How to Choose Red Lipstick for Your Skin Tone

To choose red lipstick for your skin tone, match the red's undertone to yours, then match its depth to your skin's depth. Cool undertones look best in blue-based reds (they lean slightly toward raspberry or wine), warm undertones in orange-based reds (toward tomato or brick), and neutral undertones can wear a true red that sits in the middle.

Everyone can wear red. The people who think they can't have usually tried the wrong red, often a bright orange red on cool skin or a cool raspberry on golden skin. Here's how to find yours.

Blue-based vs orange-based reds

Every red leans one way. Put two reds side by side on white paper and the difference shows: blue-based reds look a bit pink or purple next to each other, orange-based reds look a bit coral or rusty. A true or neutral red sits in between.

Blue-based reds make teeth look whiter and suit cool and neutral undertones. Orange-based reds warm up the face and suit warm and olive undertones. If you're not sure of your undertone, the steps in how to find your lipstick shade walk you through it.

Best red lipstick for fair skin

Fair skin with cool or pink undertones looks striking in a classic blue red or a raspberry red. Fair skin with warm, peachy undertones suits a bright coral-red or a soft orange red. Very deep reds like Wine Burgundy can look harsh on fair, low-contrast faces in daylight, so keep them for evening or blot them down to a stain.

If you have red or strawberry blonde hair, try a red with a slight warm brown in it, like brick. It ties in with the hair instead of competing with it.

Best red lipstick for medium and olive skin

Medium skin can wear the widest range of reds. Warm medium skin glows in a tomato or Orange Red and a rich Brick Red. Neutral medium skin looks great in a true Classic Red. Olive skin, which has a green or grey cast, tends to look best in a red with a touch of brown or berry, since very bright orange reds can bring out sallowness.

Medium skin with cool undertones, which is more common than people assume, looks great in raspberry reds and a slightly blue-leaning Classic Red. If a red makes your teeth look yellow or your skin look slightly green, switch to the other side of the undertone scale and compare.

Best red lipstick for deep skin

Deep skin needs a red with enough pigment and depth, or it can look chalky. Rich blue reds, wine and deep cherry tones are stunning on cool deep skin. Warm deep skin looks amazing in brick, rusty red and deep orange reds.

Sheer reds tend to disappear or shift on pigmented lips. Choose an opaque formula, or line and fill the whole lip with a red or brown liner before applying lipstick so the color reads true.

Matte, satin or gloss?

Finish changes how bold the red feels. Matte reds look the most classic and last longest, but show dry lips, so exfoliate and balm first. Satin reds are the easiest daily choice: comfortable and still opaque. Glossy or sheer reds feel the most casual and are a good first red if you're nervous.

Finish also changes how dark a red looks. The same shade appears deeper in matte and brighter in gloss, because gloss reflects light. If a matte red feels too heavy on you, the same color in satin may be exactly right.

• Weddings, photos, long nights: matte or long-wear satin
• Office or daytime: satin, or a blotted matte
• First red ever: sheer or balm red

How to wear red lipstick so it looks intentional

Line first. A liner matched to the lipstick stops feathering and gives a crisp edge, which is what makes red look polished. Red shows every wobble, so rest your elbow on a table while you line. Fill in with the liner too, then apply lipstick with a brush from the center outward. Blot with a tissue, apply a second layer, and clean the edges with a bit of concealer on a flat brush.

Keep the rest of the face simple: even skin, mascara, groomed brows, a little blush. Red with a heavy smokey eye is a lot, though it can work for a big night. The Retro Vintage look (winged liner, matte skin, red lip) is the classic pairing.

Red also highlights redness in the skin, so conceal around the nose and mouth before you start. And check your teeth in a mirror after the first sip of anything: a quick trick is to put a clean finger in your mouth, close your lips around it and pull it out, which removes the color from the inside of the lips that ends up on teeth.

Test reds side by side

Because the differences between reds are subtle on the bullet but big on the face, compare at least two or three directly. You can do it in a store with disposable applicators, or try Classic Red, Orange Red, Brick Red and Wine Burgundy on your own selfie with a virtual makeup try-on and look at them next to each other. The right one makes your skin look brighter, not just your lips.

FAQ