The birds are chirping, the sun is shining, and that woman running to the subway in business casual attire has the complete wrong shade of lip color on. Spring is finally upon us, and cosmetic companies have released new and bright lip colors to match the season.
To most, picking a lipstick shade seems like a simple and ridiculous task; however, there are many factors should be considered. Before going into the complexion-specific rules of lipstick, there are few basic rules across the board.
Too much sparkle is not a good thing. Shimmer lipstick can look nice—to a point. When a lipstick is too shimmery, it looks tacky.
Application is a major part of how the lipstick will look. When applying your lip color you must be extremely careful. When lipstick gets above and under the lip, it looks messy—therefore, you look messy. It’s cliché and tired, but if you’re lipstick looks like a mess, people are going to assume you are a mess. It’s easy to avoid, so why brand yourself something you’re not.
Now, it’s time to get into the individualized selection. The most important aspect in choosing a lipstick shade is your complexion. There are certain shades that people with fair or dark skin should stay away from.
For people with fair/pale skin, peaches and nudes are the best bet. These feminine colors bring out the beauty of fair skin. For a cheap buy, Wet n’ Wild’s Mega Last Lip Color in “Just Peachy” is a great spring companion. If price isn’t an issue, try MAC’s “Fleur d’Coral.”
If you have an olive tone, you’re in luck; any shade of lipstick is an option for you. This season, coral/orange tinted shades are taking over, so give one of these a try. Also, purples have taken over, as we can see in our recent article about orchid being the color of the season. For a nice coral shade, try NYX’s Butter Lipstick in “Fireball.” The best purple can typically be found at any drug store. I recommend giving Revlon’s Matte Balm in “Shameless” a try.
Much like the olive tones, the dark skin tones can also wear the coral colors. Try a less bright coral and a more matte and subdued tone. The best bet for this skin hue is Revlon’s Matte Balm in Mischievous.
These rules can help start a base for a lipstick collection. Once you finally figure out which shades look good with your skin, you’ll never run into a lipstick problem again. Now, if only lipstick had to never be reapplied…we can all dream, right?