(Choosing the right lip color doesn’t have to be challenging)
I have a confession to make. During this past year when masks were mandatory, I kind of liked the fact that I did not have to expose my mouth to the general public. Covering half my face gave me the freedom to give my lips a break. I have never been one who could choose a good lip color to complement my features anyway! And, if we are being honest here, a lot of it would end up on my front teeth, causing an embarrassment when I did flash a toothy grin in public. (“Uh, excuse me,” a friend would say as she leaned in closer to me. “You have some lipstick on your teeth.” Mortifying! Worse than broccoli stuck in my teeth!)
But I digress. We are here to talk about choosing the right lipstick for you, not for me. (I can learn from this, however, and must do so since we are slowly ditching the face masks!)
When you think about makeup, is lipstick one of the first products that comes to mind? It is amazing how just applying a bit of color to your lips can make a significant difference in your overall appearance. Sometimes, it’s all you need! But before you put anything on your lips, it’s important to know what color complements your skin tone, lip size and shape.
- First and foremost, you have to figure out your skin tone. Is it fair, light, medium, tan or deep?
Here are some lipstick choices that work well with the various skin tones:
Fair/Light: peach, nude, light pink and some corals
Medium: rose, berry , cherry red and mauve
Tan: coral, dark pink, bright red and a variety of other colors. (However, we advise you to shy away from shades of purple and brown.)
Deep: blue-based reds, brown, purple and plum
2.) Then there are the various skin undertones. (I know – so many things to take into consideration!)
Are you cool, warm or neutral? While neutral skin tones can enjoy wearing a variety of colors, including both cool and warm tones, warm tones with fair or light skin should aim for pale pink or some peach-colored nudes, while medium/tan/deep can rock the bronze and copper colors. Those with cool undertones and a deep skin tone can enjoy wine and ruby shades. Those with medium skin should consider shades of cranberry or pink; and those with fair/light skin would do well with a soft mocha or nude color.
Oh, no! What is my skin undertone? A simple self-check can help. If you look at the veins on the underside of your forearms and they are blue or purple, that indicates cool toned skin. If they are green, that is associated with warmer skin tones.
- Consider the size of your lips, too!
If your lips are asymmetrical, be sure to outline your lips with a lip pencil first, using a shade similar to the color of the lipstick you intend to use.
If your lips are heavier on the bottom, use any color that works well with your skin tone and then add a dash of nude in the center of your upper lip.
If your lips are heavier on the top, try using a bright lipstick on the bottom lip, complemented by an ever-so-slightly darker shade of the same color on your upper lip.
I will close with this: I once saw black lipstick in the makeup aisle. No, it wasn’t Halloween. This was an actual color sold. Not sure I would ever wear it, and not sure on how many people it actually looks good. However, if you are bold, daring and confident, I suppose most any color would suit your style. After all, feeling good about how we look is the first step in promoting our own natural beauty!
Source: Brightside.me/inspiration-girls-stuff
