How to choose your lipstick using color analysis
Everyone has experienced this. A lipstick that looks perfect in the tube, stunning on screen, and once applied: a dull complexion, harsher features, lips that look “muted” rather than enhanced. It’s not a question of product quality. It’s a question of color analysis.
The color you apply to your lips interacts with your skin’s natural tone, its undertones, and the light it reflects. A shade can look beautiful on one person and completely dull another’s complexion. Understanding this mechanism changes everything: it turns choosing a lipstick from a beauty gamble into an informed decision.
Here are the rules of color analysis applied to lips, and how to put them into practice with the brand RMS Beauty available on Superskin.
What exactly is color analysis?
Color analysis is the science that studies how colors interact with each other and with a person’s complexion. Applied to makeup, it relies on a simple principle: every skin has a complexion depth (from light to deep) and an undertone (the hue that shows through beneath the surface).
It’s this undertone that determines which colors enhance or dull your face. Not your complexion depth. A fair-skinned woman with a warm undertone does not have the same needs as a fair-skinned woman with a cool undertone. Same depth, radically different results.
Identifying your undertone: the vein test
The most reliable—and simplest—method:
Look at the inside of your wrist in natural daylight.
- Your veins appear blue or purple. Your undertone is cool. Your skin has pink or pink-beige hues.
- Your veins appear green. Your undertone is warm. Your skin has golden, peachy, or olive tones.
- You can’t clearly distinguish blue or green. Your undertone is neutral. You sit between both, giving you much more flexibility in your choices.
There’s a second complementary test: place a gold piece of jewelry next to your face, then a silver one. If gold brightens you, your undertone is warm. If silver suits you better, it’s cool.
Cool undertones: the colors that work
Cool undertones are enhanced by reds with a blue or pink base. It’s this “blue” depth within the red that creates harmony with the skin’s pink reflections, rather than clashing with them.
What works:
- Raspberry pink, bright pink, fuchsia pink
- Cherry red, redcurrant red, wine red
- Plum, burgundy, berry tones
- Rosy nude or dusty pink
What to avoid:
- Pure coral, orange, brick
- Terracotta tones
- Nudes that are too beige or too warm
Within the RMS Beauty range:
Miranda is the natural choice for cool undertones: a classic soft pink inspired by Miranda Kerr, delivering just the right amount of color to brighten the complexion without overdoing it.
Monica and Linda also work perfectly, increasing intensity depending on the occasion.
For those who prefer subtlety, Jayne and Mae, the nude shades in the range, offer a sophisticated take on nude.
Warm undertones: the colors that work
Warm undertones thrive in shades with an orange or golden base. These colors echo the skin’s natural warmth and create instant harmony.
What works:
- Coral, peach, apricot
- Orange-red, brick, terracotta
- Caramel, golden brown
- Beige-caramel nude, peach nude
What to avoid:
- Overly blue-toned plum
- Fuchsia pink with cool undertones
- Burgundy that leans too violet
Within the RMS Beauty range:
Ruby Moon is the centerpiece: a vibrant orange-red named after Rose-Marie Swift’s dog. It’s the bold red for warm undertones par excellence.
Melanie is the option for a sunny everyday look, and Angela for moments when you want the sophistication of a slightly amber warm nude.
On the Lip Oil side, shades Amber and Karolina from the Legendary Lip Oil bring the same warm glow with the comfort of a treatment gloss.
Neutral undertones: the freedom to try everything
Neutral undertones are often seen as the hardest to identify. In reality, they are the most versatile. Your skin doesn’t lean too pink or too golden, meaning you can wear a wide range of shades without risk of clashing.
What works:
- Almost everything, as long as you play with intensity
- Nudes in all their variations
- Classic red, rosy pink, soft coral
- Moderately intense plums and berries
Within the RMS Beauty range:
Audrey, a tribute to Audrey Hepburn, is the universal shade for neutral undertones. It leans neither orange nor violet, striking a perfect balance between classic red and modernity.
Eve and Naomi from The Nudes collection are your everyday allies: warm nudes that work effortlessly on most complexions.
Complexion depth: the other variable to consider
Beyond undertone, your complexion depth influences the intensity and contrast you can wear.
Very fair to fair skin. Contrast is strong: bright colors stand out immediately. Nudes that are too pale can wash out the complexion. Pinks, raspberries, bright reds, and moderate burgundies instantly add radiance.
Medium to tan skin. Most colors work. Brick reds, vibrant corals, soft plums, and caramel nudes are particularly flattering. This is the complexion that carries deeper nudes most naturally.
Deep skin. This is where the most intense colors truly shine. Deep burgundies, cocoa browns, dark plums, and bright reds create striking contrast. Nudes must be carefully calibrated to avoid dulling the complexion.
The exception to every rule
My mother only wore red lipstick. It’s my first beauty memory. And that’s why I always wear it.
Rose-Marie Swift - Founder of RMS Beauty
What Rose-Marie Swift expresses here is that color analysis is a tool, not a constraint. Lipstick has this rare quality: it can be chosen scientifically to enhance a complexion, or worn with enough confidence that the question no longer matters.
Discover the full RMS Beauty range
The real rule: understand what naturally suits you, then consciously decide whether to follow those codes or break them. That’s when beauty becomes truly personal.
The Legendary Serum Lipstick: why this formula changes everything
Choosing the right color is essential. But the formula must also deliver once applied.
The Legendary Serum Lipstick by RMS Beauty is a rare innovation in clean makeup: a hybrid lipstick, serum, and stain in one product. Its base replaces traditional water with organic bitter cherry water, which hydrates, smooths, and revitalizes the lips during application. The color applies in a single swipe, lasts up to 8 hours, and doesn’t bleed into fine lines around the mouth.
What I love about this formula is that it’s unique and special, and the application is perfect: it doesn’t crack or separate.
Rose-Marie Swift - Founder and professional makeup artist, RMS Beauty
The formula also contains a complex of adaptogenic herbs (ashwagandha, licorice, turmeric, St. John’s wort) and Kakadu plum extract, one of the richest sources of vitamin C in the world. Each application is both a color gesture and an active lip treatment.
The shades in The Nudes are each named after an icon: Mae (West), Eve, Pamela (Anderson), Naomi (Campbell), Jayne (Mansfield). Legendary nudes, for legendary lips.
What if you want color without the constraint?
The Legendary Lip Oil is the answer for those who want glow and color without the precision of lipstick. A glossy tinted oil with pigments blended into a nourishing base, available in 9 shades. For the hesitant or the curious, The Mini Lip Oil Trio brings together three mini sizes to test and compare shades before committing.
See the full RMS Beauty lipstick selection on Superskin