Summer cool vs winter cool: the difference between the two cool seasons
Updated October 19, 2026. 3 min read.
If you already know you have a cool undertone, the next question is whether you are a Summer or a Winter. In Korean results this is the difference between yeoreum-kul (summer cool) and gyeoul-kul (winter cool).
Both seasons share blue-based colors. The difference is how much contrast and clarity your coloring can carry.
The short version
- Summer cool is soft and medium in contrast. Your best colors are cool but slightly powdery: rose, mauve, raspberry, soft berry.
- Winter cool is clear and high in contrast. Your best colors are cool and saturated: cherry red, fuchsia, deep berry, plum.
Put the same berry lipstick on both types and it reads differently. On a Summer, a very saturated berry can look like it is sitting on the face. On a Winter, a soft dusty rose can make the face look flat and tired.
How to tell them apart
Look at your contrast. Take a black and white photo of your face. If your hair and eyes look very dark against your skin, you have high contrast, which points to Winter. If everything looks similar in tone, you have low to medium contrast, which points to Summer.
Compare clear and soft. In daylight, hold a clear fuchsia and a dusty mauve near your face. Winter skin looks sharper and brighter in fuchsia. Summer skin looks calmer and smoother in mauve.
Black or navy. Winters usually look great in pure black. Summers often look better in navy, charcoal or soft gray-blue.
The drape test runs the clear-versus-soft comparison on your own face.
What changes in your makeup
| Summer cool | Winter cool | |
|---|---|---|
| Lips | Rose, raspberry, mauve-pink, soft berry | Cherry red, blue-red, fuchsia, deep berry |
| Blush | Rose, cool pink | Clear cool pink, berry |
| Finish | Satin, soft gloss, blurred | Glossy, glass, or bold velvet |
| Liner | Soft brown or gray | Black works |
Korean shades labeled for each
From rom&nd’s shade guide:
Summer types: Blur Fudge Tint 05 Bibi Candy (True Summer), Glasting Melting Balm 02 Lovey Pink (Light and True Summer) and 07 Mauve Whip (Soft Summer), Juicy Lasting Tint 25 Bare Grape (Soft and Light Summer), Better Than Cheek W01 Odi Milk.
Winter types: Juicy Lasting Tint 12 Cherry Bomb (True and Clear Winter) and 17 Plum Coke (True and Dark Winter), Blur Fudge Tint 08 Currant Jam (True Winter).
See all cool-labeled shades on the True Summer and True Winter pages, or browse lip tints for Summer and lip tints for Winter.