What Colour Lipstick Suits Me Best? Reds, Nudes and Beyond
Lipstick is the ultimate and simplest way to achieve elevated style. To enhance your own beauty, choose a shade that works with your skin tone and undertone. The perfect red lipstick is unique to you – find one that brings out and brightens your natural tones.
If you’re unsure how to match your skin to lip shade, read this lipstick guide for skin tones. From red matte lipstick to nude lips, we detail how to find your perfect pairing.
Find out how to apply and style your lipstick colour properly for timeless, flawless makeup looks. Whether your occasion is for daytime or evening, or to transition across both, our long-lasting and fine textured lipsticks, lip glosses and creams will celebrate and define your beauty.
Choosing lipstick colour for your skin tone
Foundation and concealer are paired to skin tones, and lipstick shades should be much the same. Knowing whether blood red lipstick or cherry red lipstick suits you more depends on where your skin tone and undertone sits. Though we’re all familiar with skin tones, undertones are lesser known.
Your undertone is either cool, warm or neutral, and doesn’t change when skin tans. Those with cool undertones have pink, red or bluish hues and blue-appearing veins. Warm undertones have olive or golden hues with green-appearing veins. If you have a mix of pink and yellow hues you are neutral.
If your undertone is neutral – you suit any shade of lip colour, whatever your skin tone! To know whether to select red matte lipstick or nude lips for warm and cool undertones, read our guide below.
Fair skin tone lipstick shade
The best red lipstick for fair skin errs on the muted side. For fair skin tones with cool undertones, lip shades with blueish hues compliment beautifully. Explore Raspberry reds and wine coloured lipsticks like Lip Magnet Matte Liquid Lipstick in 500 Maharajah or Ecstasy Lacquer Lip Gloss in 605. If you have warmer hues under light skin, reds with a touch of orange enhance your warmth without being too vibrant. The best red lipstick are shades like Lip Maestro Matte Nature in 206 Cedar, while the best nude is one that remains separate to paleness in skin.
Medium skin tone lipstick shade
Medium skin tones suit richer toned hues. When selecting red lipstick for olive skin, look for depth. Medium skin tones with cool undertones are complimented by blue-hued wine reds like Ecstasy Shine Lip Cream in 400 Four Hundred, and darker nudes like Ecstasy Lacquer Long-Lasting Lip Gloss 205 Made In Milano. Warmer undertones suit burnt, brick red lipstick. The best red lipstick and nudes for olive skin with golden hues include Lip Magnet Matte Liquid Lipstick in 301 Heat and Lip Maestro Matte Nature in 522 Desert.
Dark skin tone lipstick shade
When picking red lipstick for dark skin, the best-suited tones differ greatly depending on your undertone. For cool toned dark skin, opt for a brown-red lipstick shade like Ecstasy Shine Lip Cream in 201 Terra. Warmer toned dark skin suits bright orange red lipstick like Lip Maestro Matte Nature in 415 Redwood. When selecting a nude lip, a bright nude lipstick that sets as a gloss like Long-Lasting Lip Gloss in 101 is perfect for both undertones.
How to style your lipstick shade
Just as important as pairing your skin tone to lipstick shades is knowing how to style your lip colour with eye, cheek and cheekbone makeup. The rule for maintaining a sophisticated look is in choosing one bold application, and using a subtler look for the rest of your makeup. What you prefer is up to you however, so don’t be afraid to play around. Below is our guide to flawless, radiant looks.
Nude lipstick shades
Nude colour lipstick beautifully contrasts or blends with our natural tone, to enhance your true shade. Because of this, nudes can be treated as the subtler component of a makeup look. When wearing nude lips, explore bolder black waterlines with Smooth Silk Eye Pencil and smokey eyeshadow. Nudes are also a great opportunity to use dramatic metallic eyeshadows, like Eyes To Kill Stellar Eyeshadow.
Red lipstick shades
A red lip is often all you need, whether your occasion asks for an day or evening look. If you’ve opted for bright or matte tone, your perfect red lipstick can be completed with paired back eyes and a clean, bronzed cheek using the Fluid Sheer. Darker tones pair dramatically with bold eyelashes, using Eyes To Kill Classico Volume Mascara.
How to properly apply your lipstick
The lip area is sensitive and requires proper hydration to allow for longwearing lip makeup. Prevent lipstick and lipgloss feathering and bleeding by moisturising lips beforehand. When applying your lip colour, firstly fill in lips for a fuller shade, or line the edges with our range of lip liners to prevent fading and smudging.
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