Having spent time contouring, highlighting, fluffing the brows and elongating the eyelashes, a swipe of lipstick finishes the face, so choosing the right shade is really important. A makeup artist has shared the most flattering colours – and the ones to avoid, and it all depends on your skin tone.
Finding the most flattering shade of lipstick depends on basic colour and light theory – of course, there are thousands of skin shades and even if the lipstick colour you love isn’t the most complimentary if the shade evokes confidence in you, go ahead and wear it.
Applying the lipstick in a certain way is also important; lips get thinner as women age and collagen production decreases, as well as the muscles around the mouth lose their strength slightly. But there are a few ways to give the appearance of plump lips.
The key to finding the perfect colour is knowing your skin’s undertone. There are three categories: warm, cool and neutral.
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Warm undertones: also known as golden, peachy and yellow
People with warm undertones typically tan quickly, and look better in gold jewellery, with hair colours of red, brown, black or strawberry blonde. Eye colour is also typically brown, hazel or amber. The veins on your wrist will look green or yellow-golden.
Makeup artist Kerrin Jackson said “the most unflattering lipstick” colour for anyone with warm undertones are “neutrals or cool” as they can “appear ashy” and don’t bring life to one’s complexion.
Dark lipsticks, on the other hand, can “give the illusion of thinning your lips”, and thin lips do not help someone look younger. Warm undertones should opt for red, peach and orange.
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Cool undertones: also known as blue, red or pink
People with cool undertones typically burn easily or tan slowly, they also look better in silver jewellery and have hair colours of brown, black or blonde. Eye colour is also typically blue, grey or green. The veins on your wrist will look blue.
Kerrin recommends anyone with cool undertones to steer clear from extreme lipstick colours – so very light or very dark shades.
“Light lipstick shades such as skin tone shades…do nothing to enhance or bring warmth to your face,” she said. The expert also added how these tones can make you look “sickly and unwell”.
Women over 40 who are looking to bring a “glow or youthfulness” to their look should avoid these colours as they are “a big no”, She Finds published. Cool undertones should opt for plums, light berries and pink tones.
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How to apply lipstick to make lips look plumper
As for how to apply lipstick, using a lip primer is important as it stops the lipstick from feathering above the lip line.
Applying a little concealer around the outer edge of the lips can also help the lips look less thin – just remember to blend it in.
Experiment with two different lipstick shades – a slightly darker one on the outer edges and a lighter one for the centre to add depth.
You can also add a little highlighter or gloss to the centre to give the appearance of thicker lips too.
People with neutral undertones tan slowly and don’t often burn in the sun, they can also wear gold and silver jewellery. The veins on your wrist can look green or blue.
Neutral skin tones have both cool and warm tones, so there’s pretty much nothing that doesn’t suit you.
