Lipstick is the first thing that comes to mind when we think about makeup. Adding color to the lips can make a huge difference to the features of your face. A poorly chosen shade of lipstick can easily destroy your whole look. That’s why it’s important to choose a color that suits you.
1. Determine your skintone
The very first step in choosing the right lipstick color is determining what skin tone you have. There are 5 main types of skin complexion: fair, light, medium, tan, and deep.
FAIR OR LIGHT
MEDIUM
TAN
DEEP
Lipstick shades that suit a deep skin tone best are brown and purple shades like plum, caramel, wine, and blue-based reds.
2. Determine your skin undertone
Knowledge of you skin undertone will definitely help guide you. Basically, there are 3 types of undertones: cool, warm, and neutral.
- Cool undertones: fair or light skin – soft mocha or nude; medium skin – pink or cranberry shades; tan or deep skin – ruby or wine shades.
- Warm undertones: fair or light skin – pale pink or peachy nudes; medium, tan or deep skin – copper or bronze shades.
- Neutral: wide spectrum of colors, both cool and warm tones.
3. Shape of your lips
- Top heavy lips: bright lipstick on the bottom of the lips and a slightly darker shade of the same color on the upper lip.
- Bottom heavy lips: any color that suits your undertone + a little bit of light nude color right in the center of the upper lip.
- Asymmetrical lips: use a lip pencil in a shade similar to the lipstick color to outline the lips.
4. Size of the lips
- Thin lips: avoid dark and flashy lipstick colors, they will only make your lips look even thinner. Try applying glosses and creamy lipsticks.
- Plump lips: avoid lipstick shades that are too light and glossy, glittery textures.
5. Hair color
- Dark hair, fair and light skin: bright pink, scarlet, cherry, and plum colors.
- Blond hair, fair and light skin: dusty pink, purply pink, light pink, and scarlet colors.
- Dark hair, tan and deep skin: golden beige, ochre, terracotta, and bronze colors.
- Blond hair, tan and deep skin: caramel, ochre, warm pinks, and “salmon” pink.
- Brown hair, medium skin: beige, “salmon” pink, corals, and deep dusty pinks.
- Red hair, fair skin: “salmon” pink, corals, terracotta, and burnt sienna.
6. Eye color
- Brown eyes: bright reds, browns, and light pinks.
- Blue eyes: different shades of cherry or scarlet colors.
- Green eyes: terracotta, pinks.
- Grey eyes: nudes and plum colors.
7. Teeth color
- White teeth: Congratulations! You can choose whatever color you like.
- Yellow teeth: rose, slightly orange, light red colors. Avoid purples, browns, and bright scarlet, red shades.