Finding the perfect red lipstick shade can be tricky at times, especially with medium to darker skin tones. You may simply want a sheer pop of color to have on throughout the day when you need a pick-me-up or a bold pigmented hue for night-wear.
Below, I chose some of my favorite textures, colors, and red finishes to guide you while strolling the beauty aisles at the drugstore. Rocking your favorite bold shade is always the perfect go-to, so, don’t be afraid, a red lip suits everyone!
Although you can rock any color you please, picking one that flatters your skin tone the best can be achieved by following our simple guideline:
[Read Related: Top 9 Drugstore Pink Lipstick Shades to Have in Your Makeup Bag]
- Fair to medium with cool undertones: Berry tones or cherry reds complement the pink tones in your skin.
- Fair to medium with warm undertones: Bold cranberry tones, crimson tones, cherry reds.
- Medium to medium tan skin tones: Universal skin tone that suits almost every color red. Bright, vibrant orange-y/cherry reds look stunning as well as the dark sultry shades. Brown tones or brick-red lipsticks also suit you well.
- Medium dark to dark skin tones: Vibrant reds, orange-y tones brighten your complexion, sultry deep wine reds look amazing.
I like to always keep a general rule of thumb when choosing a true red—find a blue-based red to make teeth look whiter and get those lips to pop against your skin tone. In my case, I’m a medium tan to dark skin tone, and I’m comfortable with all nine shades as they complement my skin tone, not to mention all are blue-based, a.k.a a cooler undertone.
Sapna Sakaria is our go-to beauty blogger at Brown Girl Magazine. She is thrilled to share beauty tips, tricks and tutorials with all of you! Born and raised in New York, Sapna grew to love the artistry of make-up application and all things beauty. All while receiving her B.S. in Biology at St. John’s University, beauty and make-up started as a hobby, but making women smile and enhance their true inner beauty by sharing her passion has made it all worth it! Deemed “The Sephora Princess” by her fun-loving little brother, you can find Sapna perusing down Sephora’s isles and continuing to answer all your beauty qualms here at Brown Girl Mag!
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