The Make-Up Mistake That’s Probably Making You Look Less Attractive

Confession time: we have stack loads of lippies and you’ll often find us in MAC of a Saturday picking out yet another new shade that we probably don’t need and can’t afford to buy.

The real issue? Half of those lippies don’t even suit our skin tone, which according to make-up artists Carly Hobbs and Vanessa Gualar, who spoke to The Daily Mail this week, is a major make-up misdemeanour. After all, the wrong shade can dull your complexion and look hella unflattering.

So what should you do?

Well, while there are lots of rules about matching your lippy to your skin tone or hair colour (blondes are said to suit nudes and brunettes suit orangey reds) we believe that everyone is different, so if you wanna rock that mad purple shade, pull of a red lip or find your perfect nude, then here’s our guide for doing just that.

How to find your perfect shade of lipstick

Figure out your undertone

Does your skin have cool or warm undertones? There’s a speedy way to find out. Take a look at your wrists and asses the colour of your veins. If they’re blue then you likely have cool undertones to your skin, while green undertones indicate warm undertones. As a rule of thumb, cool toned gals tend to suit muted mauves, pinks and punchy pillarbox reds. Warm tones look great wearing rich wine shades and sandy neutrals.

Start a few shades darker than your natural skin colour

Don’t go all out with the darkest, boldest shade you can find. Grab a shade that’s not too far from your natural lip colour and work your way up, getting gradually more daring. Variety is key to finding out your perfect lip shade so don’t be afraid to try out a whole range of colour.

Check it out in daylight

In a store where you can’t try before you buy? Stand next to a window and hold the tube next to your mouth for a better idea of how it would look on. Better yet, wear it around the shops a little while to see how well it wears.

And if you’ve bought a lippy that doesn’t suit you?

Consider blending it with another shade. Just cos it’s a shade or two out doesn’t mean you need to toss it in the bin. Grab a similar shade and blend them together to get your desired colour.