How To Find the Right Lipstick for You

For women, lips are an important part of their overall look. From subtle and nude, to a sexy red: lipstick, liner, and gloss, are great ways to make different statements with your lips. When lipstick is done right, it can make a woman look ultra feminine, sweet, glamorous, or downright sexy; however, when lipstick is misapplied it can also look clownish and tacky. While there isn’t one set of rules for all lipstick users, there are some guidelines to keep in mind to ensure, that people are looking at your beautiful smile, and not your garish lipstick. After all, the goal of makeup is to enhance and accent our features, and a smile is always our best accessory.

Lip Gloss: Usually gloss has an ultra sheer color and is high on the shine factor. It can be found in a tube or pot. Gloss is great for a natural look by itself, or, to pump up the glamour factor, you can apply it on top of lipstick.

Matte Lipstick: This type of lipstick brings the punch of color, but as implied by it’s name, has no shine or glossiness. Although matte lipstick can make a major statement (think of Rose’s matte red lips in the movie “Titanic”) it can also be very drying on lips. More mature women should avoid matte lipstick altogether as it can maximize wrinkles and make a small pout look even smaller.

Moisturizing Lipstick: This is a great lipstick for women that want a little color on their mouth but don’t want to take five steps to get there. Moisturizing lipstick contains conditioning ingredients like Shea butter that allows the color to go on smooth and leaves the lips soft and healthy looking. The one downside is that it needs to be reapplied more frequently than a matte or long lasting lipstick.

Long Lasting Lipstick: While many long lasting lipsticks are true to their name, and can deliver up to 3 hours of lasting color, they are also very drying and harsh on lips and don’t deliver the beautiful results that other lipsticks do. Long lasting lipstick might work for a woman that is working all day and doesn’t have a chance to reapply; however, it’s worth it to go with another kind of lipstick and reapply as needed.

Lip Liner: Lip liner is a pencil that is used to outline the lips. It helps lipstick to last longer and helps to accent the shape of the lip. If you want a larger looking pout, you can line your lips slightly outside their natural line. You can apply lip liner before or after applying lipstick depending on preference.

There isn’t just one right color for a woman, but just like the shirt you wear, you can change your lipstick color frequently and look beautiful in every one. One key tip to keep in mind is, only pick one feature to play up with makeup. For example, if you want to indulge in a bold lip color, then keep your eye makeup soft and simple. Vice versa, if you’re wearing dramatic eye makeup, then opt for a subtle lip.

Another quick trick to go by, when deciding on lipstick color is: choose a lip color that is one to two shades darker than your natural bare lip. Also if you have pink undertones in your skin, go with a warmer shade of lipstick (apricots and corals), whereas women with cooler skin or olive tones can opt for shades that are cooler (like berries and browns).

If you buy the wrong color, don’t toss it out! You can blend it with other colors to create the shade that is right for you!

1. Use ChapStick an hour before applying your lipstick. A great time to apply ChapStick is after your shower when you’re applying your facial moisturizer. If you include ChapStick as an additional step, your lips will be prepped and ready for lipstick before you head out the door.
2. Line your lips with liner and softly blend the line into your lip. This helps the lipstick to stay put longer. Be sure to pick a liner that is only one shade deeper than your lip color and within the same color family.
3. Apply lipstick. You can use a lip brush, your finger, or do it directly from the tube. What’s important is that you can comfortably apply the color to your lips without coloring outside the line (I guess it’s not just a problem for kindergarteners).
4. Go back over the outline of your lips with the liner to make sure you have a nice crisp line.
5. Apply gloss. If you want a pouty look, apply the gloss in the center of mouth, focusing on the bottom lip. However, if you want an all over shine, you can apply it all over the mouth. I recommend using a finger or lipstick brush for the gloss so that you don’t get lipstick on the applicator, but the choice is yours.

There you have it: beautiful, flawless looking lips. Keep in mind these steps can be used to create a subtle nude looking lip, or to amp up the drama, you can use these same steps to create a deep sexy looking lip. If you’re going for a matte look, you can ditch the gloss or, if all these steps make your head spin, you can just do the lipstick and the gloss, or the gloss alone.

Lips speak volumes, and not just with words. Lipstick gives women the opportunity to play with different makeup styles, all in an effort to accentuate their own natural beauty. Fortunately, the more knowledge you have about lipstick and how to apply, the easier and more natural it is to achieve your desired look. Most importantly, just like you change the color of your shirt, don’t be afraid to change your lipstick color to reflect your mood; romantic, natural, playful, sexy…lipstick gives women a way to communicate, without speaking a word