How to Find Your Best Lipstick Color

When it comes to makeup, the right color of lipstick can make or break your look. Adding a color that looks good on you can make your teeth look whiter, your skin look brighter and draw attention to your face. Lipstick comes in a wide variety of finishes, shades, textures, and in a price range for almost any budget. Applying lipstick is also one of the quickest ways to elevate your look. 

Adding color to your lips can make a huge difference in the appearance of your face, but a poorly chosen shade of lipstick can ruin the whole look. No matter what colors are trending it’s important to choose a color that suits you.

If you are searching “Best Lipstick Color for Me”, you’ve come to the right spot. This quick guide will explain how to select the best lipstick color for you no matter what colors are in fashion or the season. 

Determine Your Skin Tone 

The “tone” of your skin refers to the amount of genetically endowed melanin in your epidermis (the outermost layer of skin). Melanin—a complex polymer produced by cells called melanocytes—refers to a group of naturally-occurring dark brown or black pigments present in skin. When our skin is exposed to the ultraviolet rays from the sun melanocytes kick into overdrive as a natural defense mechanism, producing an abundant amount of melanin spread across the epidermis to absorb the sun’s harmful rays. 

Determining your skin tone will vary depending on how much time you spend in the sun unprotected. The skin tone you were born with depends on your genetics. Over time our ancestors’ skin adapted to sunnier or cooler climates. 

Choosing the right lip color depends on your skin tone. It’s hard to fit everyone into a category because our skin is so unique, but generally speaking there are five main colors of skin tone: fair, light, medium, tan, and deep. 

Light Skin Tone Best Lipstick Color

The best lipstick colors that pair well with fair or light skin tones are:

• Light pink
• Coral
• Peach
• Nude
• Dusty red

Medium Skin Tone Best Lipstick Color

The best lipstick colors that pair well with medium skin tones are:

• Rose
• Berry
• Cherry red
• Mauve

Tan Skin Tone Best Lipstick Color

The best lipstick colors that pair well with tan skin tones are: 

• Coral
• Deep pink
• Bright red
• Almost all other colors except for brown and purple

Deep Skin Tone Best Lipstick Color

The best lipstick colors that pair well with deep skin tones are: 

• Browns
• Caramels
• Plum
• Wine
• Reds with a blue base

Determine Your Skin Undertone

When shopping for makeup you’ve probably seen the words “warm” and “cool” or “neutral”. Most people think these terms are referring to skin tone but they are actually referring to your skin’s undertone. An undertone is a subtle, muted shade or coloring that is beneath the surface of your skin. 

Knowing your skin undertone will help guide you to the best lip color for you. There are three basic shades of skin undertone: cool, warm, and neutral. People with cool undertones will have a subtle red, pink or bluish hint to them. Someone with a warm undertone will have golden or peachy hues. A neutral undertone has hints of olive or a mix of cool and warm coloring. 

How can you tell which skin undertone you have? Put on a white T-shirt, or hold a white piece of paper next to your skin. If your skin appears pink, or rosy, by comparison, you have a cool undertone. Those whose skin appears more yellow than pink have a warm undertone. If you look better in off-white or creamy hues vs stark white, chances are you’re a warm undertone. If you can wear both colors without a difference, without looking washed-out, then you have a neutral undertone. 

Another clue is the color of your veins. If you have blue veins under your skin, you are most likely a cool tone. If your veins appear more green than blue, you’re warm. Neutral undertones are a mixture of cool and warm. 

Color Selections by Skin Undertone

Below is a simple guide to help you select the best shade of lip color according to your skintone and your undertone. Use this guide as a jumping off point to help you find your perfect shade.

• Cool undertones with fair or light skin: soft mocha or nude
• Cool undertones with medium skin: pink or cranberry shades
• Cool undertones with tan or deep skin color: ruby or wine shades
• Warm undertones with fair or light skin: pale pinks or peachy nude shades
• Warm undertones with medium, tan, or deep skin color: copper or bronze shades
• Neutral undertones: a wide spectrum of color choices in both cool and warm hues

Think About Shape and Size of Your Lips

Most people are not aware that the actual shape and size of your lips also plays a role in determining what colors look best when applied. When it comes to lip shapes there definitely isn’t a one-size-fits-all category. Here is a quick guide to help you determine your lip shape and what lipstick colors look best with your shape. 

Full Lips

If you have voluminous and pillowy lips then most likely you have full lips. Lucky you! People with full lips require the least amount of effort in the lip makeup department. Simply swipe on your lip color that pairs with your skin tone and undertone and you’re ready to go. 

If you have full, plump lips, avoid shades that are too light, and glossy or glittery shades. These shades could make your lips appear larger and disproportionate to your face. 

Heavy Upper Lip

A heavy upper lip is when your upper lip appears to be larger than your bottom lip. If you have a heavy upper lip the good news is your upper lip is good to go but your bottom lip could use a little love.

Use a bright lipstick on your bottom lip and a slightly darker shade of the same color on your top lip. You could also carefully outline your bottom lip just outside the lip line (overlining) to give the appearance that your bottom lip is a little larger. Only overline the lower lip since the top lip is already a little bit larger. 

Heavy Bottom Lip

If your bottom lip is fuller than the top, wear any color that suits your skin color and undertone plus add a little bit of a light nude/shiny color to the center of the top lip. Or, you could also overline your upper lip to help balance out the look. 

