soft summer red lipstick

SOFT AUTUMN: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO YOUR COLOR PALETTE AND CAPSULE WARDROBE

Soft Autumn combines the warm, inviting undertones of autumn with the soft, understated qualities of summer, making it a distinctive category in the 12-season color analysis system. This seasonal blend is perfect for those who have an overall gentle warmth in their features, where no single element stands out prominently. If you find yourself drawn to soothing, neutral tones like beige and olive, and feel a sense of calm at the sight of a misty forest morning, Soft Autumn may be your ideal match.

This guide will explore the Soft Autumn profile in detail, including physical characteristics, makeup recommendations, and a tailored color palette. You’ll also discover essential wardrobe staples for Soft Autumns and learn how to create a custom palette that enhances your natural beauty. Keep reading to uncover how to fully embrace and elevate your Soft Autumn style.

THE 12 SEASONS OF COLOR ANALYSIS

Seasonal color analysis is a transformative tool that reveals which colors enhance your natural beauty and boost your confidence. By assessing the undertones of your skin, eyes, and hair, this system places you into one of 12 unique color categories, each offering a tailored palette that highlights your best features.

This approach is based on six key color elements: warm, cool, deep, light, soft, and bright. Within the warm spectrum, the Autumn color family is distinguished by its medium to dark, muted hues.

The Autumn palette includes:

  • Soft Autumn (your focus today)
  • Warm Autumn
  • Deep Autumn

In this guide, we’ll explore the Soft Autumn palette—a harmonious blend of warm undertones and subtle contrasts that creates a soothing, refined look.

SOFT AUTUMN IS WARM AND SOFT

Soft Summer is characterized by the following attributes: warm hue, medium value, and muted chroma.

Warm Hue: Soft Summer has a warm undertone, typically red, though it can sometimes appear cooler due to various pink or white overtones. This can make it challenging to differentiate between Soft Autumn and Soft Summer.

Medium Value: Soft Summer features medium-value colors. While Soft Autumn generally leans towards medium to dark values, Soft Summer colors may range from medium pinks and reds to deeper greens and blues, depending on the specific family.

Muted Chroma: The most defining trait of Soft Summer is its muted chroma. Unlike bright colors, Soft Summer colors are subdued and lack intense vibrancy. Bright hues are not suitable for this palette and can help distinguish it from Soft Autumn.

While Soft Autumn shares warmth with its seasonal counterparts, its defining characteristic is its muted gray undertone. This gives Soft Autumn a softer, more subtle appearance compared to the more vibrant Autumn types.

Skin: Soft Autumn skin often ranges from gentle beige to taupe. Skin tone may shift from a golden glow in the summer to an ashy warmth in winter due to sun exposure.

Eyes: Eyes in Soft Autumn are usually brown, green, or blue with a soft, opaque quality. Unique patterns, such as olive overlays and brown specks, are common.

Hair: Hair color in Soft Autumn is generally in the brown family, from light to medium or dark shades, and may include gold, red, or faint auburn highlights. Dark blonde and occasionally medium blonde hair are also seen. Hair color complements the overall muted, harmonious look of the Soft Autumn palette. Features are balanced and unassuming, coming to life when paired with the appropriate colors for the season.

MAKEUP FOR THE SOFT AUTUMN WOMAN

To enhance the Soft Autumn look, your makeup should reflect its warm and soft characteristics.

Eyes: Opt for light neutrals such as cream, blush, and copper, or rich tones like brown and olive. For accents, consider soft plum or warm teal to add subtle depth.

Cheeks: Choose neutral warm shades like sand, coral, and peach to create a natural, peachy glow that complements the Soft Autumn palette.

Lips: Nude shades, along with copper and caramel, work beautifully for everyday looks. For a bolder statement, try chestnut, mocha, or coral red.

Avoid cool tones such as pink or berry red lipsticks, cool blue or green eyeshadows, and soft pink blushes. Dark lip colors are also best avoided as they can overpower the Soft Autumn’s gentle aesthetic.

INSPIRATION: THE NATURAL BEAUTY OF SOFT AUTUMN

The Soft Autumn palette is renowned for its serene warmth and subtle elegance, beautifully reflected in the imagery of a fog-draped landscape. This season’s colors blend the warmth of browns, reds, oranges, yellows, and greens with a gentle hint of gray, creating a harmonious and muted visual experience.

