The Best Lipstick Shades for Every Seasonal Color Palette
There’s something almost magical about the moment you swipe on the perfect lipstick. It’s not just color — it’s confidence in a tube. But finding that shade? That’s where things can get tricky. Honestly, there's nothing quite like standing under those bright Sephora lights, your hand covered in smudges of reds, pinks, and nudes, hoping one would finally feel like the one. Some looked too dull, others too bold, and the one that looked flawless on my favorite influencer somehow made me look like I hadn’t slept in days.
After too many “almost right” purchases, I started to realize it wasn’t the lipstick — it was the undertone. I didn’t know it then, but every color either enhanced my natural warmth or completely clashed with it. That’s what led me down the rabbit hole of seasonal color analysis — and suddenly, everything started to click.
I discovered that I’m an Autumn — a warm Autumn to be specific — and it changed the way I approached beauty altogether. The concept might sound a little old-school or even complicated, but it’s really not. Seasonal color analysis is simply about understanding the tones that naturally exist in your skin, hair, and eyes, and using that knowledge to guide what shades flatter you best. It divides people into four broad categories — Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter — each with its own color palette that harmonizes with your natural features.
And when it comes to lipstick, that harmony makes all the difference. Once you know your palette, even colors you’d normally skip over can become your new signature shade.
So if you’ve ever wondered why your favorite nude looks incredible on someone else but lifeless on you, or why certain reds make your teeth look brighter while others don’t — this is your guide. I’ve rounded up the most flattering lipstick shades for every seasonal color palette, so grab a mirror and let’s get into it.
SPRING: Warm, Light, and Radiant
Springs are known for their warm and bright glow — think warm undertones, peachy or ivory skin, golden blonde to light brown hair, and clear, bright eyes.
Light Spring:
If you have light hair and light, bright eyes with warm undertones and if your overall look is soft and fresh, you are likely a light spring. This palette pairs best with fresh shades that mirror their natural glow and don’t overpower those delicate features. Think: Sophie Turner, Dove Cameron, Taylor Swift.
Best lipstick shades:
A light spring’s features would pair well with a peachy pink, a sheer apricot, a light coral, and those light, sheer glosses that leave a majestic look on the lips.
Try:
True Spring:
If your features are warm, bright, and clear — with golden undertones and a natural vibrance – you might be a true spring. A true spring has features that are higher contrast than a light spring. There is more warmth present, and their higher contrast means they look best in bolder colors to highlight those features. Think: Blake Lively, Amy Adams, Jessica Chastain.
Best lipstick shades:
A true springs palette is similar to a light spring, but with more saturation. This color season looks great in a bright pink, true coral, warmer pinks and melon tones. These juicy, radiant colors bring out your natural warmth and sparkle and embody the true essence of spring blooms.
Try:
Warm Spring:
Warm springs have more contrast than other Springs — bright eyes, clear skin, and golden warmth. This is the most vibrant color palette of the spring season. These are for those who have warm undertones and a significant contrast in their features. This contrast means that bolder, more saturated colors work best. Think: Rose McGowan, Emma Stone, Brittany Snow.
Best lipstick shades:
This is the palette that can pull off a tomato red like everyone wishes they could. A warm and pinky coral will also work beautifully or a bright, vibrant apricot. Think the color spring colors but with a higher intensity.
Try:
SUMMER: Cool, Soft, and Romantic
Summers are the rosy-toned beauties. These are those with those soft cool skin tones, the ash-blonde or light brown hair colors, and blue, grey, or hazel eyes. Summers have gentle features. Bright and fresh just like spring, but ironically, without those warm undertones.
Light Summer:
Your coloring is light and cool, and you shine in soft, breezy hues. This palette is best for those with a low to medium contrast in facial features. They are light and airy all around and have those cool undertones. Think: Margot Robbie, Sydney Sweeney, Sabrina Carpenter.
Best lipstick shades:
Rose pink, light raspberry, mauve, and cool, light pinks shine on this palette. These delicate tones bring a fresh elegance without washing you out.
Try:
True Summer:
True summers have cool undertones with low contrast in their faces and soft features. This color palette is for the girls with cool, rosy undertones, but a slightly darker hair color. There’s a refined elegance that naturally radiates from this palette. Think: Barbara Palvin, Emily Didonato, and Emily Blunt.
Best lipstick shades:
These are where the more muted roses, soft berry tones, dusty pinks and dusty mauve shades will really pop. Your beauty is subtle and radiant, and these tones compliment those elegant features.
Try:
Soft Summer:
You might be a soft summer if you have a neutral-cool tone and gentle contrast — very harmonious and calm. These are the least saturated tones of the three summers. The features in a soft summer are striking, and best complimented by shades that mimic natural tones. Still cool undertones and can have a more medium contrast. Think: Jennifer Aniston, Adriana Lima, Denise Richards.
Best lipstick shades:
The dusty roses, plums, taupe-pink shades, muted berry shades. These are the lip colors that create that “just kissed” look. It’s perfect! Soft, dreamy shades that melt into your natural tones.
Try:
AUTUMN: Warm, Earthy, and Rich
If you have tones like mine, you might be an Autumn. I look my absolute best when following the Warm Autumn color palette. Autumn beauties are all about earth tones and golden hour vibes. They have golden or olive undertones, rich hair colors (auburn, copper, chestnut), and warm eye shades like hazel, green, or topaz.
