Lipsticks are some of women’s most essential part of our beauty routine. Even women who don’t wear a full face of makeup would want to apply lipstick at least during special occasions. Lipstick can add a little colour to your outfit for functions and make you appear more professional for work.

But the most common question I get asked is, “What lipstick fits me?”. So I made this guide to help with picking the best colour and texture for you.

Understand your skin tone. There is a common misconception that fair skin has cool undertones while dark skin has warm undertones. That is not always the case.

If you have a Warm undertone…

• Your veins look green.
• Gold jewellery flatters you more than silver.
• Cream shirts look better on you than white.
• You get a golden tan under the sun.

If you have a Cool undertone…

• Your veins look blue.
• Silver jewellery flatters you more than gold.
• White shirts look better on you than cream.
• You burn or get a ashy tan under the sun.

Once you figure out your skin’s undertone, it becomes a lot easier to choose your colours.

Before you go out to actually buy a lipstick, you should first decide what colour you would like to wear. But with so many colours to choose from, how do you pick a colour?

1. How is your lifestyle?
Do you intend to use this lipstick everyday for work and for weekends or do you want a colour for a special occasion or for a night out partying?

Daily/Weekends: Soft pinks, nudes, rose, mauves.
Nights/Parties: Fushia, nudes, reds, purples, loud or dark colours.

Nudes can be used day or night however, they are best paired with dark eye makeup for that night out in town. But with that said, if you are more daring, vivacious or bold, you can also use dark or loud lip colours in the day. I do that too *wink.

2. What colours are your outfits?
This plays a very big part in selecting a lipstick. Do you have mostly pinks/greens/blues in your closet or do you stick to the basics? Here is simple colour chart to help you match your outfits, eyeshadows and blushes with your lip colour.

Warm undertones have a yellow tint in the colour while cool undertones have a blue tint.

Depending on your skin tone, these are colours that will flatter you. However, you may be a warm undertone that prefers to wear cool breezy coloured clothes or a cool undertone that loves warm earthy coloured dresses, its your preference and there’s no wrong to that. But always stick to matching colour schemes, i.e. never mix a peach blush with cool blue eye shadow, it doesn’t go and looks off. Use this chart as a guide to colour co-ordinating your outfits/makeup to your lipstick.

This is simply by your preference and can be switched around for different occasions.

If you prefer a Matte finish…

• You want absolutely no shine to your lips.
• This finish is drying and not recommended for severely cracked lips.
• Apply lip balm to moisten your lips before applying lipstick to avoid chapped look.

If you prefer a Glossy finish…

• You want that pouty sheen to your lips.
• This finish looks better with a full lip. Apply lip liner in a matching colour before applying lipstick.
• Add gloss on the cupid bow and middle section of your lips for extra sheen and pout.

If you prefer a Sheer finish…

• You want a hint of colour that doesn’t cover up your natural lip colour.
• This finish is best for the ‘natural’ look but best avoided if you want a ‘full/covered’ lips.
• You may prefer to use a lip gloss for desired sheer finish.

With that being said, there are no such thing as a ‘all day lasting’ lipstick. Just like your foundation, there may be new technology in makeup that may help it to last as long as possible (8 to 13 hours). But there really isn’t anything that will stay put the way it is since you’ve applied it fresh in the morning and last for 24hours the next day. Especially lipstick, since we need to talk, eat and drink, you will bound to need to re-apply it up once in a while. But if you’ve got a good lipstick, you may just need to touch up after dinner or drinks.

I hope this has been useful for you to pick your next lipstick. My best advice is to experiment. Try on different colours and textures, there is no right or wrong to makeup, its just knowing what’s best for you.

A lady can never have too many lipsticks *winks.