Wednesday Write Up: Getting Lippy...

A few weeks ago I gave some essential tips on how to rock out classic red lipstick in 'Wake up Your Makeup - Well Red'. But have you ever walked up to a makeup counter and felt overwhelmed by the countless different shades of red lippies? Choosing the right red can depend on everything from your skin tone to your hair colour to your outfit - sound confusing? Well, bb is here to make things easier on your lips with simple guidelines to selecting the perfect red based on your general skin tone.

Everyone's complexions have varying undertones such as pink, blue, yellow and golden, and there's many methods to determine that tone. Pink and blue undertones are considered to be 'cool' whereas yellow and golden undertones are 'warm'.

One easy way is to look at whether gold or silver jewellery suits your skin best. If gold looks gorgeous, then you are a warm blooded creature; if silver looks striking, then you're likely to be a cool customer.

Alternatively, have a look at your wrists and the colour of your veins under natural lighting. If the veins appear blue, then cool it; if the veins appear more green, then you are getting warmer...

Fair Skin

If you have delicate fair skin, it usually means cool blues and pinks or occasionally warm yellow.

If your skin is similar to Emma Stone and Nicole Kidman, blue is your best friend.

For those with fair skin and a cool undertone, a blue-toned red lipstick complements perfectly. Try to stay away from deep, plum reds - paired with the bluish bloodline you hold, it’ll make you look more Draculous than fabulous! A great option is NARS Lipstick in 'Jungle Red'.

On the other lip, if your skin is more akin to Scarlett Johansson and Kate Bosworth, then you're more likely be a warm yellow woman.

A bright orangey-red helps bring out the warmth and add a pop of colour without being too overpowering. Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in 'Sari D'Eau' is the perfect example!

 Medium Skin

Medium skin covers a wide variety of different skin tones - I'm going to break it down into olive skin and Asian skin.

If you have sun-kissed olive skin like Jessica Alba and Kim Kardashian, you are likely to have a warm golden undertones.

Olive is perhaps the most versatile skin tone for red lipsticks - anything from true red to cranberry red will look amazing. Savoir Faire Lipstick in 'Risqué' is the perfect striking red for these lucky lovelies.

Another common type of 'medium skin' is Asian skin with a warm yellow-undertone, like Lucy Liu and Li Bingbing. As a girl of Asian descent myself, I fall under this category.

Asian skin can rock similar reds to olive skin, as both are medium skin tones. Sometimes Asian skin can have a neutral undertone, meaning both cool-toned and warm-toned red lippies will look flattering - that's possibly the reason why I have a whole collection of different red lipsticks (or it could be attributed to my makeup obsession in general!). A berry red such as Guerlain KissKiss Lipstick in 'Exces de Rouge' would look elegant with Asian skin tones.

Darker Skin

If you have beautiful darker skin like Rihanna and Zoe Saldana, you would typically have warm yellow and gold undertones.

Bronzed beauties should stick with deep, rich reds like burgundy or warm brick as super bright reds can appear too harsh. M.A.C.'s lipstick in 'So Scarlet' is a gorgeous deep ruby red that would help bring out the best in your skin.

Keep in mind that these are merely suggestions as there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to red lipstick - in the end you should always go with what you're comfortable with, and what makes you feel fabulous! Hopefully though these tips will guide you to some great options in the ruby department. Have fun rocking red lips bella beauties! - Lucy

(Images courtesy of pinterest.com)