Tips for Picking the Perfect Lipstick

 

What better way to celebrate National Lipstick Day than to help you find the perfect shade? Do you ever find yourself looking in the mirror trying to decide what color lipstick goes with your skin tone? Good news. It’s really not that complicated.

The most flattering lip tones will be one or two shades darker than your natural lip color, according to makeup artist Bobbi Brown. To test this, apply lipstick to your bottom lip and compare it to your bare top lip. If it is one to two shades darker, it’s a good fit.

If you are shopping somewhere where you can’t test the shade, put the tube/box up to your lips and look into the mirror. It may not be an exact representation of the shade, but it will be close enough.

What if you can’t tell the shade of your lips or lipstick? That’s okay, we’ve got you covered.

Women with fair skin, look great in lipstick shades such as nudes in a slightly apricot shade, pinks and light corals. Stay away from browns, which will be too dark and dingy.

Ladies with a medium skin tone can go a bit darker. Give roses, mauve’s and berries a try. Skip the bright reds and consider a deep burgundy instead.

Deep plum, chocolate or red is fabulous with dark skin. According to the editors of Allure’s “Confessions of a Beauty Editor,” women with dark skin “can go in one of two directions: toward brown or purple. Think caramel or walnut for day, and plum or wine for evening.”

More Lipstick Tips

  • If you have thin lips, you’ll want to stay away from darker shades as they will make your lips look even smaller. Stick to light to medium tones.
  • If your teeth are less than white, you will want to stay away from colors with an orangish undertone, as they will amplify the yellow in your teeth.
  • To keep your lipstick in place try placing concealer around the mouth before you line your lips. This forms an extra barrier to help lipstick stay put.  
  • When applying lipstick: start in the middle of your lips and work your way out.
  • Blot your lipstick, and then apply another coat to make it last longer

I hope this helps you the next time you find yourself at the makeup counter. What are your go to lip shades?