When it comes to lipstick, you very well know that the “one shade fits all” theory won't work, neither would the mantra, “my bestie’s shade is mine”. After all, what looks good on your skin might not look the same on your friend. Reason? Each shade works differently on different skin tones. So, no matter how simple it looks, there is a way to determine the right shade as per your skin tone. Keep scrolling to determine your perfect lipstick shade as per your skin tone.
Lipstick shades for light skin tone: Soft petals and bold contrasts
People with light skin tone often have cool or neutral undertones. This means certain shades can either wash you out or illuminate your features like a spotlight.
Best Matches
1. Soft Pinks:
Pinks work wonders on fair-skinned people. Blush pink, baby rose, and petal tones add a youthful freshness to your look. These delicate hues gently awaken the face without overpowering it. In fact, if you're selecting a nude shade, try to pick a pink-toned nude to bring out the freshness to your face.
2. Bold reds and deep berries
Think of strawberries! Reds work just superb on light-toned skin. These reds cut through the paleness beautifully, making light skin glow. Deep berries, cherry reds, and wine tones also create an elegant look.
3. Corals:
From the office commute to all your daytime adventures, if there is one shade that would complement your skin tone, it is a coral lipstick shade.
Pro Tip: Skip beige nudes as they would wash you out.
Lipstick shades for medium skin tone: Warm honey and golden sunshine
Medium skin is blessed with versatility. With warm, neutral, or olive undertones, this complexion plays wonderfully with a wide palette.
Best Matches
1. Berry Shades:
These shades brighten medium skin and bring out the skin tone more naturally. These shades enhance warmth and add a cheerful pop to your overall appearance.
2. Terracotta and Brick Reds:
Brick reds do wonder on people with medium-toned skin. They bring out your complexion flawlessly and amplify your look. Try fuchsia, burnt orange, or metallic copper. These shades add an editorial edge while harmonising beautifully with medium tones.
3. Mauve
People with medium skin tone can never go wrong with mauves. The lip shade is bright and adds an instant charm to your overall look.
Pro Tip: Skip the pale nudes—they can dull the look. Instead, opt for nudes with pink or brown undertones to complement the skin’s natural warmth.
Lipstick shades for olive skin: Earthy elegance and rich contrast
Olive skin often has greenish or neutral undertones. It can handle colours that would overwhelm other skin types, making it an exceptional base for unique hues.
Best Matches
1. Warm Browns:
Chocolate, cinnamon, and caramel tones blend seamlessly with olive skin’s undertone, enhancing natural richness.
2. Plum and Berry:
Deep purples add depth and definition, making olive skin appear radiant and sculpted. Bold orange, oxblood, and even forest-green tinted glosses with striking confidence.
3. Brick and Rusty Reds:
These colours highlight olive undertones without clashing, creating a warm, sultry finish.
Lip shades for deep skin: Royal richness
Deep skin tones have a naturally radiant base that pairs well with bold pigments and deep saturation. With warm, cool, and neutral undertones possible, the spectrum is vast.
Best Matches
1. Bold Berries and Blackberry Shades:
These deep hues blend into the skin like velvet, creating a luxurious, regal look. Vibrant shades like electric purple, bright tangerine, and fiery fuchsia pop dramatically on deep skin.
2. Rich Reds:
Think cranberry, wine, and deep ruby. These are timeless on deep skin—powerful, elegant, always stunning.
3. Warm chocolates and espresso nudes:
Earthy browns with red or purple undertones enhance the skin’s natural warmth and create a seamless, polished effect.
Tips for finding your perfect shade (no matter the skin tone)
Check your undertone:
Cool undertones glow in blue-, berry-, or purple-based shades; warm undertones shine with coral, brick, and caramel; neutral undertones enjoy almost everything.
Try the wrist test
If your veins look blue, you’re cool-toned; green suggests warm; a mix means neutral.
Experiment in natural light
True colours reveal themselves in sunlight—not under store fluorescents.
Balance your makeup
Going bold on the lips? Keep eyes minimal. Subtle lips? Play up the eyes.
Wear what you love:
Rules guide you, but your confidence completes the look.