A woman is holding lipstick and puckering her lips

How to Choose the Right Lipstick Color for Your Skin Tone

What Color Lipstick Should I Wear?

Lipstick is one of the best beauty products that’s guaranteed to give your lips pops of color, even if you opt for nude shades. Lipstick completes any makeup look and can make your lips stand out and look bold.

Different shades of lipstick suit different skin tones, and some shades are more suitable for certain skin tones over others. If you’re trying to figure out what lipstick color to wear, then this guide should help you to decide.

Let’s take a look at and answer the question, “What color lipstick I should wear?” depending on your skin tone.

Identify Your Correct Skin Tone

Before selecting the right shade of lipstick that’s suitable for you, it’s important to correctly identify your skin tone. Check the color of your skin on your cheeks, near your jawline, and the veins on your wrist to identify the undertones.

Warm skin tones have golden and olive hues, cool skin tones have blue or pinkish hues, and neutral skin tones have a combination and warm and cool hues.

What Lipstick Color Should Cool Skin Tones Wear?

For cool skin tones, aim for red lipsticks that have blue or violet base colors. You can also try to go for blue or purple shades.

Lipstick shades such as berry red, mauve pink, or deep burgundy are perfect matches for cool-toned skin.

What Lipstick Color Should Warm Skin Tones Wear?

For warm skin tones, you should go for red lipsticks with an orange base, or orange lipsticks. Reds and oranges will accentuate your warm skin tone and will help to bring it out, as well as giving your warm skin a bit of a sun-kissed glow.

Other lipstick colors that are suitable for warm skin tones include peach, coral, amber, gold, yellow, bronze, olive, and violet-red. If you’re not into bold colors and prefer nude hues, then you can try out a cream, taupe, or cappuccino shade.

What Lipstick Color Should Neutral Skin Tones Wear?

All lipstick shades work well with neutral skin tones because they have a balance of cool and warm tones. This means that you can try a variety of shades: nude, red, blue, pink, orange, rose, brown, peach, gold, bronze, olive, coral, etc. Take your pick!

It’s best to try to match up the right lipstick shade to your natural lip color. For example, if your natural lip color is rosy, then it’s best to aim for a red lipstick with pink hues, or a dark pink lipstick.

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Lipstick for Fair Skin Tones

With fair skin tones, it’s best to aim for specific shades. A really good go-to shade for fair skin is a rosy red or pink lipstick. These are the kind of shades you can select for a simple day-to-day makeup look.

If you’re looking for spring or summer lipstick shade for pale skin, then go for coral, peach, or orange. Changing up the texture of the lipstick is also good, so opt for a matte coral or matte pink lipstick.

To really make your lips stand out go for a red lipstick with a purple undertone, or a nude lipstick with a pink undertone.

Lipstick for Olive Skin Tones

For olive skin tones, it’s best to select lipstick shades that are deep, warm, and rich in color. Go for nude, dark orange, gold, bronze, brown, dark red, and dark pink shades.

Try not to wear lipstick colors that are too bright or pastel-toned because these aren’t particularly suitable for olive skin. Lipsticks with warm tones, though, are certainly complementary to olive skin.

If you select warm-toned lipsticks that have a glossy or high-shine finish, then that’s even better. Finish off the look with a smoky eye and a contoured complexion.

Lipstick for Dark Skin Tones

For dark skin, deep and bold colors are the perfect choice when it comes to lipstick; avoid light nudes or neutral colors. Aim for dark reds, pinks, and browns. You can even try warm-toned colors, such as dark orange.

To stand out from the crowd, go for a purple, blue, or burgundy color. Plus, you can switch between different finishes. For example, you can choose to wear a burgundy lipstick with a matte finish, or a rich berry purple color with a smooth, glossy finish.

And there you have it! There are plenty of lipstick shades out there so make sure you choose the right one for you, and pucker up.