choosing lipstick

Have you ever sat in front of your dresser mirror applying your makeup and redoing your lipstick because you hated the lipstick color that you got?

Many women find choosing the lipstick color that is just right for their lips and skin tone a little confusing. It does not help that there are probably thousands of shades of lipstick colors out there, which makes the process of choosing the perfect lipstick color for your lips a little more complicated than it should be. However, if you knew how to look, you would be surprised at how easy finding this perfect lipstick color is.

The Trick to Finding the Perfect Lipstick Color

The trick to finding the perfect lipstick color for your lips is simply this: get a lipstick color that is a shade or two darker than the natural color of your lips. It is as simple as that.

Now, of course you would want to figure out just what kind of lipstick color would complement the tone of your skin. As a rule of thumb, if you have fair skin, you should go with soft pinks and corals to match the pinkish tone of your skin. Apricot would be a nice lipstick color too if you are fair-skinned.

If your skin has olive tones, the lipstick color that would suit you would be something that has tones of rose or mauve. If you have dark skin, you should pick lipstick colors with deep reds, deep browns or chocolate.

The Right Way of Buying a Lipstick

Now that you know what lipstick color you should go for, how do you determine if the lipstick you are thinking of buying is the perfect color? The answer to that is that you should try the lipstick on.

However, never ever apply the sample lipstick directly to your lips. That is very yucky. You would never know how long that lipstick has been exposed to dust and dirt and putting it directly to your lips may cause you to take in germs into your system. Instead of putting the lipstick directly to your lips, just swipe it against your finger or your palm.

Timeless red lipstick

There are some stores where it would not be possible for you to take a swipe of the sample lipstick on your skin because the sample lipstick is not available. In that case, what you need to do is to just hold the product against your face and take a look at yourself at the mirror. That will help you determine if the lipstick color is just right for the tone of your skin.

Do Not Stick to Just Lipstick

When you shop for makeup, do not limit yourself to just the lipstick. Get yourself a few lip liners as well. Lip liners are very helpful because they trace the natural line of your lips and prevent the lipstick from bleeding away from your lips. Take care to buy lip liners that are a shade lighter than the lipstick colors you will blend them with. You can also go for a nude lip liner if you think figuring out what color of lip liner would match your lipstick color is just too much work for you.

Another tool that could come handy when you are applying makeup is a lipstick brush. A lipstick brush is good if you are the type who wants to put on just a thin layer of lipstick instead of slathering it across your lips. A lipstick brush is also more hygienic than dabbing your fingers on the lipstick and then rubbing it on your lips. In using a lipstick brush, you minimize the need for kissing tissue to get rid of excess lipstick on your lips, as well as to prevent it from getting to your teeth.

Got the Wrong Lipstick Color?

Sometimes, even though you are sure that the color of the lipstick that you got from the store is the right one for your skin tone, there are times that when you actually get to use it, you would find that it is not really the right shade for you, or you simply do not like the way it looks against your skin. Do not despair, though. You can still make use of that lipstick. You do not have to waste money by throwing it away.

What you do in this situation is to get your lipstick brush and blend this unwanted lipstick color with your other lipsticks. In this way, you would be able to create a shade of color that would be more to your liking. You get a new shade of lipstick without buying a new one or throwing one away.

Lipstick, in various forms, has been around for about 5000 years as it is the easiest way to add an instant splash of color and give focus to your face. The main problem though, is that there is no perfect color that suits everyone. There are no perfect shades, brands or formulas but these guidelines can help any woman to express her mood or personality as she chooses the lipstick that is right for her.

Sheer lipsticks: are more universal than opaque lipsticks and are more flattering as they allow your own lip color to be seen underneath. They do not last as long as some other formulas although they are very moisturizing and easy to wear. A happy medium can be found in the cream lipsticks but as these are more opaque you will find yourself having to be more discerning when choosing your colors.

Shimmer lipsticks: last for longer than sheer formulations and can flatter the wearer of any age, unlike the shimmery eye shadows or blushers. Due to the light reflecting qualities, lips will look fuller but be warned that shimmer formulations look ghastly on dry or chapped lips.

Matte lipsticks: are the formulas that last for longer than any other and are a good selection to make bold statements with. The main problem with this type of lipstick is that they dry the lips out quite quickly and as such should not really be worn if you have dry or chapped lips already.

Lip colors can be found in many styles of applicator but by far the most popular are the ones that come in a stick in bullet shaped holders. As lips are quite sensitive to the sun, the lipstick formulations that have built-in sunscreens are very useful. Lip-gloss can be used to add an attractive gleam to your lips when used on its own, or to catch the light if applied over your normal lipstick.

If you want to mark an outline to your lips before applying lipstick then a lip liner is the best method (this also helps to stop ‘bleeding’) and is designed for just this purpose. For a darker matte effect just apply a lip liner over the whole of your lip area. A word of caution if you do decide to use this method though is that you may need to apply a lip salve over the top to avoid drying out your lips.

Choosing a Color

There are many traditions that help in the selection of lipstick colors. Some of these say that you should choose rich, deep colors such as burgundy or plum reds in winter and lighter, more pastel tones such as pinks or lavenders in spring. Summer months herald the need for sheer or glossy formulations and autumn is the time for brown-based earthy colors. All this said, lipsticks are used as an expression of yourself so you don’t have to follow tradition if you don’t want to – go ahead and experiment.

Color Guidelines

People with a fair complexion will find that a small amount of colour will go a long way. Over the top, bright colors will look a mess so stick to nudes, beige tones, light corals or light pinks. Sheer formulas prove to be the most flattering here.

Complexions with medium colors are best suited to brown based mauves or sheer berry types of colored lipsticks in a cream formula.

Reds, especially those with golden undertones rather than blue, are the best and most suited colors of lipstick for people with whitish complexions. Also, pink shimmers can look good too with both color schemes working well in almost any formula.

The best colors to use for your lipstick if your complexion is darker are rich and deep shades such as burgundy, chocolate or plum which will look great in any formula.

Lipstick Application

Using a moisturizer over your lips before applying the lipstick will usually ensure that the best end result is achieved. The lip surface should then be primed with a foundation making sure that every tiny crack and crevice is covered. A make-up sponge is the best way to accomplish this.

Then using your normal face powder, apply a light dusting on top of the foundation, which will help your lipstick stay in place for longer.

Next, draw an outline around your lips using a lip pencil, which has been warmed slightly in the palm of your hand. You may find that steadying your hand by resting your elbow on a firm, flat surface helps when doing this.

The Cupid’s bow on the upper lip should be your starting point when drawing your lip outline, followed by neatly outlining your lower lip.

Finish off the edges of the outline on your upper lip and then fill in the outlined areas with lipstick, preferably using a lip brush for accuracy, as you will need to make sure that every tiny crevice is covered. Brush the color into the corners of your lips by opening your mouth, which will expose the corners for easy reach.

To help your lipstick last longer and give your lips an attractive, semi-matte finish, you should blot over the surface gently with a tissue.

If there is a difference in proportion or volume to your mouth, then the upper lip will normally appear to be thinner than the bottom one. The bottom lip is generally considered to be the point of reference when trying to make sure the contours of both lips are balanced therefore outlining of the upper lip must be done. With this in mind it should be said that when you pencil out the upper lip, make sure that it equals in proportion, from the pointed side of the Cupid’s bow to the center slit of the mouth, the width of the bottom lip. The shape you give to your Cupid’s bow is what expresses your mood or personality at the time. If you make it more rounded then you will give a fuller, more sensual smile while on the other hand a pointed, more angular one shows a confident, outgoing personality.

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