Lipstick Week Day 1: All About Color

It took me some time to come up with the posts for Lipstick Week after Carina (of Softly Sometimes) tagged me. You’d think it would be easy given how much I’m addicted to lipstick, but I did have to think hard about what to post in the next seven days.

I figured it might be helpful to start with the basics, since a lot of people who do drop by this blog seem to have a few questions regarding texture, finish, and color.

Let’s start with the most common issue: color!

Choosing the right shade of lipstick can involve a lot of factors, such as:

Skin Tone

Most lipstick shade guides tell you that you have to pick colors according to your skin tone. This is two-prong. Let’s begin with the actual skin tone, often categorized as light, medium, and dark. The usual advice is that light-skinned people can use practically any color, even bright pinks and cherry reds. Those with medium and dark skin tones are advised to stick to warm colors like brown, brick, plum, etc. 

The second option is to go by “undertone”. If you have warm (yellow or olive) undertones, you should go with warm colors like orange, brown, brick red, etc. If you have cool (pink) undertones, you should use warm colors like blue pink, mauve, fuchsia, etc.

This has thankfully not led anyone to try and slice open their arms to check if they have blue or green veins — yet.

It is a helpful guide in a pinch if you’re not sure what shade suits you, but it’s very limiting.

Certainly, people with warm undertones can wear cool shades, and people with cool undertones can get away with warmer colors. It’s not so clear cut all the time, so you shouldn’t immediately discount a shade just because it’s cool and you’re warm.

I personally prefer blues in my lipsticks because…

Teeth

Yes, teeth. I mentioned in this post that the wrong shade can make your teeth look yellow. I have slightly yellow teeth, thanks to years of caffeine addiction. I think few people have blindingly white teeth in reality.

However, if you use a warm color on your lips, be prepared to see your teeth looking a lot more yellow than usual.

The solution: pick colors with seriously blue undertones. If you’re wary about wearing red, for example, pick a red with blue undertones.Both Ruby Woo and Russian Red are lovely reds with blue undertones. NARS Dragon Girl is another option. Though some people do prefer red-oranges, you should always go for blue-reds if your teeth are your main concern.

Occasion

I’d be the last person to tell you red isn’t appropriate for the office because I do wear it to the office all the time (well, at least twice a week, because I keep switching lipsticks every day). However, there are some situations wherein you might not want to wear your scarlets.

For example, it’s not like red lips are appropriate for a funeral, unless you’re a soap opera villain gloating over the death of your arch-rival.

So, it pays to have more than one shade so you can use whatever depending on the occasion. I have a couple of nice, subdued pink ones (Tom Ford Casablanca and Chanel RC Mademoiselle are my favorites) for when I have to look prim and proper. You’ll need at least three:

1. MLBB (My Lips But Better)
2. Pink
3. Red
4. Coral is optional.

Intensity

I need to mention this, because sometimes a color becomes more “wearable” depending on the intensity. A very bright blue pink like Tom Ford Aphrodisiac (it’s closer to fuchsia) works on my medium yellow skin tone, for example, but a very light blue pink like  Nyx Narcissus does not.

Plus, the brightness of your lipstick can have serious impact on your face as a whole. You know some days I don’t wear any makeup save for lipstick, because I feel complete with just that splash of color on my face. In fact, I try to keep the rest of my face bare when I have bright lipstick on. No blush or anything else because it makes me look too made up, which isn’t the look I go for normally.

I find that bright blues (blue-pink or blue-red; doesn’t matter) light up my face. It stops me from getting all washed out. Even with bags under my eyes, the bright color immediately makes me look a lot more awake.

Try It On

This is the best thing you can do when choosing a color. Don’t wait for swatches online. Don’t swatch them on your arm. Put the damn thing on.

But what about hygiene? (You know, with that Riri Woo and herpes news bit making the rounds.) 

I think when you go to proper stores, they normally have great standards for application. The SAs use cotton swabs to apply the color on clients instead of using the tube directly. Those who do use the tube straight will wipe the lipstick down first.

If you’re still concerned, the next best thing is to swatch it on the back of your hand, then place your hand near your face while looking at the mirror. This way you’ll see the effect of the shade, at least.

In fact, forget about all the rules. Try it on, look in the mirror, and you’ll be the best judge on whether or not the color suits you. It’s that simple. Rules are for schmucks, anyway.