You have probably seen the Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Tinted Lip Oil on every "lip products you need" list this year. At $24, it delivers buildable, glossy color with a hydrating finish that feels more like a balm than a gloss. Eight shades. All pretty. But which one actually works with your coloring?
That depends on your color season. A shade that looks effortless on a Bright Spring can wash out a Soft Summer entirely. Below, you will find every Rare Beauty lip oil shade scored across all 12 Sci/Art seasons — YAY, OKAY, or NAY — so you can skip the guesswork and pick the one that actually belongs on your lips.
How We Score Lip Products
TruHue's scoring engine analyzes the undertone, depth, and chroma of each shade against the color palette of all 12 seasons. A YAY means the shade harmonizes with your natural coloring. An OKAY means it is wearable but not your strongest pick. A NAY means the shade clashes with your palette — you will notice it pulling your complexion in the wrong direction.
Lip oils are sheer to medium coverage, which softens the impact of undertone mismatches compared to an opaque lipstick. That said, a NAY shade in a lip oil still reads "off" — especially in warm overhead lighting or natural daylight.
Every Shade, Scored
Not sure of your season yet? Take the free color quiz — it takes about 2 minutes.
Devotion — Warm Peachy Nude
YAY: Light Spring, True Spring, Soft Autumn
OKAY: True Autumn
NAY: True Winter, Deep Winter
If you are a Light Spring or True Spring, Devotion is one of those shades that looks like your lips but slightly better. The warm peachy undertone picks up on the golden warmth in your skin without adding depth you do not need. Soft Autumns get a YAY here too — the muted quality of this shade keeps it from overpowering your softer contrast. True Autumns can wear it, though it may read a touch light. Cool and deep seasons: this one will flatten your complexion.
Happiness — Warm Coral-Pink
YAY: True Spring, Bright Spring, Light Spring
OKAY: Light Summer
NAY: True Winter, Soft Summer
Happiness leans warmer and brighter than Devotion — you will see the coral come through even at one layer. Spring seasons, this shade was made for you. The warm undertone and medium chroma land perfectly in your range. Light Summers can pull it off because the sheerness tones down the warmth, but you will probably reach for something cooler more often. If you are a Soft Summer or True Winter, the coral will clash with your cool, muted palette.
Joy — Cool Mauve-Pink
YAY: True Summer, Soft Summer, Light Summer
OKAY: Soft Autumn
NAY: True Spring, True Autumn
This is where the cool seasons start winning. Joy has a blue-based mauve undertone that harmonizes beautifully with all three Summer seasons. You will notice it brings out the rosy quality in your skin without looking stark. Soft Autumns get an OKAY because your muted quality overlaps with Soft Summer — the mauve is not jarring, just not your strongest pick. Warm seasons: the cool pull is noticeable, especially on True Springs and True Autumns, where it clashes with golden undertones.
Honesty — Deep Berry-Plum
YAY: Deep Winter, True Winter, Deep Autumn
OKAY: Bright Winter
NAY: Light Spring, Light Summer
Honesty is the deepest shade in the range — a rich berry-plum that demands enough contrast to carry it. Deep Winters and True Winters, your high contrast and cool undertone make this shade look intentional and polished. Deep Autumns get a YAY because you have the depth, even though your warmth is different — the berry quality bridges that gap. Bright Winters can wear it, but it may read slightly muted for your palette. If you are a Light Spring or Light Summer, this shade will overpower your delicate coloring.
Gratitude — Warm Rosy Nude
YAY: Soft Autumn, Light Spring, Soft Summer
OKAY: True Spring
NAY: Deep Winter, Bright Winter
Gratitude sits in the warm-neutral zone with a rosy wash — think "I just came inside from a walk." If you are a Soft Autumn or Light Spring, this shade disappears into your coloring in the most flattering way possible. Soft Summers get a YAY here because the muted warmth reads neutral enough for your palette. True Springs can wear it, though you might want a touch more saturation. Deep and Bright Winters will find it too muted and too warm.
Serenity — Cool Dusty Rose
YAY: Soft Summer, Light Summer, True Summer
OKAY: Soft Autumn
NAY: Bright Spring, True Autumn
Serenity and Joy are cousins — both cool, both rosy — but Serenity leans dustier and more muted. That makes it a perfect match for the muted Summer seasons. You will notice it sits quietly on your lips without competing with your soft coloring. Soft Autumns get another OKAY here for the same reason Joy works: your muted quality overlaps. Bright Springs and True Autumns will find it too ashy and too cool.
