The Master Guide to Figuring Out Your Red Lipstick Shade

With the holiday season quickly approaching, a fun way to change up your makeup routine is to add a red lipstick into the rotation. It’s festive and bright and instantly lends a bit of glamour to any look. But easier said than done. How many times have you swiped on a red shade and thought, this just doesn’t suit me?

As a makeup artist and Darling’s Beauty Editor, one of the most common sentiments I hear is, “I wish I could wear red lipstick but it just doesn’t look good on me.”

Well, I disagree and I am going to help guide you in finding the right red for you.

Step 1: Determine your tones.

The first thing you want to do is identify whether you are FAIR (think Lily Collins), LIGHT (think Kate Bosworth), MEDIUM (think America Fererra), TAN (think Rihanna) or DEEP (think Lupita Nyong’o). This is the depth of your skin tone.

The second thing you want to determine is your complexion’s undertone, the color underneath the surface. These are divided into three categories: COOL (pink, red or blue), WARM (golden, peachy or yellow) and NEUTRAL (both cool and warm). Many people believe that all pale women fall into the cool category and all dark women fall into the warm zone, but this isn’t true at all! Just picture Anne Hathaway and Nicole Kidman with their similar levels of fairness but the former is cool and the latter is warm.

There are several simple ways to figure out what your undertone is. Take a look at the insides of your wrists. Do your veins look bluish or purple? You are most likely cool. Or are they more greenish? Then you are probably warm. A little bit of both? Perhaps you are neutral.

Okay, next question. Does your skin turn pink or golden brown when exposed to the sun? If the answer is pink, then you’re most likely cool. If you said golden brown, then you are warm. Still uncertain? Think about your clothing and jewelry preferences. Do you look better in colors like reds, oranges and yellows paired with gold accessories (warm) or do you tend to choose shades of purple, green, and blue along with silver (cool)? If you’re still on the fence and feel that you fall into both categories, then you are most likely an even balance of warm and cool which places you as neutral.

Step 2: Determine your reds.

Now that you have determined your complexion’s tones, let’s talk about which reds will flatter you most!

For you COOL GIRLS: blue-reds, fuschias and berries will look gorgeous. And for the WARM LADIES: tomato and coral reds are stunning. However, if you are looking to add major pop, try a shade from the opposite undertone to provide the most contrast. And if you happen to fall into the neutral zone, then both warm and cool reds will look great.

The rule is there are no rules. If you like how your lipstick makes you feel, then that’s the perfect shade for you.

I have chosen my top suggestions according to both your skin’s depth and tone to help get you started. For the most natural look, choose a color with the same undertone as yours. If you’re going for drama, then simply opt for one from the opposite tone. Most of these are full coverage lipsticks but remember, if you want something subtle, simply apply with your finger in a tapping motion to make it sheer.

FOR FAIR

Fair (Warm) – Besame Lipstick in Carmine
Fair (Cool) – Wander Lipsetter Dual Lipstick and Liner in Fuschia Class
Fair (Neutral) – MAC Lipstick in Ruby Woo

FOR LIGHT

Light (Warm) – Nu Evolution Lipstick in Femme Fatale
Light (Cool) – Erin’s Faces Satin Lipstick in Red
Light (Neutral) – NYX Lipstick in Perfect Red

FOR MEDIUM

Medium (Warm) – Clove + Hallow Lip Velvet in Fiesta
Medium (Cool) – Burt’s Bees Satin Lipstick in Brimming Berry
Medium (Neutral) – Milk Makeup Lip Color in True Red

FOR TAN

Tan (Warm) – Axiology Organic Lipstick in Worth
Tan (Cool) – Lily Lolo Lipstick in Desire
Tan (Neutral) – Beauty Bakerie Lip Whip in Mon Cheri

FOR DEEP

Deep (Warm) – ILIA Lipstick in Lucy’s Party
Deep (Cool) – Rituel de Fille Forbidden Lipstick in Fortune Teller
Deep (Neutral) – Bite Beauty High Pigment Pencil in Pomegranate

Are you a fan of the red lip? How do you wear it?

Feature Image via Zulmaury Saavedra