How to Pick the Perfect Pink Lipstick for Your Skin Tone

If you know me even a little…you know I have a sweet spot for hot pink lips. They are my thing and I love them.

I hear a lot of people say they don’t think they can pull off bright colored lips or lipstick at all. To that I say phooey because we can all wear lipstick, it’s just a matter of finding the right color.

Think you can't wear lipstick? That's not true! It’s just about finding the right color. Share on X

I know this from personal experience because before I became comfortable with bright lips I also thought I couldn’t pull them off. The first step to wearing lip colors is just getting used to seeing yourself in the color. While today’s post will help you find colors that are more flattering for you – you need to bite the bullet and pop on a bright colored lip a few times to get used to seeing yourself in it.

If you’re not a lipstick wearer most the time, you’ll naturally think that lipstick doesn’t look good on you just because you’re not used to seeing yourself wearing it! My rule of thumb with trying anything new, whether it’s lip color or an outfit, is to just DO IT! So often I’ve had people tell me “I wish I could wear *insert item here* like you do!” And the truth of the matter is, you can! Put it on and wear it like you own it, and no one will second guess you. Literally my rule of thumb with anything. Wear it with confidence. Once you’ve worn lipstick a few times, you’ll get used to yourself with color on your lips. Trust me.

How to Pick the Perfect Pink Lipstick for Your Skin Tone

A while back I broke everything down about finding the right lipstick color in a detailed post. But today I wanted to get a little more focused and just concentrate on pink lipstick. While the general rule of thumb is the same, I figured I could break down what pink shades to look for. This wat searching for your next pink lipstick will be a snap.

How to Pick the Perfect Pink Lipstick for Your Skin Tone

The basic rule of thumb to help you find the ideal pink lipstick color for yourself is deciding if you’re warm-toned or cool-toned. This will help you decide which shades of pinks to shop for.

Determine your skin's undertone to find the best lipstick shades for you. Share on X

Determine Your Skin’s Undertone

You’re cool-toned if…

…your skin appears to have a blue, red or purple tinge to it.
If you hold your wrist out, bottom side up, in natural light, your veins will appear blue or purple. If you’re cool-toned, cool-toned lip colors are more likely to look flattering on you.

To find cool-toned pinks you want to look for pinks that have a blue undertone, typically magentas and hot fuschias. Additionally, pinks that have purple and lavender undertones will also be flattering on you such as rose, deeper magentas, and orchid.

Cool-Toned Pink Lipstick Picks

 

You’re warm-toned if…

…your skin appears to have a yellow, green, or peach tinge to it.
If you hold your wrist out, bottom side up, in natural light, your veins will appear green or olive. If you’re warm-toned, warm-toned lip colors are more likely to look flattering on you.

To find warm-toned pinks you want to look for pinks that have an orange undertone, typically corals and peaches have an orange tinge. Additionally, pinks that have golden or green undertone will also be flattering on you such as pinky-nude or mauvy-peach.

Warm-Toned Pink Lipstick Picks

Note: You’re neutral-toned if your skin doesn’t appear to follow either of these rules. Your skin appears neither bluer or more yellow in the sunlight and your veins are blue-green (not one or the other). If you’re neutral, it’s more likely you can wear lots of different colors well.

How to Pick the Perfect Pink Lipstick for Your Skin Tone

Other things to consider:

  • Your hair and eyes will also play into this. If you’re cool toned but your hair is warm and eyes are warm, you may find that warmer tones look better on you (and vice versa with cool). It depends on which is more dominate.
  • Trial and error will sometimes come into play so try 2-3 pinks for your skin tone and choose which looks best.
  • Do what you like! At the end of the day, your own personal preference matters the most. So wear what you think looks best!

There you have it, my best tips for finding your perfect pink lip! As a general rule of thumb, this trick works like magic most the time for me! And, you can apply the same “cool-toned” “warm-toned” method to other aspects of makeup like blush, eye shadow, and even nail polish colors!

What’s your holy grail, gotta-have-it, can’t-live-without-it, favorite lipstick color?

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I'm Kallie!

Also known as That Practical Mom

I’m all about helping you simplify the chaos of life so you can slow down and enjoy it.

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