Your lip combo has a way of transforming any makeup look, especially when you pick the right shade. While any color can be fun to wear, certain shades can wash you out or clash with your skin tone, while the right shades will complement your complexion. There’s a perfect color for every skin tone, and once you narrow it down (alongside your undertone), finding a signature lipstick or tinted lip balm is a whole lot easier.
To help you discover your ideal shade, I spoke with New York-based makeup artist and aesthetician Taylor Weiss, who breaks down exactly how to pick the best lip color for your skin tone. "Your skin tone tells you how light or deep your complexion is, while your undertone reveals the subtle hue beneath the surface," she explains.
Keep scrolling for the best lip color for you, some celeb inspo, and the best products to achieve your perfect lip.
How to find your skin's undertone
Your undertone is the subtle color that comes through your skin and influences how shades interact with your complexion. Knowing this helps you choose makeup colors—such as lipstick—that enhance your natural coloring and are effortlessly flattering.
"Check the hue beneath your skin in natural daylight," suggests Weiss. "Warm undertones have hints of yellow, golden, or peach, whereas cool undertones will show pink, red, or blue. And neutral undertones are a mix of both."
You can also check the veins on the inside of your wrist. If they look blue or purple, you likely have a cool undertone. If they look greenish, you’re probably warm-toned. If it seems like a mix of both, you lean neutral.
Once you’ve determined your undertone, you can proceed to selecting the best shades for your unique skin tone.
The best lip colors for deep skin tones
"Deep tones carry shades like mauve, burgundy, chocolates, and rich reds really well," says Weiss. Warm undertones pair beautifully with warm browns, brick red, and terracotta, while cool undertones look stunning in blue-based reds, berries, and dark mauves. Neutral undertones can pull off a wide range of these shades, from pinky-browns to classic reds, giving you plenty of versatile options to complement your skin.
Best Lipsticks for Deep Skin Tones
PAT McGRATH LABS MatteTrance™ Lipstick
Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb Stix
The best lip colors for medium skin tones
According to Weiss, "roses, berries, and reds will pop with medium and olive skin tones." If you lean cooler with medium skin, try for more of a magenta or purple-based shade, like a cherry red or a cool pink. For those with warmer undertones, think warmer pinks and orange-y reds. For neutral medium tones, you can really go with anything from a rosy pink to a bold berry shade.
Best Lipsticks for Medium Skin Tones
MAC Mac ximal Silky Matte
Lancôme L'Absolu Rouge Hydrating Cream Lipstick
Charlotte Tilbury K.I.S.S.I.N.G Lipstick
The best lip colors for light skin tones
"Light skin tones glow in soft pinks, peachy nudes, and light berry colors," says Weiss. And as for specific undertones, "mauves and rosy pinks flatter cool skin, while peachy pinks and corals suit warm." For a more subtle look, stick with an elevated version of your original lip color, and when you want a bolder look, try going more into the red and berry category.
Best Lipsticks for Light Skin Tones
Makeup By Mario Super Satin Lipstick
Eadem Le Chouchou Lip Balm
Tarte Maracuja Juicy Lip Balm
How to test the best lip color for your skin tone
"Swatching in natural light is key," says Weiss. "Test a few shades on your wrist, lip, or cheek and see how they play with your undertone. The right shade will look seamless and brighten your skin, while the wrong one can leave you looking washed out."
Meet the expert:
- Taylor Weiss (aka @skinbytw) is a makeup artist and aesthetician in New York, NY. Weiss does glam for everything from magazine shoots to product campaigns, and shares tips to make beauty fun and approachable.
Why trust Cosmopolitan?
Jasmine Hyman is the assistant beauty editor at Cosmopolitan, where she writes about all the best beauty trends and products. For this story, she spent hours researching the best lip shades for each skin tone and also tapped makeup artist Taylor Weiss for her expert insight.
Jasmine Hyman is the Assistant Beauty Editor at Cosmopolitan, where she writes about the latest beauty trends and must-have products. Her most prized beauty possessions are a meticulous skincare routine and salon blowouts. You’ll also likely find her in bed reading a good book or endlessly scrolling TikTok (spoiler: it’s usually the latter) while listening to Harry Styles’ entire discography on repeat. Follow her on Insta to be inundated with pictures of her meals.
