Some lipstick colors may look truly amazing on certain celebrities but you might discover that something is off after you buy a certain color and try it on your own lips.
Choosing lipstick has something to do with what color you like but it also has a lot to do with the certain features your face is gifted with.
In this article, we will tell you how to choose the perfect lipstick for your own skin in just 8 simple steps.
How to Pick the Right Lipstick and Ace the Look
After you learn what are the most important factors to consider for choosing the right shade of lipstick, shopping for makeup will become times easier.
It doesn’t really have to be rocket science.
Choosing lipstick should be fun and inspiring so below are all the things to keep in mind if you want to never again make a mistake with your choice.
1. Identify your Skin Tone
There are 5 main types of skin tones that are important for choosing the right lipstick. From the palest to the darkest one, these skin tones are:
- Fair;
- Light;
- Medium;
- Tan;
- Deep dark.
Fair and light skin is complemented by nude, dusty red, coral, and peachy shades, while a medium skin tone is a perfect canvas for rose, cherry red, and mauve.
Deep pink, coral, and bright red are great colors for tan skin tones, and girls with deep dark skin could rock wine red, plum, and reds with a blue undertone.
2. Understand what your Undertone is
The undertone is just as important for choosing lipstick as the skin tone. There are warm, cool, and neutral undertones and a few simple ways to determine what your own is.
Take a look at your veins: if they are blue or purple your undertone is cool, while if they look more on the green side, you have a warm undertone.
Generally, warm undertones have more yellowish or golden nuances, while cool ones have rosy pinks, muted reds, and blues.
Choose a lipstick with the same undertone as your skin in order to create a coherent and flawless look. Neutral skin tones are complemented by most lipstick colors.
From all the available options that fit your skin undertone, select one that is proper for the occasion on which you will be wearing the lipstick.
3. Analyze the Shape of your Lips
The shape of your lips is also a key factor for the perfect lipstick choice.
For lips that are fuller at the top, use a brighter color at the bottom lip and a slightly darker nuance at the upper lip.
For lips that are heavy at the bottom, use a nuance that suits your undertone, but blend in a nude shade in the center of the upper lip.
If your lips are thin, avoid any colors that are too saturated or dark and go for lighter nuances as they actually make the lips look fuller and plumper.
Lip gloss is something that also visually enhances lip size so if that’s your goal, get a nice gloss to go with your lipstick.
4. Consider your Hair Color
Lips are not the only thing that matters while you’re shopping for lipstick. The hair color actually has quite an influence on that too.
Here are some shades that are good for different hair colors:
- Blond, pale & fair skin: Light pink, dusty pink, scarlet;
- Blond: Ochre, caramel, salmon pink;
- Brown: Dusty pink, beige, salmon pink;
- Dark, pale & fair: Bright pink, cherry, scarlet, plum;
- Dark: Bronze, beige, golden beige;
- Red: Coral, salmon pink, burnt sienna.
The list doesn’t include all the available options but you can use it as a guideline.
5. Eye color Matters too
Eye color is not only important when choosing eyeshadow. If you want your lipstick to look top-notch on your face, look for a shade that complements your eye color.
Brown eyes are complemented by light pink, red, or brownish nuances, while blue and green eyes are perfectly matched by nude colors, as well as pink and plum nuances.
6. Test the Lipstick
The best way to finally determine if a particular product is good for you is to test it yourself. Of course, you don’t need to go and apply lipstick from the tester as that would be quite unhygienic.
Some people would go and swipe the lipstick on their wrists but that is not an efficient testing method, as the skin tone and undertone of the wrists is very different from the one of your lips and face.
Your fingertips are the best place to put tester lipstick on. Their skin undertone is closest to the one of your lips and you can also bring them up to your face to see how the color would look on it.