Finding the Perfect Lipstick a blog by Greener Beauty

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FINDING THE PERFECT LIPSTICK

Who isn’t eternally on the quest to find the perfect lipstick!

There are a few steps that can be followed to find the most effective way to find the ideal lipstick shade.

Correspond your skin tone with your lipstick colour. If you have a cool undertone to your skin match this with a lipstick that also has a cool undertone. If you have a warm undertone to your skin match this with a lipstick with a warm undertone.

In addition the colour of your skin can also determine how intense a shade you can wear. For lighter skins, lighter lipstick shades work better while those with darker skins can wear those beautiful bold colours without looking washed out.

So the first important thing to understand when it comes to finding the perfect shade of lipstick is whether you have a cool, warm or neutral undertones to your skin.

COOL UNDERTONES

The easiest way to know if you have a cool undertone is if the veins in your wrist look blue. Your skin has a pink, red or bluish hue to it.

The best lipstick shades for skins with cool undertones are those shades that have a blue or purple undertone (please note the important word undertone!)

So for example if you wanted a red lipstick select a deep bluish red like a cherry red. If you wanted a nude look select a rosey nude blush.

WARM UNDERTONES

If you have a warm undertone to your skin you will have a yellow, golden or olive hue to your skin. The veins in your wrist appear green as opposed to blue.

The best lipsticks for warm undertones are lip colours in warm shades. So these can be bright oranges, brick reds and terracotta browns.

NEUTRAL UNDERTONES

Skin that has a neutral undertone are blessed to have a mix of pink and yellow in your skin shade.

You are lucky because you can actually wear lipsticks that both have a warm or cool undertone.

NUDE LIPSTICKS

To find the perfect nude lipstick look for a shade that is either one shade lighter or one shade darker than your skin tone. This will ensure that a nude shade never makes you look washed out.

LIPSTICKS AND EYE COLOURS

You can use lipsticks as a way to really enhance your eye colour and make your eyes pop.

For brown eyes use cool toned lip colours such as deep reds and purples.

For blue or green eyes use warm orange-reds and corals to really make your eyes pop.

GETTING THE BEST OUT OF YOUR LIPSTICK

Your lipstick will look best if applied to smooth and moisturised lips. The best way to achieve this is regularly using a lip scrub and keep a lip balm handy for when your lips start to feel dry. When applying your lip balm feel free to go over the lip line and leave it as long as possible before applying your lipstick.

If you want to draw attention to your cupids bow use a little highlighter above your lips in the middle of your cupids bow. A little goes a long way with this so start with a light dusting and add more if needed.

Use a lip liner pencil in a close match to your lipstick or your natural lip colour and apply before your lipstick. You don’t need to use a lip liner anymore for preventing your lipstick bleeding, instead its now used to enhance the shape of your lips. If there are any areas of your lips that you would like to enhance focus on one area (such as the cupids bow or your bottom lip) to enhance to achieve a more natural look. If you enhance your full lip line it has the potential to look very unnatural!

When applying your lipstick if you are using a creamy lipstick these are best applied with a brush while a matte lipstick works better if you are applying it straight. Apply from the middle of your lips and work outwards.

To get the best coverage apply one coat of lipstick and blot with some tissue paper to absorb some of the excess oils and then reapply.

When you have finished applying your lipstick lightly dust some translucent powder over the top to seal it. Or alternatively use a setting spray. This can really be the difference between your lipstick starting to smudge in a few hours or it lasting all night long.

When testing a lipstick in a shop, don’t make a decision with how the colour looks on the back of your hand. Your hand is a vastly different colour to your lips. I would recommend putting some on the back of your hand and using a finger to apply it to your lips. This will give you a more accurate representation of what it will look like on.