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Light Spring vs True Spring

Light Spring and True Spring sit next to each other on the flow wheel, which is why they are so easy to confuse: they share a dimension. The table below shows exactly where they part company, and the test underneath it is the fastest way to settle which one you are.

Last updated August 2026 ยท Michael Machatschek

Light Spring True Spring
Palette
Undertone neutral warm warm
Depth light light medium
Clarity medium bright bright
Defined by light warm
Best metal gold gold
Signature color Peach Warm Coral

Where each one sits

Light Spring

undertone clearly warm
coolwarm
depth strongly light
lightdeep
clarity clearly bright
softbright

True Spring

undertone strongly warm
coolwarm
depth clearly light
lightdeep
clarity strongly bright
softbright

How to tell which you are

What the Light Spring guide says

Both of you are warm and both look wrong in black. The difference is saturation. True Spring colors are vivid: tomato red, turquoise, golden yellow at full strength. Put a Light Spring in true tomato red and the color wins. Put a True Spring in peach and the color vanishes. If clear bright shades feel exciting rather than overwhelming, you are further along the Spring line than you think.

What the True Spring guide says

The dividing line is saturation, not warmth. Light Spring wears the pastel version of your palette: peach where you wear coral, butter where you wear golden yellow. If pastels look pretty on you but slightly insubstantial, and full strength color looks normal, you are True Spring.

Colors that are right either way

Both palettes contain these. If you are genuinely stuck between the two, this is what to buy first: you cannot get it wrong, whichever way the answer eventually falls.

Peach #FFD0B5 / #FFCBA4
Apricot #FFC08A / #FFA45C
Warm Beige #E3C9A8 / #D2B48C
The full Light Spring guide Delicate, sun-warmed and light, fresh pastels with a golden glow. The full True Spring guide Pure golden warmth, fresh, clear, sunny colors.

Still not sure?

The test measures all three dimensions and tells you which one decides your season, with the confidence behind it. When two seasons are close it says so and names both.

Take the 60 second test

Questions people ask

What is the difference between Light Spring and True Spring?
Light Spring is neutral warm, light and medium bright. True Spring is warm, light medium and bright. In practice that means Light Spring wears peach where True Spring wears warm coral.
How do I tell if I am Light Spring or True Spring?
Both of you are warm and both look wrong in black. The difference is saturation. True Spring colors are vivid: tomato red, turquoise, golden yellow at full strength. Put a Light Spring in true tomato red and the color wins. Put a True Spring in peach and the color vanishes. If clear bright shades feel exciting rather than overwhelming, you are further along the Spring line than you think.
Can I be both Light Spring and True Spring?
Not officially, but you can sit on the border, and if these two are your candidates you probably do. The practical answer is to shop the colors both palettes contain, which are listed on this page, and to be careful only with the shades where they diverge.