Soft Autumn:
Soft Autumns have a muted, soft warmth. They have earthy tones in their glow and tend to have a medium contrast. They often have hair color similar to their eye color, and shine in soft colors that compliment those earthy tones. Angelina Jolie, Kate Moss, and Jessica Biel fall under this palette.
Best lipstick shades: Try terracotta’s, nudes, peachy-beige hues, and rosy browns. Nothing too bright or dark. These shades feel natural and cozy — like warm chai on a fall day.
Try:
True Autumn:
These are the people whose features are rich, warm, and muted — it’s the palette that emulates golden hour all day. True autumn typically has a higher contrast in their features than Soft Autumn. They have a higher saturation, which means they are more complimented by more rich and deeper colors than a soft autumn. Think: Jessica Alba, Halle Bailey, Sofia Vergara.
Best lipstick shades:
These golden, warm tones are best suited in a burnt orange, brick reds, coppers. Think sunset tones.
Try:
Deep Autumn (aka Dark Autumn):
I am a deep Autumn, so if your features resemble mine, you may fall into this palette. We deep autumns have those deep, warm features and can handle rich, intense tones. Deep autumns have the most noticeable contrast in their features. These features are often deep, dark shades like deep browns and reds.
Best lipstick shades: Those deep reds like Oxblood and brownish-reds, cinnamon, deep terracotta’s. Those deeper features shine in darker, spicier shades that command attention without clashing.
Try:
WINTER: Cool, Bold, and Striking
Winters are the snow queens of the color world. High contrast is your superpower — from porcelain skin and jet-black hair to olive tones with icy eyes. You may be thinking winter palettes best suit those icy blonde hair and blue-eyed combo beauties, but actually, these are those rich tones contrasting with lighter features.
Deep Winter:
Deep winters have a strong, stark contrast. They have cool undertones and deep, intense features. These people can have green or blue eyes, but they will be in those dark, jewel tones as opposed to light, icy shades. These can be the cool toned olives that have deep, dark eyes and hair. There is a stark contrast, and a coolness underneath. Think: Monica Bellucci, Anne Hathaway, Dua Lipa.
Best lipstick shades:
These are the beauties that can wear those deep berry shades, wine reds, cool toned burgundy and espresso browns. Be careful that you are choosing shades with a cool undertone as many of these shades can have a warm undertone as well. These cool, sultry shades highlight your striking features effortlessly.
Try:
True Winter:
True Winters have clear, cool, high-contrast coloring with a pop of brightness. These are the dark skin tones with sharp contrast in their eyes and teeth, or the extremely light skin tones with extremely dark hair. Their look is icy and crisp and is radiant in bold tones. This is: Liv Tyler, Katy Perry, Ian Somerhalder. True winters have that smolder.
Best lipstick shades: The coveted crimson red belongs to True Winter. As does ruby reds, fuchsia shades and cherry pinks. You pull off vibrant, icy shades that others would find overpowering.
Try:
Cool Winter (aka Bright Winter):
If you share Winter’s coolness but can also wear super clear, vibrant shades, you’re probably a cool winter. All winter shades have high contrast, but this particular winter palette is where those bright, clear, icy shades come in. Those bright, icy blue eyes, porcelain skin tones, and dark hair combos. Think: Megan Fox, Courtney Cox, Krysten Ritter.
Best lipstick shades: Cool winters can pull off that hot pink, icy raspberries, electric, bright reds, and magenta shades.
Try:
How to Find Your Perfect Palette and Shade:
Luckily, I’ve got some experience in this department, so I’m happy to share some tips to finding that perfect shade. Lip Lab is an immersive experience where experts work with you to create specialized shades to perfectly match your seasonal palette and bring out your features. I took part in one a few years back and not only was it fun to create my own shade, but I still use this as a go to reference when picking out new shades. There are also color palette experts in most cities that will help you understand which season you fall into. If you’d rather figure it out at home, try these tips to make sure you get it right:
Stand in natural light, no makeup.
Hold up different colored fabrics (cool vs. warm) to your face.
Try lipsticks or virtual try-ons to see what makes your skin glow and your eyes pop.
If the shade brightens your face, makes your eyes sparkle, and your teeth look whiter — it’s probably a great match!
Final Thoughts
When your lipstick shade aligns with your natural coloring, everything just clicks — your skin looks clearer, your smile brighter, and your whole look more polished. It’s that effortless kind of beauty where nothing feels forced because every tone complements you perfectly. The right lipstick doesn’t compete with your features; it enhances them, almost like it was custom made for you.
But what’s even more empowering is how this knowledge transforms the way you shop and express yourself. You stop chasing trends or copying what works on someone else, and instead start curating colors that belong to you. Every purchase becomes more intentional, every beauty moment more personal. Whether it’s a tinted balm for a morning coffee run or a bold matte for date night, you’ll know that each shade is chosen with confidence — not guesswork.
Beyond the surface, this is about embracing the harmony between who you are and how you show up. Makeup isn’t about hiding — it’s about highlighting. When you lean into your palette, you’re not just wearing color; you’re amplifying your natural energy, your individuality, your glow. That’s the true power of color analysis — it doesn’t just guide your lipstick choices, it deepens your connection to your own beauty.
So as you experiment, explore, and rediscover shades through this new lens, remember that it’s not about perfection — it’s about alignment. Let your lipstick be a reflection of how you feel on your best days: confident, radiant, and entirely yourself. You deserve to feel stunning, every single day.
What is your seasonal color palette? Do you have a go to lip shade that you can’t part with? Let me know your thoughts and if this has you reconsidering any of your favs. For more beauty and make up tips, follow me on Instagram and Tiktok.
