The Right Red Lipstick For You

Choosing a red lipstick can be a tricky task. If you just go into a shop and pick up a pretty red without thinking about how it'll suit you it can lead to it being a waste of money. I've put together some tips on how to work out which type of red lipstick is best for you. Just a little disclaimer before I get started, everyone has different opinions on what works with different skin tones, the tips I'm giving you are just a general rule but it doesn't always mean they'll apply as there are so many factors to consider (skin tone, undertones, hair colour, other makeup you're wearing, etc).

Firstly you should work out what skin tone you have. Take off all your makeup and look in the mirror, decide if you're fair, sun kissed, olive toned, dark, etc, and if you have pink or yellow undertones to your skin. If you're not sure how to do this you can do the vein test, stand in daylight and make a fist, look at the veins in your wrist, if they're mainly blue it's a sign of cool undertones (pink), and green is a sign of warm undertones (yellow).

If you have fair skin with pink undertones opt for soft coral or pinky reds, such as NARS Flamenco. as they're not so overpowering. If you have yellow undertones berry reds will look good on you as they're slightly warmer. If you feel you have more blue-ish undertones to your fair skin go for a more cool toned red.

Berry red looks great on Anne's pale skin

Soft pinky red

If you feel like you want to wear a bright red lip but you are fair then don't despair (I'm a poet), it can be done! If you wear a bright red lip with very minimal makeup on your eyes it won't look right, the lips will be too overpowering. However, if you pair the true red with several coats of mascara and some dark black eyeliner you should be able to pull it off as the eyes will balance the look out.

Emma can pull of the bold lip because she's paired
it with dark lashes and eyeliner

Keira can wear this orangey lip as
 her dark eye makeup balances

Medium skin toned girls (olive or sunkissed) you're lucky as most reds will probably suit you. Berry reds, orange reds and true reds will look great with your colouring. Blue toned reds should suit you too, which is great as they have the added bonus of making your teeth look extra white, like MAC Russian Red.

Orange red

True red looks pretty on Kourtney's
skintone

Medium brown skin tone, warmer/yellow reds will look great on you, such as MAC Lady Danger.
Dark skinned girls stay away from anything too bright! Stick to cool shades that have deeper colouring to them - think dark cherry or a brick shade, such as MAC Diva or Dare You.

Rihanna looks like she's wearing Lady Danger -
it suits her perfectly

This dark cherry red suits Jennifer's dark skin

I hope you found this post helpful. If you're still stuck maybe try buying some really cheap red lipsticks from somewhere like MUA to see which shade suits you before you get a more expensive one.

What's your go-to red lipstick?

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