Color Theory: Are there truly universal products?

I'm a product of a redheaded father and a brunette, medium-olive skinned mother. I got the fair skin but the olive undertone, which has always made it difficult for me to determine whether or not I should be wearing cool or warm makeup colors.

Some articles suggest that looking at your veins is a good way to tell if you're warm-toned or cool-toned-- green veins mean warm, blue or purple veins mean cool. I, of course, have both (predominantly large veins are very green, small veins are blue). I would guess that might make some call me "neutral", but I definitely need a very yellow foundation (Bobbi Brown's products are a very good match for me, and I've always used the yellow-orange shades at Prescriptives counters).

On the other hand, I definitely need a cool toned blush. Benefit's Dandelion is fine on my complexion, but Georgia looks quite unnatural. The same is true for the infamous NARS Orgasm blush- it starts out seeming okay, but quickly turns an unflattering shade of orange on my skin. NARS Sin, however, is fantastic; on a good day, I wear this blush and feel like I've become 25 again. Sin, often described as berry or plum toned, would certainly seem to fall into the "cool" category.

Because my pocketbook won't permit lots of makeup errors and I tend to favor high-end products, I've been experimenting with shades deemed "universal"-- and found some that I believe are very useful for coloring like mine. NARS Penny Lane blush, for example, looks like rose brass to me in the pan-- and applies similarly, like a soft pink/peach/caramel shade. I seem to be able to wear this color regardless of what appears to be predominant in my skin that day. MAC's Viva Glam V lipstick is a very flattering accompaniment to this blush-- it's also a caramelly pink on, and seems to suit me no matter what.

I've failed with other "universal" products-- I'm a bit too long in the tooth for things like cheek stains, as they seem to highlight every flaw in my "oldish" skin, and I think that many lip/cheek products are similarly too pink for my yellow coloring.

So the bottom line seems to be this-- if you aren't sure what shades may suit you, look for blushes and lip products that blend both cool and warm tones. While it seems as if they might not suit anyone, they definitely have worked for me.