Nature provides rich inspiration for Soft Autumn. Consider the soft transition of a leaf changing colors, where summer’s vibrant hues gradually give way to autumn’s deeper tones. Similarly, the tranquil beauty of a spring scene illuminated by a setting sun offers a glimpse of the warm teal blues that define this palette. These colors capture the essence of Soft Autumn, balancing warmth with softness.

VISUAL INSPIRATIONS:

Leaf Transition: Observe a leaf in mid-transition, where summer’s brightness subtly merges with autumn’s rich, muted colors, embodying the essence of Soft Autumn.

Marigold Glow: The soft, muted glow of marigold leaves under gentle lighting highlights Soft Autumn’s range, connecting deeply with the natural cycle of change.

Sunset Brilliance: The warm yellow hues of a cloudy sunset, blending seamlessly with ivory and taupe, illustrate Soft Autumn’s palette as it transitions from day to night, capturing the season’s tranquil beauty and warmth.

These natural scenes offer a visual guide to embracing the Soft Autumn palette, encouraging you to explore and incorporate these muted, warm colors into your wardrobe and personal style.

SOFT AUTUMN COLOR PALETTE

When creating a Soft Autumn palette, begin with neutral tones and then explore the major color families.

For Soft Autumn, black and white are too harsh, so replace black with brown and denim, and white with ivory. Essential neutral colors for this palette include olive, blush, and camel.

Soft Autumns benefit from rich, muted hues. Burgundy and squash are ideal soft tones. Given the blend with summer, there’s a wider range of pinks available, though warm pinks like blush are particularly suitable. Yellows in this palette can include soft brass, flax, and marzipan. Greens should be medium to light, while blues can be cool but should have a green undertone to fit the autumnal theme. Warm purples, especially those with red undertones, complete the palette.

While most colors can be adapted to fit any season, some may be challenging to match for Soft Autumn. Warm pinks often translate well into blush, but cooler reds and blues without green can be unsuitable. Opt for purples with a red base rather than blue.

Certain colors should be avoided by Soft Autumns. Stark black and white are too high-contrast, and bright, saturated colors can be overwhelming. Instead, focus on warm pastels and soft hues, particularly blush and olive, to complement your Soft Autumn palette.

CHOOSING PRINTS FOR SOFT AUTUMN

Choosing the right patterns can significantly enhance your Soft Autumn style. To ensure your patterns complement your color scheme and align with your scale and contrast preferences, follow these guidelines:

  • Color Consistency: Limit patterns to less than 10% of colors that fall outside your Soft Autumn palette. This keeps your look cohesive and harmonious.
  • Scale: Choose prints with a small to medium scale. Large, bold patterns can disrupt the gentle and soft aesthetic of Soft Autumn.
  • Contrast Level: Opt for low-contrast prints. Soft Autumn’s charm lies in its muted, blended appearance, and low-contrast patterns will emphasize this quality.

Adhering to these principles will help you refine your Soft Autumn wardrobe and boost your confidence in pattern selection. Browse our curated image collection below for examples that perfectly embody these guidelines.

WARDROBE ESSENTIALS FOR SOFT AND WARM COLORING

Regardless of your style or personal aesthetic, there are essential items every woman should have in her wardrobe.

Begin with neutrals, which form the foundation of any wardrobe. Opting for similar shades of the same color can create a sophisticated, cohesive look through layering.

If you prefer a more vibrant approach, the basics remain important, but you can add flair with fun and quirky accessories in yellow, orange, purple, and blue. These colorful accents will bring interest and personality to your outfits.

CONCLUSION

The Soft Autumn palette offers a harmonious blend of warm, muted tones that can complement a variety of skin tones and hair colors. By incorporating these colors into your capsule wardrobe, you can create timeless and versatile outfits that reflect your personal style.

18 Best SPF Lip Balms for This Summer

Of course, keeping our lips moisturized is important but how about protecting them from the sun. Therefore, don’t forget to apply some SPF balm to your lips while you’re applying the best sunscreen for your face because they are also susceptible to UV damage. In fact, your lips are even more vulnerable to UV damage because they lack melanin. Sure, you may use any SPF cream to protect yourself, but how can you tell which is the best? Not to worry. We can help with our selection of 18 best SPF lip balms.

