blue
  #86BEE8
• Periwinkle
  #98A4DE
• Warm Pink
  #F4A0A8

Accents

• Coral
  #F7735F
• Watermelon
  #F5707D
• Golden Yellow
  #F6C243
• Cantaloupe
  #F9A65A
• Clear Aqua
  #40C4C8
• Kiwi
  #9ACD4C
• Cornflower
  #6F95E0
• Light Violet
  #A88BDB

Deeps

• Golden Brown
  #A57B4E
• Cocoa
  #8A6A50
• Jade
  #3BA488
• Warm Teal
  #2F8E8E
• Medium Blue
  #5B80C2
• Rose Red
  #D9545F

Colors to avoid near the face

• Black
  #0A0A0A
• Charcoal
  #36393F
• Burgundy
  #6E1A2D
• Espresso
  #3B2A20
• Midnight Navy
  #1B1F3B
• Forest Green
  #1F4D2B
• Aubergine
  #3F1D3B
• Olive Drab
  #556032

Tap any color to copy its hex code, then paste it into a shop's color filter or a design app.

What to notice when you look at it as a whole:

• There is no black, no charcoal and no dark brown. Your darkest neutrals are Light Navy, Cocoa and Café au Lait. That is the biggest wardrobe change for most new Light Springs.
• Your whites are warm. Warm Ivory and Buttercream instead of optic white. Stark white is not on the avoid list, but ivory will look softer and more expensive on you every time.
• Your "darks" are mid tones. Jade, Warm Teal, Medium Blue and Rose Red are the deepest colors you need. If a color looks darker than those, it is too dark for you.
• Pastels need warmth and clarity. Peach, Shell Pink, Mint and Light Aqua are clear and slightly warm. Greyed pastels like dusty lavender look tired on you.

What makes someone a Light Spring

Seasonal color analysis looks at three qualities of your natural coloring: value (light to deep), temperature (warm to cool) and chroma (soft to bright). Each of the 12 seasons is defined by the quality that dominates and the one that comes second.

For Light Spring, the dominant quality is lightness and the secondary is warmth. Chroma sits in the middle: colors should be clear, never dusty, but they don't need the punch of a Bright Spring. Contrast is low: your skin, hair and eyes are close in depth.

Side by side

Light Spring vs Light Summer vs True Spring

Same idea, different dials. The season is decided by which quality dominates your coloring.

Light Spring

Light, warm and clear, like a sunny spring morning.

Top: signature colors · bottom: colors to avoid

Undertoneneutral warm

CoolWarm

Depthlight

LightDeep

Chromamedium

SoftBright

Contrastlow

LowHigh

Skin:

Fair to light ivory or peach, with a golden or peachy undertone and a warm glow; may freckle lightly.

Hair:

Golden, strawberry or honey blonde to light golden brown.

Eyes:

Light blue, aqua, light green or light warm hazel, usually clear and bright.

Light Spring guide →

Light Summer

Light, cool and airy, like a hazy summer sky.

Top: signature colors · bottom: colors to avoid

Undertoneneutral cool

CoolWarm

Depthlight

LightDeep

Chromasoft

SoftBright

Contrastlow

LowHigh

Skin:

Fair to light, porcelain or soft pink-beige with a cool to neutral undertone.

Hair:

Ash blonde, platinum, light beige blonde or light ash brown, often blonde since childhood.

Eyes:

Soft blue, grey-blue, grey-green or light cool hazel.

Light Summer guide →

True Spring

Warm, golden and bright, like a field of spring flowers.

Top: signature colors · bottom: colors to avoid

Undertonewarm

CoolWarm

Depthmedium

LightDeep

Chromabright

SoftBright

Contrastmedium

LowHigh

Skin:

Ivory, peach or golden beige with a clearly warm undertone; freckles are common.

Hair:

Golden blonde, strawberry blonde, copper red or golden brown.

Eyes:

Warm blue, turquoise, green or golden hazel, often with golden flecks.

True Spring guide →

Many Light Springs were very blonde as children and darkened to a golden or light brown as adults. If that is you, look at your roots and eyebrows in daylight: a golden or strawberry cast points to Spring, an ashy or mousy cast points to Summer.

Light Spring vs Light Summer vs True Spring

These are the two seasons Light Springs are most often confused with. Getting it wrong is costly: Light Summer pushes you into cool, greyed pastels, True Spring into stronger colors that can overpower you.

Light Spring vs Light Summer. Both are light, low contrast and gentle, so both look good in pastels. The difference is temperature. Hold peach and powder pink under your chin in daylight. If peach makes your cheeks look alive and powder pink makes you look slightly grey, you lean Spring. If peach turns your skin yellow and the pink looks fresh, you lean Summer. Gold vs silver jewelry is the second test, and our gold or silver test shows both on your own photo.

Light Spring vs True Spring. Both are warm. The difference is how much depth and saturation you can carry. True Spring wears tomato red, tangerine, kelly green and camel without being overpowered. On a Light Spring those colors arrive before your face does. Compare Light Camel with a mid camel coat, or Coral Pink with a tomato red top: if the lighter, softer one wins, you are the lighter season.

