Lips are one of the first three things people notice about women! Studies reveal that men stare longer at a woman’s lips when they are touched up with a pretty color than when they are nude. No wonder, women have been wearing lip color for thousands of years.

While lipstick has evolved a lot over the years, millions of different types and shades of lip colors available today make it incredibly difficult for women to figure out the right lipstick shade for themselves. So here comes this lipstick choosing guide with top 7 tips for choosing the right lipstick shade for you.

And if you are one of those girls who love playing the ‘femme fatale’, here is a brilliant piece of advice by none other than Bobbi Brown, “If I had to teach someone just one thing about lip color it would be this: Find a lipstick that looks good on your face when you are wearing absolutely no makeup”.

So girls, the purpose of this guide is not only to help you choose the right lipstick as per your skin tone but also help you pick the right kind and types of lip colors that look good and pleasing on your face. (Since it’s going to be a long post, girls you better get ready with your coffee!)

Top 7 Seven Tips for Choosing the Right Lipstick/Lip Color

Try to Pick Tinted Lip Balms, Lip Crayons, and Moisturizing Lipsticks

For natural and pleasing everyday look, I prefer to pick these three forms: tinted lip balms, stains, and moisturizing lipsticks. Not only these have just the right consistency, texture, and color for everyday use but these also look natural and are easy to apply.

Stay Away from Sticky Formulas

Try to stay away from lip stains and lip glosses that have a tendency to stick to the lips like glue. They are not only difficult to apply and uncomfortable to wear but also look unnatural and trashy.

Always Pick Lip color in a Shade Darker than Your Lip Color

As per makeup artist Bobbi Brown, the most impressive lip tones are the ones that are a shade or two darker than your natural lip color. Rule of the thumb is to test it by applying lip color to one lip and checking it with your bare lip.

Try to Avoid Nudes and Extra Shiny Lip ColorsNo doubt, ‘nude’ trend is very much in. But if you are looking to add radiance and brightness to your face, then I would recommend you avoid nude shades such as ‘beige’ that add no color to your face.

Also, while extra shiny and shimmery lipsticks are great for parties and night outs, they look unnatural and loud for everyday wear. Pick a formula that gives a hint of natural shine or gloss for a flattering feminine look.

Pick Lipstick Shades According to Your Skin Tone

To look natural in a radiant way choose natural lipstick shades or natural looking shades according to your skin type.

Lipstick Shades for Fair Skin Tone:

If you have light or fair skin tone, it is better to choose colors in the range of light pinks to peachy pinks and corals.

Lipstick Shades for Medium Skin Tone:

If you have wheatish to medium skin tone you can go a bit darker by choosing lipstick shades in roses, mauves, and berries.

Lipstick Shades for Dark/Dusky Skin Tone:

And if you have dark/dusky skin tone, you can look great in natural looking shades of caramel, chocolate, red, and plums.

As per a Beauty Editor of Allure magazine, women with dusky complexion have an advantage, they “can go in one of two directions: toward brown or purple. Think caramel or walnut for day, and plum or wine for evening”.

Picking the Right Shade of Red Lipstick as per Your Skin Tone

It took me 5 years of buying the wrong red lipstick to find the right shade of red lipstick for myself. And it turned, picking the right shade of red lipstick wasn’t as complicated as I had thought! All you need to do is to pick red lipstick shade according to your undertone.

For example go for cherry red if you have cool undertone and fire red if you have warm undertone. Deep red look best on dusky complexion, avoid them if you are light skinned girl.

Choosing Lipstick According to Your Lips

As dark shades of lip color tend to make lips look smaller, stay away from dark shades if you have thinner lips. And if you are blessed with plump lips, you can wear dark shades to define and minimize your lip shape.

Also you can accentuate and plump up thin lips by wearing light to medium shades of lip color or add tinted glosses over your lipstick to add fullness to your lips. Creamy lipsticks are also a good bet for you.

My Personal Everyday Favorites:

Clinique Chubby Stick in Watermelon

Burt’s Bee Tinted Lip Balm in Rose

Nivea Fruity Shine Tinted Lip Balm in Strawberry

Revlon Color Burst Lipstick in Candy Pink

Avon Moisturizing Lipstick in Brilliant Ruby

So this makes my list of top 7 tips for choosing the right lipstick or lip color. Hope you enjoyed reading this lipstick choosing guide as much as I enjoyed creating this for you. Which are your favorite forms and shades of lip color? Would love to know about your secret for having pleasing and radiant everyday lips? Please share your thoughts in comments below.