Sun Bum Sunscreen Lip Balm SPF 30

This lip balm is really creamy and moisturizes lips while also protecting them from UV rays. Aloe and cocoa butter in the foundation are to thank for the incredible hydration. The lip-smacking fruity flavors—coconut, pineapple, banana, pomegranate, key lime, and mango—are perhaps the finest part, and they are reason enough to keep swiping this on. For extra protection, apply it over any lip color or use it alone. But if it gets too hot, it can quickly melt, so this one is absolutely not for people who live in hot climates.

Aquaphor Lip Protectant & Sunscreen Ointment SPF 30

This lip balm is actually available in your neighborhood pharmacy, and it’s arguably one of the best choices there. This Broad Spectrum SPF 30 sunscreen lip balm from Aquaphor is designed with soothing vitamins and shea butter. It is especially beneficial for people with sensitive skin because it is fragrance- and preservative-free. Have I mentioned how cheap and accessible it is? However, it contains petroleum, which some people might find a big turn-off.

W3ll People Lip Butter SPF 15 Tinted Balm

It makes sense that you might want to choose a lip balm with fewer components given that we invariably consume some of the products we apply to our lips. This one is appropriate because it uses a variety of organic oils to hydrate. Given that many lip cosmetics employ chemical sunscreen components, it is uncommon for sun protection to be natural, non-micronized mineral zinc. It is offered in three different colors: clear, two-tone, and colored.

Carmex Classic Medicated Lip Balm SPF 15

Carmex lip balms are a classic that I bet we have all used. Pick up a ton and keep one in every pocket, purse, and so on. It is the original, well-liked version with SPF 15 sun protection in addition to camphor and menthol to help heal chapped lips. The affordable Carmex Classic Medicated lip balm performs wonderfully in both the winter and the summer. We must warn you that not everyone will find the camphor and menthol aroma pleasant.

Clé de Peau UV Protective Lip Treatment

This product is more of a lip treatment than a simple lip balm, as the name would imply. The ingredient list resembles that of a high-end moisturizer and includes a variety of herbs and botanicals along with ingredients including Japanese pearl, which evens skin tone, and theanine. While antioxidants and sunscreen provide the required protection, these all function in concert to enhance the appearance of lips. This doubles as an excellent lipstick primer and has a delicate, refined natural rose smell.

La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5 Repairing Balm

The La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5 Repairing Balm, one of the most traditional lip balms on the market, not only soothes sore and chapped lips but also offers broad spectrum UV protection with SPF 50. It slides across the lips, leaving them feeling incredibly moisturized and comfortable.

Ultra Violette Sheen Screen Hydrating Lip Balm SPF50

This lip balm, which comes in six hues, protects lips from UVA and UVB rays while also being loaded with moisturizing nutrients. Shea butter and vitamin E calm sore lips while cacao seed butter and lanolin lock in moisture. It has more of a lip gloss texture than a balm. When applied, the color isn’t very noticeable, which may put off certain buyers.

Paula’s Choice Lip Balm SPF50

This SPF, which is suitable for sensitive lips, contains avobenzone, one of the most extensively used UVA filters worldwide, to shield your skin from harmful rays. Shea butter and nutritious olive oil are also included. If you prioritize hydration, the texture and finish of this one will now satisfy you.

Ultrasun Lip Protection SPF30

This strong lotion, which is made with white meadowfoam and blackcurrant oil, is conveniently packaged for travel but also works great for daily usage. This nourishing product reduces inflammation and smooths the surface of the lips for a soft and seductive look, regardless of the weather, in addition to providing protection against sun damage, drying, and chapping. However, you should look at other possibilities if you want a lip balm that may last a long time.

Malin + Goetz SPF30 Lip Balm High Protection

The SPF 30 Lip Balm – High Protection from MALIN + GOETZ replenishes moisture to parched lips and is the effective remedy you’ve been seeking for to prevent cracking, chapping, and dryness. Fatty acids and nutrients derived from plant proteins are added to the gel mix to provide intensive nourishing and long-lasting moisturizing protection. Because it could cause white casts, this lip balm is not the ideal choice for people with darker skin.

