Although orange lipstick is a bold choice, it's a versatile color and there are shades that flatter every skin tone. 'When it comes to orange lipsticks, there are so many options — from bright to subdued,' explains makeup artist and beauty influencer Jaleesa Jaikaran. 'For warm skin, red-based oranges work really well, and on fairer. The right lip color for you is based on three things: your style, your natural lip color, and your skin tone. To find your best nude—your go-to color for an everyday, natural lip—shop when you are barefaced. Bite your lips and then try to find a lipstick that matches that color.
Fact attack: One of the most searched lipstick-related inquiries on Google is 'What color lipstick should I wear?' The correct answer is, 'Whatever color you want!' Our Founding Fathers didn't pull the original Brexit in 1776 so that you'd be resigned to the lipstick shades beauty editors have chosen for you. (Happy almost Fourth, everyone!)
Freedom aside, finding the right shade of lipstick for your complexion, coloring, personal preference, etc. is not as easy as going to your local department store and saying, 'That one!' For starters, it's important to know your undertones—those pesky base colors in your complexion that seem to appear only when you're wearing the wrong shade. They usually skew warm, neutral, or cool. Blizzard cloud saves. If you're curious as to where you fall, consider the following:
- Are you more likely to burn in the sun or tan? If you burn, your undertones are cooler. If you tan, your undertones are warm.
- What does your foundation say? Most foundations/concealers/tints will tell you what tones they best suit, but if they don't, a Google search will probably point you in the right direction.
- Look at the color of the veins on your wrist—blue usually means cool and green usually means warm, but if you can't quite tell, you might be neutral.
- Once you've found your undertone, choose a lipstick with a complimentary coloring. Blue-toned lipsticks (think: deep classic reds) look great on cool faces, for example, while peaches and oranges are better suited to warmer colorings.
It's a journey of sorts—one that requires a lot of trial and error, plus a few hundred swatches, before finding The One. Luckily, Glossier HQ is crawling with people who have put in the time and effort to find their matches. Several conversations about lipstick journeys turned into a definitive roundup of the best lipstick colors of all time, organized by concentrations of melanin for your shopping pleasure. Browse freely, and if you have your own journey, we'd love to hear that, too:
The Best Lipstick Color For Medium Skin
Brown-Mauve
Kim Johnson, Community Manager, wears YSL Ultimate Beige layered over Nars Pigalle.
'My skin tone is pretty medium, and in my mind, I have a mixture of yellow and red undertones. For a long time, I didn't wear lipstick at all because I couldn't find the right one—until I found this perfect shade of mauve-brown. So now, here's my general vibe on lipstick.. I want to wear something that makes my lips look like a better version of what they are. Natural, but sexy, very Brandy circa 1998. Right now I like to mix YSL's Ultimate Beige with Nars Pigalle, although I'll wear either on their own, too. Everybody makes fun of me because I'll only wear the same lipstick tone, but it works.'
The Best Lipstick Colors For Dark Skin
Berry
Umaimah Sharwani, Director of Operations, wears Bobbi Brown Plum Brandy.
'In high school, my friends and I used to go to the MAC store and try on lipsticks. We would try on the hot pinks, but I realized quickly that wasn't my color. When I started working here, I was introduced to these deep berry tones and I love them. I wear a dark lip day and night—people say you can't, but I do! I've tried many, but the Bobbi one doesn't dry out my lips because it's not super matte. I love the shade so much, I'm trying to find a bag in the same color.'
Deep Purple
Cherie Camacho, Administrative Coordinator, wears Maybelline Midnight Merlot.
'My mother only wore deep brown or dark purple lipstick. Whenever my sisters and I would play around with her makeup, those were our only options. When I grew up I played around with red, but I came back to deep plums and browns. I'm 5'5' with brown eyes, caramel complexion, smile like the sunrise. [Laughs] So darker lipsticks complement my look really well. It's all about this '90s vibe I've got going on.'
The Best Lipstick Color For Olive Skin
Red Orange
Adriana Deleo, Head of Design, wears Nars Heat Wave.
'Growing up in Puerto Rico, makeup was bold and bright. I think it's a Latin thing. My reaction was to go against it—to this day, I usually wear a bare face or very sheer lip color. But lately I've been into wearing bold lipsticks with a t-shirt and jeans..it feels very 'me' and it's a little more dressed-up. In the summer I've got more of a tan, so I wear warmer-toned colors, like this Nars red-orange. It suits my olive skin nicely. But it's very pigmented, so I'll apply it and then blot it away a little bit for a better color.'
The Best Lipsticks Colors For Fair Skin
..like, very fair: True Pink
Kelly Mittendorf, PR Coordinator, wears Chanel Conte.
'My skin is paler than a piece of copy paper and bold lipstick does not look good on me. But I like lipstick because I don't like doing eye makeup, and a lip is a much easier easy way to look put together. I've gotten really into true pink colors lately—like, 'my-lips-but-better.' I picked up the Chanel Rouge Stylo because it's easy to use, it's buildable, and it's got some sparkle just because. It feels like a neutral with my skin. Anything more reads too heavy..this is just really fresh.'
..with cool undertones: True Red
Emily Ferber, Editor, wears Dior 999.
