Trying a new lip color might just be the easiest way to instantly upgrade your makeup look. Whether you’re looking to accentuate your natural lip hue, make a bold statement or add a touch of glamour to an evening look, there’s a shade of lipstick that’s perfect for you. In this LovelySkin blog, we’ll discuss some of the best ways to find your most flattering lip colors.

Before we get started, we want you to know that if you love a certain lip color and it makes you feel confident, that’s all that matters. Lip color advice is a guideline. The only hard and fast rule is that there are no hard and fast rules, and you should always sport the shades that make you feel best! Now on to our guide.

Using Your Natural Lip Color

Using your natural lip color is a great way to select the perfect shade for your go-to daytime makeup. Choose a hue that is one to two shades darker than your bare lips. This will tie together the rest of your makeup and help your lips stand out without stealing the show. It will also appear flattering in most every type of lighting, including florescent.

Two of our favorite shades for light or pink-toned lips are jane iredale PureMoist Lipstick in Ashley and Lauren. jane iredale PureMoist Lipstick in Theresa is a great shade for lips with a more mauve tone.

Using Your Skin Tone

Skin tone, typically classified in fair or light, medium or tan and dark categories, is another quick way to find a great shade. There are many colors that are known to be universally flattering for each of the three groups, and using this method can help you narrow down your choices considerably.

Fair: Choose a sheer peach, a pinkish beige or a light brown shade.

You might like: bareMinerals Pop of Passion Lip Oil-Balm in Tangerine Pop, bareMinerals Pop of Passion Lip Oil-Balm in Nude Passion, and YOUNGBLOOD Lipstick in Brown Sugar.

Medium or Tan: Choose a deep plum, a bubblegum pink or a coral shade.

You might like: glo minerals GloLip Stick in Bordeaux, bareMinerals Pop of Passion Lip Oil-Balm in Candy Pop and bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipstick in Light It Up.

Dark: Choose a deep red wine, a coppery nude or a dark berry shade.

You might like: YOUNGBLOOD Lipstick in Bistro, glo minerals GloLip Stick in Toffee or Sugar Plum and bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipstick in Lead the Way.

Using Your Undertones

If you have been professionally matched with your perfect shade of foundation, you’re probably already familiar with your skin’s undertone. Undertones are generally either yellow (warm) or pink (cool), but some have both yellow and pink undertones and are considered neutral. A quick way to determine whether you have pink or yellow undertones is to turn your wrist over and examine your veins in natural lighting. If they appear to be green, you have yellow or warm undertones, and if they appear to be blue you have pink or cool undertones. If veins appear both blue and green, you have neutral undertones. Another quick way to determine your undertone is to examine the tops of your ears. If they are pink, you have pink or cool undertones and if they are more yellow, olive or brown, you have yellow or warm undertones.

The key to selecting the best lipstick shade for your undertone is stick to that undertone. If you’re warm, choose warmer colors with yellow undertones, and if you’re cool, cool choose colors with a blue or purple base. If you’re neutral, you’re lucky—you have your pick of any color since you have both warm and cool undertones.

Our favorite warm shades: YOUNGBLOOD Lipstick in Tangelo, bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipstick in Go the Distance and jane iredale PureMoist Lipstick in Sharon

Our favorite cool shades: bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipstick in Get Ready, YOUNGBLOOD Lipstick in Dragon Fruit and glo minerals GloLip Stick in Vixen

Now that you've found a great new shade, don't forget to check out our LovelySkin video about the best way to get perfectly-shaped lips. 

What’s your favorite lipstick shade? Share with us in the comments section.