Mavala Tinted Berry Lip Balm

This Mavala alternative is tinted for a hint of color and provides modest sun protection with a buttery-soft shea butter balm. Although SPF15, which is provided, isn’t the best degree of protection we’ve discovered, it should be sufficient for the majority of people to run their daily errands and brief periods of time in the sun.

Supergoop Lipshade 100% Mineral SPF 30 Hydrating Lipstick

We highly recommend this lip color because of its smooth composition and 100 percent mineral SPF protection. It is a pigmented lip color that also functions as a sunscreen. We like that it has a light peppermint flavor and is available in four rose and terracotta colors that may be built up for a flash of color on the lips. Despite having nutritious components like mango and shea butter, the composition is not the most hydrating, but it is simple to layer with moisturizing lip creams.

Vacation Bananas Foster SPF 30 Lip Balm

Vacation is renowned for producing extremely powerful and delicious-smelling sun protection products. They follow suit with their protective lip balm, which offers a respectable degree of SPF 30 along with an enticingly sweet smell and flavor. Another plus is the extremely creamy, non-greasy texture. Also available are additional flavors that bring back memories, including strawberry jello salad, after-dinner mint, and others. Although the scent is pleasant, some people may find it to be too strong.

Banana Boat Ultra Sport Sunscreen Lip Balm SPF 50

Before your next outdoor run, swim, or game of beach volleyball, be sure to swipe this on. Yes, it hydrates, but more significantly, it offers an outstanding SPF 50 to guard against sunburn when exercising. Not to mention that it is water-resistant for up to 80 minutes, so if you are swimming or perspiring, you won’t need to worry about reapplying it. On your lips, though, it has a little waxy feeling.

Neutrogena MoistureShine Lip Soother Gloss with SPF 20

This lip moisturizer gloss relieves dry, chapped lips right away upon touch and shields them with a calming, cooling hydrogel formula that helps retain moisture. The broad-spectrum SPF 20 sunscreen is combined with glycerin, cucumber, and chamomile to provide intense hydration in the sun protection gloss. There is a slight tingling feeling after application, which not everyone may prefer.

O’Keeffe’s Lip Repair SPF 35 Lip Balm Stick

Your lips will remain moisturized and protected even while relaxing poolside thanks to O’Keeffe’s Lip Repair SPF 35. This lip balm earned the title of our favorite water-resistant SPF lip balm because of its formula’s 80-minute water resistance. And yes, it does function. We adore how compact the tube is, making it very portable and simple to put in your pocket or a small purse, in addition to its nutritious water-repellent ingredients. However, people who like unscented items won’t find it to be ideal.

Burts Bees Sun Care Lip Balm 3-Pack

The tinted lip balms shield your lips from UVA and UVB rays with a Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Zinc Oxide composition that is nano-free. These balms leave a matte finish and have a thicker, creamier texture. Compared to the original tinted lip balm colors, the colors are bolder. If you’re into sustainable beauty, this is the lip balm for you because it’s not only the best tinted SPF lip balm, but it also doubles as the finest reef-safe sunscreen for your lips. Although many are aware of its pigmentation, many are not.

Colorescience Sunforgettable Lip Shine SPF 35

You may make Colorescience’s SPF lip shine by taking your favorite pink lip gloss and adding SPF 35 to it. The four rosy and pale pink hues of this lovely lip shine are not too overpowering in color, but just enough to let you know it’s there. The lip gloss has a peppermint-like aroma when you first open it and separate the wand from the bottle. Your lips will tingle for about 15 seconds after that. This sensation makes me question if the peptide component of the gloss is what moisturizes and calms your lips. People who don’t want to spend a lot of money on lip balm will be turned off by the fact that this one is on the more expensive side.

Even if you follow a good SPF skin care regimen, you probably neglect to take care of your lips. The mouth often goes unnoticed, necessitating even more attention from the absence of attentive sun-protectant care even though every part of the body is vulnerable to dangerous UV radiation. With this list, you may choose one for yourself without having to spend a lot of money on numerous items.