Finding the right lipstick shade for Indian skin can be exhausting. Sometimes, the swatch looks pretty on your wrist but washes you on your lips. On other occasions, the lipstick you purchased with a matte finish turned out to dry out your lips, leaving lipstick settling into the lip lines.
As Indian skin has a varied range of skin tones from fair to deep, they also possess distinct undertones which play an important role in the performance of your lipstick.
House Of Makeup’s Dawn To Dawn Super Stay Liquid Matte Lipstick Range was specifically formulated keeping in mind the Indian skin tones, types, and concerns. From pink and brown nude shades to russet-orange shades, this guide will help you choose the perfect lipstick.
Understanding Indian Skin Tones
Indian skin tones cover a wide range of complexions, from fair to deep. Although skin tone exists on a spectrum, it is commonly grouped into the following categories for makeup and skincare recommendations:
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Fair: The lightest skin tone category, often with minimal visible pigmentation.
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Fair to Light: Slightly deeper than fair skin, with a soft beige appearance.
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Light to Medium: A balanced tone that sits between lighter complexions and wheatish skin.
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Wheatish: A medium skin tone commonly described as a blend of beige, golden, and light brown shades.
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Medium: A deeper complexion with more visible pigmentation than wheatish skin.
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Tan: A richer brown skin tone that falls between medium and dusky skin.
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Dusky: A deeper brown complexion with higher levels of pigmentation.
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Deep: The darkest end of the spectrum, characterised by rich brown skin tones.
How Does Skin Tone Impact Your Lipstick?
Because Indian skin ranges from fair to deep complexions, the same lipstick shade can appear noticeably different across skin tones. Understanding where your skin tone falls within this spectrum can make it easier to choose shades that look balanced and natural.
All About Undertones
Undertone refers to the subtle colour beneath the surface of your skin that remains consistent regardless of tanning or sun exposure. Unlike skin tone, which can range from fair to deep, undertones are typically classified as warm, cool, olive, or neutral.
Understanding your undertone can help you choose makeup shades that look more natural and balanced, especially when selecting lipstick, foundation, and blush. Here are the various undertones that are found in Indian skin tones:
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Warm Undertone: This is one of the most common undertones across Indian skin tones. Characterised by yellow or golden hues beneath the surface.
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Neutral Undertone: This undertone is a mix of warm and cool, with no single hue dominating. Neutral undertones are extremely versatile and can pull off both warm and cool shades without either looking off.
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Olive Undertone: This undertone is unique to Asian skin tones, and it sits between warm and neutral, with a distinct greenish or yellow-green hue beneath the surface. Common in South Asian, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern skin.
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Cool Undertone: This undertone is typically characterised by pinkish or bluish hues beneath the surface.
How To Identify Your Undertone?
Here’s how you can identify our undertone:
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The vein test: Look at the inside of your wrist in natural daylight. Greenish veins indicate warm undertones, whereas bluish or purplish veins indicate cool undertones, and a mix of both suggests neutral undertones. If your veins have a distinct blue-green cast, you likely have olive undertones.
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The jewellery test: You can hold gold and silver jewellery pieces against your bare wrist and see which looks more natural on your skin. Gold flattering you more points to warm or olive undertones. Whereas, if silver suits you better, it suggests cool undertones. If both look equally good, you're likely neutral.
Check out this guide on Indian skin tones for a deeper explanation of how undertone affects every makeup decision, not just lipstick.
Introducing House Of Makeup’s Dawn To Dawn Liquid Matte Lipstick
House Of Makeup’s Dawn To Dawn Super Stay Liquid Matte Lipstick feels exactly like liquid velvet on your lips. With a hydrating liquid formulation that is super comfortable and transfer-proof, this liquid lipstick lasts 12+ hours without cracking, crumbling, dehydrating, or drying your lips. This liquid lipstick glides on smoothly and nourishes your lips.
Looking for a lipstick that is travel-friendly and fits your purse and pocket easily? The House Of Makeup Dawn To Dawn Super Stay Mini Matte Lipstick is a compact liquid lipstick that makes a big impact and is a great starting point for those who want to try our matte liquid lipstick.
At House Of Makeup, our products are carefully curated with 100% vegan and clean ingredients to suit all Indian skin types and shades. Here are our hero ingredients:
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Hyaluronic Acid: For plumper and softer lips
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Blend of 5 Oils: Oils like soyabean, sunflower, rapeseed, olive, sweet almond oil help prevent chapping and keep your lips moisturised, smooth, soft, & nourished
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Vitamin E: Helps to lock in moisture
Lipsticks For Every Mood: Explore Our Versatile Range of Matte Liquid Lipsticks
The Dawn To Dawn Super Stay Liquid Matte Lipstick shades are carefully curated for Indian skin tones. Here are the 11 versatile, trendy lip shades in full-size to choose from based on your undertone and the mood of the day.
Pink Nude Shades
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Rose Cream: A muted red nude for a soft and elegant look. Best suited for fair to medium skin tones that have a cool to neutral undertone.
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Peach Pie: A soft shade of mauve pink that gives you a soft, flushed look. Best suited for fair to medium skin tone with a cool or neutral undertone.
