Which tint shade suits your skin tone? A guide for South Asian skin

How to find your undertone in two minutes, which pinks and reds tend to flatter fair, wheatish, medium and dusky skin, and how to test a shade before you buy.

By the oli team11 October 20263 min read7 sources

The short version

Skin tone is how light or deep your skin is. Undertone is the warm, cool or neutral hue beneath it, and it doesn't change with a tan.
Check your undertone in daylight with the vein, jewellery and white-paper tests.
Very pale, cool pinks can look chalky on many South Asian skin tones; richer pinks and berries usually look more natural as skin gets deeper.
A sheer, buildable tint is forgiving: one layer of almost any shade can work.

Skin tone vs undertone

Your skin tone is its depth: fair, wheatish, medium, dusky or deep. Your undertone is the colour underneath: warm (golden, peachy), cool (pink, rosy) or neutral (a mix). Makeup artists quoted by SheerLuxe point out that your skin tone can change with the sun, but your undertone stays the same, and that fair skin can be warm while deep skin can be cool.

Undertone matters because a shade that fights it can make skin look grey or ashy, while one that's too warm can look orange or artificial.

Find your undertone in two minutes

Do these in natural daylight near a window. Indoor bulbs, especially yellow ones, change how colours look.

Test	Warm	Cool	Neutral
Veins on your inner wrist	Look greenish	Look blue or purple	Hard to tell
Gold vs silver jewellery	Gold looks better	Silver looks better	Both look good
White paper next to your face	Skin looks yellow or golden	Skin looks pink or rosy	Neither stands out
In the sun	You tan easily	You burn first	A bit of both

These tests come from Healthline (medically reviewed) and Refinery29. None of them is perfect on its own, so go with the answer that comes up most often. Refinery29 also notes that people with red undertones sometimes mistake themselves for warm.

Shade ideas by skin tone

Advice written for South Asian skin is mostly from beauty retailers and makeup artists rather than research, so treat it as a starting point, not a rule. A common thread: many South Asian undertones are warm, golden or olive, so very pale, cool pastel pinks can sit on top of the skin and look ashy, while richer, warmer shades blend in.

Skin	Shades that often work	With oli
Fair	Soft pinks and warm pinks; peachy tones if you're warm	Light Pink for a soft flush; Red sheered out on lips
Wheatish / medium	Coral-rose, warm pink, rosy berry	Dark Pink on lips and cheeks; Red on lips
Olive	Muted rose, berry, terracotta-leaning pinks	Dark Pink; Red in one or two layers
Dusky / deep	Berry, deep rose, richer reds; buildable formulas	Red and Dark Pink, built up in layers

The "With oli" column is our own suggestion based on these guides, not a rule from them. Makeup artist Jaleesa Jaikaran, quoted on Makeup.com, says a true red can work on every skin tone. With a sheer tint, one layer of Red gives a soft, natural flush rather than a bold lip.

For cheeks, go one step softer

Nykaa's guide notes that blush looks stronger in daylight than in your bathroom mirror, so start lighter than you think. Two practical tips:

On cheeks, use one layer and blend well before adding more.
If a shade looks too bright on your cheeks, blend it further toward your temples. The same colour looks softer spread over a wider area.

How to test a shade before you commit

Use the try-on. On olitint.com you can see each shade on your own selfie, with one to three layers. It's a digital preview, so real colour varies with your skin and light, but it's a good way to narrow down.
Ask for real swatches. Message us on WhatsApp and we'll send photos of the shades on real skin.
Check in daylight. Whatever you try, look in natural light before deciding.

Still unsure?

Dark Pink is the most "in-between" of the three shades: a deep rosy pink that tends to look natural on lips and cheeks across wheatish, medium and olive skin. If you love colour, Red is the most versatile because you control the strength with layers. Light Pink suits fairer skin and anyone who wants the softest, barely-there flush.

One bottle for lips and cheeks

oli is an olive-infused, fragrance-free lip & cheek tint in Red, Dark Pink and Light Pink. Build it from a sheer flush to a bold colour in one to three layers. Rs 790, cash on delivery across Pakistan.

Choose your shade Try it on your selfie

Sources

This article is general information, not medical advice. If your lips or skin stay sore, cracked or irritated for more than two to three weeks, or you have swelling or a rash, see a doctor or dermatologist.