How to test Light Spring at home

You don't need a professional drape set to get a first answer. You need daylight and colors in pairs.

1. Stand facing a window, no direct sun, lamps off. No makeup or very little, hair pulled back.
2. Use solid fabrics: T-shirts, scarves, towels. Hold each one right under your chin.
3. Compare pairs, never single colors. Peach vs powder pink (temperature), warm ivory vs soft white (temperature), light navy vs black (depth), light turquoise vs deep teal (depth), coral pink vs dusty rose (clarity).
4. Watch your skin, not the fabric. The right color makes your skin look even, your eyes clearer and your face lighter. The wrong one adds shadows around the mouth and eyes, a grey or yellow cast, or makes you look tired.
5. Take photos in the same light and compare them side by side. Your eye adjusts quickly in the mirror; photos don't.

If peach, coral pink and ivory win and black looks like a hole under your face, you have a strong Light Spring signal.

Free · runs on your device

Compare 3 seasons on your own photo

Light Spring · Light Summer · True Spring

Take a selfie or upload one. We put a draping cape on your photo and recolor it with this palette, best colors and the ones to avoid, so you can see the difference on your own face. Your photo stays in your browser.

×××

Try it on my photo

Colors to avoid as a Light Spring

Every color that fails Light Spring is too dark, too heavy or too muddy for your light coloring. Each one below comes with the palette color that does the same job in a wardrobe.

Light Spring · swap list

Avoid this, wear that instead

Each color that works against you, why, and the palette color that does the same job in your wardrobe. Same idea, better on your face.

• ×

  Black

  too heavy, it overpowers your light features
  Light Navy

  #4F6A96
  too heavy, it overpowers your light features
• ×

  Charcoal

  too dark and severe, it casts shadows
  Warm Grey

  #B8AFA3
  too dark and severe, it casts shadows
• ×

  Burgundy

  too deep, it drags your coloring down
  Rose Red

  #D9545F
  too deep, it drags your coloring down
• ×

  Espresso

  too heavy for your delicate coloring
  Cocoa

  #8A6A50
  too heavy for your delicate coloring
• ×

  Midnight Navy

  too dark, it looks harsh against your skin
  Medium Blue

  #5B80C2
  too dark, it looks harsh against your skin
• ×

  Forest Green

  too dark and dense, it swamps you
  Jade

  #3BA488
  too dark and dense, it swamps you
• ×

  Aubergine

  too dark and cool, it drains your warmth
  Light Violet

  #A88BDB
  too dark and cool, it drains your warmth
• ×

  Olive Drab

  muddy and dark, it makes you look tired
  Light Camel

  #D4B48C
  muddy and dark, it makes you look tired

You can still wear them, away from your face. Black jeans, an olive skirt or a burgundy bag are fine when the color near your face is from your palette. Wear black trousers with a peach knit, a dark coat with an ivory or light aqua scarf at the neck. The rule of thumb: the color within about 20 cm of your face decides how you look in person and in photos.

Light Spring color combinations

Light Spring outfits work best with low contrast and warmth: a light warm neutral, one fresh color, and a soft accent. Avoid big jumps between very light and very dark.

Light Spring · outfit formulas

Color combinations that work

Read each board as 60% main color, 30% second, 10% accent near the face or in accessories.

• Main

  Second
  Warm Ivory · Light Camel · Coral Pink

  A soft, sunny daytime look for brunch or the office.

• Main

  Second
  Light Navy · Peach · Buttercream

  Your fresh take on nautical, crisp without the harshness of black and white.

• Main

  Second
  Light Turquoise · Golden Beige · Watermelon

  Cheerful and holiday ready, great for summer events.

• Main

  Second
  Periwinkle · Shell Pink · Stone

  A gentle pastel mix for spring weddings and garden parties.

Building a Light Spring wardrobe

Start with ten pieces in your neutrals and signature colors and everything mixes. This is the order we'd buy them in:

Light Spring · capsule

A 10-piece Light Spring capsule

Buy these first. Every piece mixes with every other, so ten items make dozens of outfits.

• Trench coatLight Camel
• BlazerLight Navy
• Knit sweaterPeach
• Button-down shirtWarm Ivory
• T-shirtCoral Pink
• TrousersStone
• DressLight Turquoise
• CardiganButtercream
• ScarfSky Blue
• HandbagCafé au Lait

Shopping notes that save the most mistakes:

• Replace black first. Light Navy does the job of black in a blazer, trousers or coat, and Café au Lait does the job of brown in shoes and bags.
• Check the white label. Pick ivory, cream and buttercream over optic white. If a white looks blue next to your skin, skip it.
• Prints should be small and airy: light florals, dainty dots, fine stripes in soft contrast. Big, high contrast graphics overwhelm you.
• Fabrics: smooth cotton, linen and light knits. Very heavy, dark tweeds and thick black leather look severe.
• Denim: light to medium washes with a warm or neutral cast. Skip very dark indigo and black denim near the top of an outfit.

