3 Tips for Matching Your Lipstick to Your Outfit

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Let’s face it, we’ve all found ourselves dreaming in front of the warmth of a terracotta, or the boldness of a fuchsia. Then, caught in a wave of doubt and fear of a fashion faux pas, we ultimately opted for our usual shade, faithfully worn for 10 years. Or a red, a guarantee of success every time. At Modalova, we like to step out of our comfort zone, and encourage you to do the same. Today, we’re sharing our tips for being more adventurous, and helping you find the right lipstick color for any occasion.

How to find the right lipstick color?

What color to wear with green eyes? Which shade goes with red hair? What lipstick to wear after 60? Is it better to choose a gloss, a matte effect, or a shiny finish?

Many questions remain about which lipstick is right for you. Fortunately, several factors can guide your choice. A lipstick is not chosen solely based on your color preferences. The same shade can look delicate on one woman and less harmonious on another. It’s therefore important to know yourself well, to understand how to enhance your appearance, both in your outfit and your makeup.

Which factors should be considered?

The choice of lipstick will thus be guided by:

• Your skin tone and undertone
• The color of your iris
• Your hair color
• The natural color of your lips
• The colors and shades of your outfit, makeup, and nail polish, themselves determined by the previous points

How to know your skin tone and undertone?

A skin will, on one hand, have a lighter or darker shade. Then, it will have a warmer or cooler undertone. We can have three women with the same shade, but one with a cool, pink undertone, one warm and golden, and the third with a so-called neutral undertone. This information will allow you to determine the range of lipstick shades with which you can work your looks.

A neutral undertone, which can match almost all lipstick shades, is characterized by visible veins on the wrist of a green color. A cool undertone will show veins leaning towards a blue-violet, while a warm undertone will have bluish-green veins. It is thus advised to adjust the shade of your lipstick to that of your skin. A warm undertone will match beautifully with terracotta or iced brown, which is emerging as the new trendy color of our autumn. And, a cool undertone will lean towards slightly more bluish shades.

What tools and tips to use to choose your lipstick?

Perhaps the term color chart or color wheel vaguely rings a bell? In fashion and beauty, we don’t play with colors blindly. We use the rules of color theory, and color complementarity, to adapt outfit and makeup choices according to a person’s profile.

Choices are to be refined over the seasons, which notably change our complexion.

Creating a look through color association

If you’re not yet a pro at color associations, you can, with a color wheel, discover harmonious color combinations, by choosing colors opposite each other. Thus, the trendy pink of this autumn can be paired with a green, while a blue can match with an orange. In the case of a more complex combination, it’s possible to integrate a third color, with the so-called triadic principle, where 3 points at equal distance are placed on the wheel. The 3rd color will be the least present in the style and can be used through makeup.

Opting for monochrome

Another variation of colors is based on the principle of monochrome. For this, just use a color chart, to apply a undertone of the dominant color of your outfit to your lips. This allows for creating a more discreet and soft look.

When composing your makeup, think about balancing the shades, to accentuate one of the three components of makeup. Namely, the eyes, lips, or nails. Eye makeup also calls upon the notions of color complementarity mentioned earlier, to work according to your iris and really enhance your gaze.

Thus, each element of the look must be studied both individually, according to your profile, and globally, with the entire outfit and makeup.

What type of lipstick to choose?

Depending on the desired result, the texture of the lipstick is to be considered, just like its application. We can work towards different goals, such as brightening the face, giving it relief, intensity, or even, redesigning or plumping your lips, if you find your lips too thin for your taste.

For a natural effect, you can choose a lip tint that will be quite light. Or try a “bitten lip” look, which works inwardly with a red of a shade slightly more intense than the natural color of your mouth, and blends with concealer on the corners and edges of the lips. Another option, colored balms, which bring a subtle touch of radiance, very subtly.

For a more worked on and glamorous effect, you can create a velvet red effect, by outlining the lips with a pencil, then filling in with matte lipstick, using a brush or not. Although more delicate to work with, a matte lipstick ensures better hold than a glossy one. You can also work with two shades to add structure through contouring, thus either creating depth or adding light zones.

Should you choose a hydrating lipstick?

In terms of lip nutrition, a lipstick can act as a two-in-one, having hydrating active ingredients, often at the core of its textured bullet