Selecting a colour:
You should select a lip color which best matches with your skin tone as that will be the most correct shade of lipstick for you.
Fair Skin Tone:
- Deep plum reds like soft berry and wine reds with a blue undertone.
- Avoid reds with an orange undertone.
- Medium brown with pink undertones or beige lipsticks with a pink undertone.
- Browns like Mocha browns, and darker brown/pink lipsticks for an evening lip look.
- Extra pale browns with yellow undertones make fair skin look washed out.
- Pinks such as light shiny pink lipsticks with blue undertones work well.
- Pink with a slight gold shimmer also enhances this skin tone very nicely.
- Try to stay away from hot pink lipstick as it overpowers fair skins.
Medium Skin Tone:
- Deep reds and the Blue-reds brighten medium skin with a yellow undertone.
- Brown and warm reds will soften and look warm on medium skin.
- Browns that are very pale can make medium skins look ashy and washed out.
- Rich caramel shades, medium brown with yellow or pink undertones, and creamy coffee color browns can also be flattering to medium skin tone.
- Pinks like rich and deep pinks tend to look best on medium skin. Also pinks with brown undertones enhance and flatter medium skins very well.
- Sheers, creams, and mattes can also be tried using these shades of pink.
Yellowish Skin Tone:
- Go for rich, deep brown reds and deep, dark berry shades.
- Stay away from orange or reds and pink or red shades.
- Browns with a red or auburn or mahogany undertone and rich browns that resemble coffee, toffee, and chocolate colors work well with this skin tone.
- Pinks like deep berries, rich rose, and soft to medium plums with strong yellow undertones are flattering to this skin tone.
- Avoid pinks that are to cool and too light as these pinks can make complexion look draining.
Brownish Or Black Skin Tone
- Go for red color with a blue undertone, which are deep and rich. Also, mahogany, and deep plums, and wine reds are worth trying.
- Avoid orange and pink reds on this skin tone.
- Almost any shade of brown color such as light browns to a rich, dark, coffee brown suits black skin tone.
- Pinks like medium and soft sheer pinks, pink in glosses and sheers with a touch of beige can really enhance this skin tone.
- Berries, deep roses, and plums also flatter this skin tone.
How to apply:
- Consider your lipstick color and finish. You'll do well with colors that match the natural shade of your lips, opting for darker tones that complement your overall coloring. Matte lipsticks offer a muted finish complementary to workday makeup, while satin and gloss finishes offer appealing evening looks.
- Apply all other makeup before putting on lipstick and lip liner.
- Begin by dabbing on a very small amount of lip balm or petroleum jelly to give your lips a little moisture.
- Draw a thin line along the edge of your lips with a lip liner whose color is one shade darker than your lipstick. Start at the center of the upper lip and work outward. Hug the very outer edges to open up thin lips, and line well within the edges to downplay excessively full lips.
- Apply lipstick from the tube or by using a firm, small lipstick brush. Coat the lips evenly. Pay special attention to staying within the lips' edges.
- Blot to remove any excess color and to even out the texture.
- Remember to touch lips up after a meal, as lipstick easily transfers onto coffee cups, water bottles and soda cans.
Some Tips:
- For longer-lasting lip color, shade both lips with lip liner after defining them. As lipstick fades throughout the day, the liner offers a hint of color before you have a chance to reapply.
- Balance heavy eye makeup with a soft lip color. Wear a rich and boldly colored lipstick to complement soft eye makeup.
- Give the illusion of a thicker top lip by lining its outermost edges and foregoing liner on the bottom lip.
- Chill lip liner for easier sharpening.
- Forego lipstick if you have a cold sore. Opt instead for a camphor-based lip balm to aid in healing.
- Store lipstick in the fridge. It will last weeks longer.
- Never use a tester on your lips. It's just plain unhygienic. Instead, test lipstick on your fingertips. It's a closer fit to your lips than the back of your hand.
- Use liner on your lips as a base. Lipstick will last longer if you fill in your lips with the liner first. If you're using light lipstick, try a nude liner. Then slick your lipstick on top.
- Don't skip the liner. Without the prerequisite liner, your lips will look "smudgier" according to Berg, softer & less defined.
- Keep lipstick off your teeth with this trick. This is a trick I learned years ago from my mom. After applying lipstick, take your index finger & pop it in your mouth, then pull it out. The excess lipstick will come off on your finger rather than your teeth.
- Lipstick can act as a blush. But never use blush as a lipstick.
- Apply liner first. Lipstick tends to feather if you apply liner second. Also, you won't be able to see the natural line of your lips if you apply lipstick first.
- The older you are, the 'creamier' your lips should look. Women over 50 should avoid matte or a gloss and stick with a creamy lipstick.
- Don't throw out a bad color lipstick. Beauty editors know you can create a great lipcolor by combining lipsticks you don't like. You can also color in lips with a darker liner before applying a lipstick that's too bright.
- For 'plump' lips, apply liner just outside your natural lipline. 'Nuff said.
- Keep lip gloss on longer with liner. Lip gloss is infamous for wearing off fast, but if you fill in lips first with the liner, the gloss has something to stick to.
- Heal -- don't throw out -- a broken lipstick. If your lipstick breaks off, simply take off the broken portion with a tissue, then slowly wave a lit match under the broken piece of lipstick. When it's melted a bit, put it back on the base, swivel it down and put it in the fridge -- uncovered -- for 5 minutes.
- Avoid orange or brown shades. They tend to make teeth appear yellow.
- Save the last bits. Down to the last bit of you favorite lipstick? There's plenty more at the bottom of your tube. Scrape out the last bits with a cotton swap or orange stick & mix it with Vaseline or lip gloss in a lipstick palette.
- Keep lipstick off glass. Discreetly lick the lip of the glass before touching your lips to it. It works!