Brown Nude Shades
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Glazed Nut: A glossy nutty brown with hints of pink. This shade complements skin tones that range from medium to deep and have warm or neutral undertones.
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Ginger Snap: A cool-toned nude brown shade that’s perfect for all seasons.. Best suited for medium to deep skin tones with cool to neutral undertones. This shade also comes in a mini size.
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Hot Chocolate: A deep and rich chocolate brown shade, with warm undertones, perfect for medium to deep skin tones.
Russet-Orange Nude Shades
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Honey Coral: The perfect blend of peach and honey brown for a warm coral nude shade. This is best suited for medium and wheatish skin tones with neutral to warm undertones.
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Cinnamon Blush: A russet-toned nude with the warmth of a brown hue for a sophisticated look. Best suited for medium and wheatish skin tones with warm or olive undertones. This shade is also available in a mini size.
Peach and Pink Hues
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Candy Frost: A bright and frosty pink that brightens your face with a youthful pop of colour. This shade complements fair to medium skin tones with cooler undertones.
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Pink Sugar: A light and rosy pink that adds a soft glow to your face. This is perfect for fair to medium skin tones with warm to neutral undertones.
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Watermelon Punch: A bold pink hue for a bright and tropical vibe. It is a vivid shade best suited for fair to medium skin tones with warm undertones.
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Peach Pie: A soft shade of mauve pink that gives you a soft, flushed look. Best suited for fair to medium skin tone with a cool or neutral undertone.
Choose Your Favourite Shade from the Versatile Range of Liquid Lipstick Minis
Here’s a guide to help you choose the best lipstick from the versatile lip shades.
Pink Nude Hues
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Apricot Whip: A soft pink and peachy nude shade that gives you an instant pop of color. This shade complements fair to light and medium skin tones with warm and neutral undertones.
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Pink Butter: A peppy rose nude shade that adds a delicious burst of color to your lips. This is best suited for fair to medium skin tones with neutral undertones.
Brown and Russet Brown Nude Shades
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Caramel Dip: This is in the shade caramel-beige that flatters medium to tan complexions with warm undertones.
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Cinnamon Blush: Warm russet-brown shade that flatters warm undertones. This shade beautifully complements all skin tones, from fair to deep.
Mauve Nude Colours
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Frosted Plum: A plum-toned nude with a cool berry undertone, this shade is perfect for medium to deep skin tones with cool to neutral undertones.
How to Apply Liquid Matte Lipstick in One Smooth Glide
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Exfoliate your lips with a lip scrub, then follow up with some lip balm
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Once your lips are well-prepped, start applying the lipstick. For fuller-looking lips, line them with a lip liner first.
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Start applying your Dawn To Dawn Liquid Lipstick from the centre of your lips, working your way outwards. Follow the contour of your lips for that perfect application.
How to Make Lipstick Last in Indian Weather?
Indian summers and high humidity are often the notorious cause behind makeup melts. Keeping the tropical weather conditions in mind, House Of Makeup has formulated Dawn To Dawn long-stay liquid matte lipsticks. These liquid matte lipsticks stay put in place for 12+ hours. They do not crack, peel or dry out your lips. Ingredients like hyaluronic acid, vitamin E, and a blend of five oils (soybean, sunflower, rapeseed, olive, and sweet almond) keep your lips moisturised throughout wear. So be it monsoon or summer, with just a glide of Dawn To Dawn, you no longer need to worry about touchups or faded lips.
Shop Your Shade Now!
FAQs
Which lipstick shade suits Indian skin the best?
There is no one shade for all Indian skin, but warm nudes in your skin tone's range can perfectly elevate your look. Here’s our recommendation from the Dawn To Dawn Range: for fair skin you can try shades like Peach Pie or Rose Cream, for wheatish skin try Ginger Snap or Cinnamon Blush. If you have medium toned skin try Caramel Dip. And lastly for deep skin try Glazed Nut.
Which nude lipstick actually works for Indian skin?
A nude lipstick shade for Indian skin needs to be warm and deeper compared to other lipstick nudes that are designed for Western population. Dawn To Dawn's Ginger Snap, Cinnamon Blush, Honey Coral and Caramel Dip were specifically formulated for this range.
Is red lipstick suitable for all Indian skin tones?
Red lipstick are crowd favorites, as they elevate the entire look no matter what your skin tone is. Warm reds with orange or brown in the base work across all Indian skin tones. Cool, blue-based reds can look jarring against warm Indian undertones.
What lipstick shades look good on dusky Indian skin?
Dusky skin works beautifully in warm-brown nudes like Glazed Nut and Hot Chocolate, and in bold shades like Frosted Plum and Cherry Cola. Avoid pale, cool nudes that wash out against deeper pigmentation.
The right lipstick shade does not just complete a look, it changes how confident you feel wearing it. With the Dawn To Dawn Super Stay Liquid Matte Lipstick range, you get shades that are designed to complement Indian skin, a formula that stays put through long days and humid weather, and lips that stay nourished instead of dried out. Pick your shade, apply it once, and forget about it for the rest of the day.