What is the Right Red Lip Color for You?

by Charis Michelesen, Beauty Expert

There’s a red lip color that’s right for everyone!

To find yours, follow these steps:

STEP 1: Access the depth of your skin tone. How pale or dark are you? This determination will lead to choosing a lip color that harmonizes with the shade depth of your skin tone. Classically, the darker your skin tone is, the darker your lip color should be. For example, if you have a pale skin tone, choose bright red. If your skin tone is medium in shade depth, choose a red that’s a little darker. If your skin tone is dark, choose deep red, and if your skin tone is very dark, choose dark red.

STEP 2: Look past how pale or dark you are, and determine the most predominant undertone color(s) in your skin. Do you have more yellow/gold/olive in your skin? Equal amounts of yellow/gold/olive and pink/red in your skin? Or more pink/red in your skin? If your skin’s undertone is predominantly yellow/gold/olive, lip colors that are warm with a yellow or gold undertone would be the most flattering, such as the color “tomato red”. If you have a neutral skin tone with neither a predominate yellow/gold/ olive undertone nor a predominate pink/red undertone, neutral lip colors, with equal amounts of pink/red and yellow/gold, would be the most flattering. If you have a skin tone with a pink or red undertone, then cool lip colors, with a pink or red undertone that may sometimes appear a little blue, would be the most flattering.

Here are some red lip color suggestions based on the depth of your skin tone and your skin’s undertone(s):

LIGHT/PALE SKIN TONES:

WARM: Bright red, bright orange-red.

NEUTRAL: Bright true red.

COOL: Bright cool red.

MEDIUM SKIN TONES:

WARM: Medium coral red.

NEUTRAL: Medium brick red.

COOL: Medium berry red.

DARK SKIN TONES:

WARM: Deep cinnamon.

NEUTRAL: Deep brick red.

COOL: Deep raspberry, deep burgundy.

DEEP DARK SKIN TONES:

WARM: Dark tomato red.

NEUTRAL: Dark brick red.

COOL: Dark berry, dark burgundy.

Follow Charis Michelsen on social media for more Beauty and Fashion expert tips at @charismichelsen_official