Thin Lips

If you are looking at your lips and there is more to be desired, chances are you have thin lips. Thin lips can be made to look more full by overlining and the use of a good lip plumper on top of your lipstick. Avoid dark or flashy colors. These colors could make your lips appear to be even thinner than they really are. 

Asymmetrical Lips

If your lips are asymmetrical in size, use a lip pencil in a similar shade to your lipstick color to outline your lips. 

Your Hair Color Also Affects Your Lipstick Color

Your hair color can also affect which shades of lipstick will look best on you. People also have undertones in their hair. Figure out if your hair’s undertones are cool, warm, or neutral. If you need a little help ask your hairstylist. Use your skin tone and your hair undertone to help you select the perfect lipstick color. 

• What’s the best lipstick color for people with dark hair and fair or light skin?  bright pink, scarlet, cherry, and plum shades
• What’s the best lipstick color for blondes with fair or light skin? dusty pink, purply pink, light pink, and scarlet shades
• What’s the best lipstick color for people with dark hair and tan or deep skin? golden beige, ochre, terracotta, and bronze shades
• What’s the best lipstick color for blondes with tan or deep skin? caramel, ochre, warm pinks, and salmon pinks
• What’s the best lipstick color for brunettes with medium skin? beiges, salmon pink, corals, and deep dusty pink
• What’s the best lipstick color for redheads with fair skin? salmon pink, corals, terracotta, and burnt sienna

Eye Color Plays an Important Role

A complimentary lipstick color can really bring out your eyes and make you appear to be bright eyed and bushy tailed. Why stop at eyeshadow and liner to bring out your eyes when your lipstick can help too. 

Brown Eyes

Beautiful brown eyes  are impacted when wearing shades of bright reds, browns, and light pinks. Dramatic plums, reds, and hot pinks are always striking choices. 

Hazel Eyes

Hazel eyes are technically two colors, so hazel-eyed people can choose any color from the green and brown eye recommendations. As a general rule, magentas and fuchsias will be lovely, but feel free to experiment. 

Blue Eyes

If you’re trying to accentuate your baby blues turn to the opposite of blue on the color wheel. People with blue eyes should wear different shades of cherry, scarlet red, copper, coral or peach. 

Green Eyes

People with emerald eyes look great in terracottas, pinks and magentas. Try a bold orchid lip for a statement making color that brings out the green in your eyes. 

Grey Eyes

Colors that look best on people with grey eyes include nudes, and plums. 

The Color of Your Teeth Can Also Affect the Color of Your Lipstick

Keep in mind when choosing a lipstick color there are some shades that can make your teeth appear more white, while other colors can make your teeth look more yellow. Most people do not have Hollywood white teeth but they don’t have yellow teeth either. Through normal eating and drinking (hello coffee and red wine lovers!) our teeth do yellow over time. Choosing the right lipstick color is a great opportunity to make your smile appear brighter. 

If you just had your smile Zoom whitened, congratulations! Almost any lipstick shade you chose will go nicely. But if your teeth are a little less than paper white, keep reading. We have some tips to keep in mind when choosing a lipstick color. 

Nude lipsticks are some of the most difficult to pick for whiter teeth. Generally, they lean brown or peach, but both of these will make teeth appear slightly more yellow. Instead, opt for a pinky nude. As long as the pink tones are not too warm, this will be better than other neutrals.

With pink lipsticks, the key is to look for those with bluer undertones as opposed to yellow. Since pinks can be a little tricky, and super cool-tones don’t always look good on everybody, you can also look for berry pinks. The slightly purple tones will help teeth appear somewhat whiter than those that lean yellow or orange.

Red lipstick tends to lean one of blue, pink, or orange. Blue tones will provide the greatest whitening effect, pink tones will be relatively neutral, and orange tones will provide a slightly yellowing effect.

Unfortunately, darker shades in general will make teeth appear slightly yellower. However, with vampy shades, one tone can provide a little help. Darker purples usually either lean a little pink or a little brown. A purple with pink tones will help teeth appear more white than its brown-toned counterpart.

Pro-Tip: Pick Out New Colors At Walgreens or CVS Pharmacy

We always like to recommend when shopping for new lipstick colors to first start your search at CVS or Walgreens. Why? We have a reason. Let us explain. 

First when you purchase a lip color from Walgreen or CVS pharmacy you won;t be paying as much as you would at Sephora or at the makeup counter at a department store. This allows you to try several cheaper options. When you find a color that works on you take it to Sephora or the makeup counter and ask them to match it. We’ve done this countless times. It is an easy and sanitary way to try on dozens of shades and find your new color. 

Secondly, Walgreens and CVS both allow you to return makeup that isn’t your color. That’s right! Take it home, swipe it on, and if you’re not in love return it and get your money back.

We do this a couple of times of a year whenever new colors come out that we want to try on here at Lifestyle Dash. We have never had trouble returning a color that didn’t work. You’ll also find that once the financial burden of choosing the right color has been lifted you will experiment with colors you might not have chosen in the past which can lead to some lovely surprises. 

Now Go Forth And Wear Your Best Lipstick Colors

Wearing the right lipstick colors can make your outfit look pulled together, classy, and stylish in just a few minutes. There are so many different lipstick colors out there it can be scary at first when you are trying to choose the right color for you.

If you use these tips featured here you will surely find a color (or a few) that look great on you. Don’t be afraid to experiment and play around with the latest colors, but also don’t neglect the classic tried and true colors. 

Ready to pick out your new color? Check out our latest article on the new fall lipstick shades for 2020 and learn how to apply dark lipstick correctly.