Whenever someone mentions makeup, the first thought that strikes you is lipstick. Adding a hue to your lips can bring out a massive difference to your overall facial features. However, an ill-chosen lip shade can destroy the look you’re going for and make you seem unprepared for the day. Thus, you must pick a shade which best suits your tone. But how to choose the right lipstick? Let us understand that with some of the tips given below.

Know your exact skin tone
The most fundamental step in picking the right lip shade is having an understanding of your skin tone. Typically, there are five different kinds of skin tones: dark, tan, medium, light, and fair.

• The shades that perfectly go with the light or fair skin, include peach, dusty red, coral, and light pink.
• The shades that perfectly go with medium skin, include mauve, cherry red, berry, and rose.
• The shades which perfectly match tan skin include bright red, deep pink, and rock coral. In totality, almost every color looks excellent on this skin tone except bright purple or brown tones. However, if you think that works for you, then you must not hesitate in using them.
• The shades that complement darker skin tones the best are purple and brown hues, such as caramel, plum, blue-based reddish tones, and wine.

Know your undertones
Having a thorough understanding of your undertone will also be helpful. In general, there are three essential undertones: neutral, warm, and cool.

Cool

• Light or fair skin – Opt for shades such as nude or soft mocha
• Medium to lightly tanned skin – Cranberry or pink shades look best
• Darker skin – Wine or ruby shades look great

Warm

• Light or fair skin – Opt for shades such as peachy nudes or pale pink
• Medium, deep or tan skin – Bronze or copper shades look great

Neutral 

• You can go with a myriad of colors, especially the ones listed above for warm and cool tones.

How to choose the right lipstick also depends on the lip shape you have. If your have extremely thin lips, for example, a nude shade might not work for you. Here are some tips to help you pick a shade according to your lip shape.

• Top lip heavy
  Opt for a bright shade on the lower lip and then a dark tone of the similar shade on your upper lip for the best results.

• Asymmetrical lips
  Firstly outline the lips using a similar tone lip pencil and then fill color in the lips.

• Bottom lip heavy
  Pick any hue that matches your undertone, and then mix it up with a lighter nude shade in the center of your upper lip.

You may not have realized this, but your lip size and shape aren’t the same thing. Here’s how to choose the right lipstick according to the former.

• Plump lips
  People with plump lips should avoid using lip shades with a shimmery or glossy texture.
• Thin lips
  Keep away from flashy or dark tones as these tones will make the lips thinner than they are. Instead, you could go with creamy or glossy shades in bright colors.