'I don't know why I have so many true-red lipsticks—but over the past two or three years, I've found myself the proud owner of at least five: Dior 999, the limited edition Dior 742 (a bit brighter than the former), Tatcha's Kyoto Red, Charlotte Tilbury Red Carpet Red, and Sephora's Cream Lip Stain in Always Red. The more I wear them, the more I start to notice the tiny differences in shade—whether it's blue-leaning, or more pink. I tend to like the cooler tones that don't compromise brightness. It makes the rest of my face—and my teeth!—look really bright to the point where I don't need any other makeup. Not even mascara.'
..with warm undertones: True Orange
Sandra Sou, Senior Copywriter, wears Make Rust.
'I tend to gravitate towards orange-y shades of lipstick—I'm not sure why they work, but they look really good on Asian skin. People tell me I have yellow tones in my skin, and I'm like, where?? Then, I agree, and I pick out shades that are called Jade, Mandarin, and Dragon Chick. [Laughs] Kidding. I like Make Lipstick in Rust, which is the perfect shade of Elementary school pottery. It makes my skin look brighter and more vibrant. As a bonus, it's a pop of color to my very neutral wardrobe.'
—as told to ITG
Photographed by Tom Newton.
You know what they wear on their lips; now peer inside the makeup bags of Team Glossier.
Finding the best lip color for your face depends on your objective – do you want a bold, out-there look or a natural, polished finish? You want to find the best shade for your face, whether rocking a bold red lip or a light lip and natural shade, the key is to find something that looks great and that you're comfortable wearing. We talked to experts to find out which shades not only work best for your skin tone, but also how to find them in stores – as well as some easy application tricks.
Safe bets:
'As a rule, sheer colors are more universally flattering because they allow your own coloring to shine through and so will work on the widest spectrum of different skin tones and faces,' says celebrity beauty expert and founder of Ramy Cosmetics, Ramy Gafni.
Warmer shades (think yellow or brown based) will blend in better and therefore be more flattering than cooler shades, which will pop more, even if you have a cooler complexion. 'For example, a blue based Barbie pink is far less likely to look good on you compared to a pink with a yellow base, so look for a pink that has a subtle gold or copper shimmer to it or a non-shimmery pink that has a slight beige or nude undertone and you'll find that it will be far more flattering,' says Gafni.
Try before you buy:
Lipstick is one cosmetic product that you really must try on to see how it will look on your particular face. The same shade may look pinker on one person and more orange on the next. Never judge the color simply by how it looks in the tube. 'If you've tried a lipstick shade on and like it, but are still unsure if it's flattering, draw it onto your cheeks and blend it out as a blush. If it looks good as a blush, it's a good color for you. If it doesn't look good as a blush, you shouldn't wear it on your lips either,' says Gafni, who suggests seeking a lipstick shade that makes your teeth look whiter and your eye color brighter when you have it on.
An old wives' tale is to match your lipstick with the inside color of your cheek. 'That used to be the guideline for what color you should wear. Although it still holds true, these days there are many more lipstick shades to choose from,' says makeup artist Donna Kelly. If your lips walk into the room first, then you are probably wearing the wrong shade of lipstick. It should compliment the rest of you and not be center stage.
Olive skin tones:
If you have olive skin, cool tones are best. Try shades of pink, rose, mauve, plums, etc, which have blue undertones. 'Avoid lipsticks with too much yellow in them. They can bring out the yellow in your skin and make you look sick. Cooler toned lipsticks can make your teeth look a little whiter too,' says Kelly.
Redheads:
If you are a redhead and/or have pink undertones, warm tones are usually best. Try shades of orange, gold, copper, brown, etc, which have yellow undertones.
The eyes have it:
If you have blue eyes, warmer toned lipsticks like coral and orange shades can help bring out the blue in your eyes, says Kelly. Green Eyes: If you have green eyes, cooler toned lipsticks are great. For example, pink and rose colors are beautiful. Brown Eyes: Brown eyed beauties are the exception…they can wear whatever shade(s) they feel best in. It's more important that their lip shades compliment their skin tone.
Choose your battles:
This struggle isn't necessarily about color. It's knowing where to pick and choose. 'Most women won't branch out to new lip colors because they are set in their ways when it comes to doing their eyes. If you are not open to changing your eye look, it can make it hard to change a lip,' says Bryanna Casey, a makeup artist. For example, if you really love a heavy smokey eye, applying a serious red or coral lip will seem like way too much. Take away the dark eye and go for a cream shadow, no liner and mascara and you have opened yourself up to trying that deep burgundy color, or an orange for summer!
When wearing darker colors:
Exfoliate your lips first. When brushing your teeth, lightly brush your lips too. 'This will remove any dead skin ensuring your darker shades will glide on smoothly and evenly over the lips,' says as Kerry Cole, Style Director of BECCA Cosmetics. This will insure your color stays put and true.
Test a few shades out:
The inside tip of your finger tip is closest to your natural lip color. So rather than swiping shades on the back of your hand, start by testing shades on your finger.
Permanent Lip Color
Orange Brown Lip Color Pictures
Orange Brown Lip Color Apricot
Powder your pout:
If you've picked a color and are still not 100% sold, dust a little translucent powder over your lips to mute down the color. 'You can also sweep a champagne color shadow over your lips to give them a shimmering finish,' says Cole.