Light Spring makeup

Light Spring makeup should look fresh and warm, never heavy. The most common mistake is a pink, ashy foundation and dark smoky eyes, which make a Light Spring face look chalky.

Light Spring · makeup

Light Spring makeup shades

Look for a light peachy or golden beige base; pink or ashy shades look chalky on you.

Lips

• Peach Nude
  #E8A88E
• Coral Pink
  #F08B7E
• Warm Pink
  #EE8F98
• Apricot
  #F4A877
• Watermelon
  #EC6F78
• Rosy Nude
  #D9938A

Blush

• Peach
  #F7B59A
• Apricot
  #F5A980
• Coral Pink
  #F49B91
• Warm Rose
  #E99A9A

Eyeshadow

• Champagne
  #F1DFC0
• Golden Beige
  #DDBE92
• Soft Bronze
  #B98B5E
• Warm Taupe
  #A68E78
• Light Aqua
  #8FD3CB
• Periwinkle
  #9AA6DC

Liner and mascara

• Soft Brown
  #7A5A43
• Warm Navy
  #3E5A8A

Nails

• Peach
  #F9B894
• Coral
  #F47B67
• Shell Pink
  #F5C8BF
• Aqua
  #6FD1C9

• Lips: Peach Nude, Coral Pink and Warm Pink are your everyday shades. Watermelon is your "red". Deep plum and brown lipsticks are too heavy.
• Eyes: champagne, golden beige and soft bronze define without weight. A touch of light aqua or periwinkle shadow on the lower lid brightens light eyes.
• Liner and mascara: soft brown or warm navy instead of black. Brown mascara looks more natural on blonde lashes.

Light Spring hair colors

Light Spring · hair

Light Spring hair colors

Stay within two shades of your natural color and keep the tone golden; warm babylights look natural, while heavy dark dye overwhelms you.

Best shades

• Golden Blonde
  #D8B26E
• Strawberry Blonde
  #D9A273
• Honey Blonde
  #C99A5B
• Butter Blonde
  #E3C78F
• Light Golden Brown
  #A87C4F

Shades to skip

• ×
  Platinum Ash
  #DAD6CF
• ×
  Jet Black
  #121212
• ×
  Burgundy Red
  #6E1F2E

Stay within about two shades of your natural color and keep the tone golden. Warm babylights and honey or butter blonde look natural; platinum ash drains your warmth and jet black is far too heavy. If your hair has darkened over the years, golden highlights around the face bring back the lightness you had as a child.

Best jewelry and metals for Light Spring

Light Spring · jewelry

Best metals for Light Spring

• yellow goldBest
• rose goldBest
• champagne goldBest
• polished brassWorks
• polished silverWorks
• gunmetalSkip
• oxidized silverSkip
• black metalSkip

Yellow gold, rose gold and champagne gold echo the golden glow of your skin. Polished brass and polished silver work when they are shiny and delicate. Gunmetal, oxidized silver and black metal look heavy and dark, the jewelry version of black. Keep pieces fine and light: thin chains, small hoops, pearls with a cream tone.

Light Spring celebrities

Light Spring · commonly cited

Celebrities often typed as Light Spring

These names come up again and again in color analysis circles. Nobody has draped them in person for us, and hair dye, tans and stage lighting change how anyone looks, so treat them as reference points, not verdicts.

• Blake Lively
• Amanda Seyfried
• Cameron Diaz
• Kate Hudson
• Carrie Underwood
• Kristen Bell

What these women have in common is lightness and warmth: golden blonde hair, light eyes and skin with a peachy glow. Compare photos of them in soft pastels and peach with photos in black: the difference is a useful reference for your own coloring.

Light Spring FAQ

Is Light Spring the same as Soft Spring?

There is no Soft Spring in the 12-season system. Some 16-season systems use the name for a gentle, slightly muted warm type. People who search for it usually turn out to be Light Spring (light, warm, gentle) or Soft Autumn (warm and muted). If dusty, earthy colors suit you better than clear pastels, look at Soft Autumn.

Can Light Spring wear black?

Not near the face. Black is the first color on the Light Spring avoid list because it overpowers light features and casts shadows. Light Navy is your best alternative. Black shoes, trousers or a bag are fine.

What are the best Light Spring neutrals?

Warm Ivory, Buttercream, Golden Beige, Light Camel, Stone, Warm Grey, Café au Lait and Light Navy. Build coats, trousers and bags in these and your tops in the everyday colors.

Can Light Spring wear silver?

Polished silver is acceptable in small, shiny pieces. Yellow gold, rose gold and champagne gold are better. Gunmetal and oxidized silver are the metals to skip.

What lipstick suits a Light Spring?

Peach Nude for everyday, Coral Pink or Warm Pink for color, Watermelon for a brighter look. Avoid deep berry, brown and blue-based reds.

What is the difference between Light Spring and Light Summer?

Temperature. Both are light and low contrast, but Light Spring is neutral-warm (peach, ivory, gold) and Light Summer is neutral-cool (powder pink, soft white, silver). The peach vs powder pink test above is the fastest way to tell.