Truth — Neutral Pink
OKAY-to-YAY for most seasons
Truth is the safe pick — and that is not an insult. Its neutral undertone means it does not pull obviously warm or obviously cool, which keeps it from clashing with most palettes. If you are shopping blind (a gift, or you have not taken a color quiz yet), Truth is the shade that has the widest margin for success. It will not be the most harmonious shade for any single season, but it will not be a NAY for anyone either. That neutral balance is genuinely hard to find in tinted lip products.
Love — Bright Warm Pink
YAY: Bright Spring, Bright Winter, True Spring
OKAY: Light Spring
NAY: Soft Summer, Soft Autumn
Love is the highest-chroma shade in the lineup — a punchy warm pink that needs brightness in your coloring to land. If you are a Bright Spring or Bright Winter, this shade lights up your face the way muted shades never will. True Springs get a YAY because the warm undertone aligns, and the brightness is comfortable for your palette. Light Springs can wear it, but it may feel slightly loud. Soft seasons — Soft Summer and Soft Autumn — will find that this shade wears them rather than the other way around.
Quick Season Cheat Sheet
If you already know your season and want the short answer:
- Light Spring: Devotion, Happiness, Gratitude
- True Spring: Happiness, Devotion, Love
- Bright Spring: Love, Happiness
- Light Summer: Joy, Serenity
- True Summer: Joy, Serenity
- Soft Summer: Serenity, Joy, Gratitude
- Soft Autumn: Devotion, Gratitude
- True Autumn: Devotion (OKAY)
- Deep Autumn: Honesty
- Bright Winter: Love
- True Winter: Honesty
- Deep Winter: Honesty
If your season only shows OKAY-level matches above, Truth (neutral pink) is worth trying — it scores comfortably in the OKAY-to-YAY range for nearly every palette.
What Makes a Lip Oil Different from Lipstick?
Lip oils are sheerer than traditional lipsticks, which means undertone mismatches are softer. You can sometimes get away with an OKAY shade in a lip oil where the same undertone in a matte lipstick would be a clear NAY. That said, "sheerer" does not mean "invisible" — you will still notice when a shade clashes, especially in natural light.
The Rare Beauty Soft Pinch formula is buildable. One layer reads as a tinted balm; two to three layers approach the opacity of a sheer lipstick. If you are borderline between OKAY and NAY, you can keep it to one layer and probably get away with it. But if you are buying a $24 lip product, you deserve a shade that is a clear YAY — one you can build up without second-guessing.
The Bottom Line
Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Tinted Lip Oil has strong options across the board — warm seasons, cool seasons, bright seasons, muted seasons. The lineup covers real ground. Your job is narrowing eight shades down to the one or two that harmonize with your specific palette.
If you do not know your color season yet, that is the place to start. Once you know, the shade picks itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Rare Beauty Lip Oil shade works for cool seasons?
Joy (cool mauve-pink) and Serenity (cool dusty rose) score YAY for True Summer, Soft Summer, and Light Summer. Honesty (deep berry-plum) scores YAY for Deep Winter and True Winter. If you are a cool season, start with one of those three.
Is Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Tinted Lip Oil worth $24?
At $24, it sits in the mid-range for tinted lip products. The formula is hydrating, buildable, and long-wearing for a lip oil. Whether it is worth it comes down to picking the right shade — a YAY shade will look noticeably better on you than a NAY shade at any price point.
What is the most universally flattering shade?
Truth (neutral pink) scores OKAY-to-YAY across the widest range of seasons. Its neutral undertone avoids pulling too warm or too cool for most palettes, making it the safest blind-buy in the lineup.
How do I know which shade matches my season?
You need to know your color season first. Take TruHue's free color quiz — it takes about 2 minutes. Once you have your season, check the shade-by-shade breakdown above to see which shades score YAY, OKAY, or NAY for your palette.
Can warm seasons wear Joy or Serenity?
Joy and Serenity are cool-toned shades, so they score NAY for most warm seasons like True Spring and True Autumn. If you are a Soft Autumn, Joy scores OKAY because your muted quality overlaps with cool-muted palettes — but it still will not be your strongest shade. Warm seasons should look at Devotion, Happiness, or Gratitude instead.
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