OK, I’m going to sound a little bit impatient on this because I’m tired today, but I’m not impatient, I’m just tired. So I’m going to give short answers, but there are lots of details discussing all of this in the forums already. Most in the following thread.
OK, first point. It’s not that you can’t use smart switches with smart bulbs. It’s that you shouldn’t use a smart switch that controls the current load to a smart bulb. That’s a very important distinction. Again, details in the FAQ.
As far as wiring the current to always be on, that’s allowed in some jurisdictions and not in others. Again, details discussed in the FAQ.
When you say “if I really want color” do you mean an RGBW bulb? Or do you mean a colored wall switch? Assuming you mean an RGBW bulb, there are two smart switch covers that currently work with SmartThings. They are both discussed in the FAQ. If you mean the color of the wall switch, the smart switch covers that I’ve seen have all been white. There’s supposed to be a black version of the linear/gocontrol one, but I’ve never seen it.
There are no bulletproof smart switches with SmartThings because nothing is bulletproof with SmartThings. 
You can stick to the devices that are on the official “works with SmartThings” list and then smartthings support will help you with them if needed.
If you want to go beyond those, see the device class features FAQ. The light switch discussion starts around post 40.