They say there is a perfect red lipstick for every womanregardless of your hair or skin tone, but too often, many of us struggle to find the ideal shade to highlight our features, and sometimes we avoid trying one in favor of colors that lean more towards ‘nude’ and peach.
When it comes to makeup, there’s no bigger statement than red lips. This timeless classic has a great story loaded with meaning and female empowerment. In the time of the witch hunt, any woman who dared to wear this color on her lips was branded a sorceress and centuries later they were banned as a symbol of prostitution.
However, it was not until the 20th century that Elizabeth Arden made her appearance in the world of beauty and claimed it, along with the suffragettes, as the image of lto rebellion, strength, power and feminine independence. Since then, red lipstick has remained a symbol of power and empowerment.
Today, we have hundreds of different shades of red, so it’s easier (or harder, depending on how you look at it) to find the right one. red that favors us the mostonly looking at our skin tone and the color of our hair.
The subtone of red that we have to choose according to our skin
It doesn’t matter if we are lighter or darker, we all have either a warm undertone or a cool undertone that will make some lipsticks fit us better than others. It used to be believed that, based on the color of the veins on the wrist, we could discern what our undertone was, but the test result is not always correct.
To find out more easily, we just have to think what kind of jewelry suits us best. If the silver illuminates our face and blurs dark circles, we have a cold undertone. However, if these jewels make us look sick and dull while gold jewelery restores our vitality, our undertone is warm.
In the red lipsticks this difference is very important and we can find lipstick with a more bluish undertone (for cold skin) or another that tends more towards orange (for warm skin). Depending on the color of our skin, we will choose a lighter one or a darker and deeper one.
This is the lipstick that best suits us according to our hair color
Now let’s come to what really matters to us: the red lipstick that best suits us according to the color of our hair. For it, we have consulted two expert stylists: Charo García, director of Ilitia Beauty & Science, and Mª José Llata, director of Peluquería Llata Carrera.
“Pick a red lipstick is always a hit, since it gives us security and style on any occasion. In order to know which specific shade will favor us the most, we must take into account our hair, skin and eye colour”, begins Mª José Llata explaining to us.
For the blondesthe expert advises a vibrant tone, which maintains the harmony of cold tones, such as raspberry red. This is the color that Carolina Herrera has opted for in the spring-summer 23 collection and it will be one of the great trends in ‘beauty’ in the coming seasons.
We can find this shade among the lipsticks in Krash Cosmeticsspecifically in tone eXXXpensive and is long lasting with minimal transfer. A super comfortable powdery finish suitable for dry lips thanks to its creamy texture. RRP: 12.95 euros.
For the chestnutsMª José Llata is clear about it: “the scarlet reds and even more so in a matte finish”. This hair color, together with brown, is one of those that is most favored with red lipsticks, since they create a very strong contrast without saturating, appearing almost natural.
On the catwalk, we have seen him recently in etherwhich for its spring-summer 23 collection has opted for this color in many of its models, leaving us with very striking and feminine looks.
within the colors of 3INA, we find the 224, the classic scarlet red that, luckily, looks good on everyone. Its formula lasts 12 hours and incorporates spheres of hyaluronic acid to keep lips always hydrated. Dries matte and doesn’t transfer anything. RRP: 15.95 euros.
As for brown hair, Charo García, director of Ilitia Beauty & Science, gives us a couple of options: “If we talk about brown hair, with skin that is also brown, I recommend cranberry red or the darker burgundy reds, which create a captivatingly seductive effect. On the other hand, if the hair is very dark, but the skin is paler, a intense cherry red it will offer the spark of vitality that the look needs”.
If we are looking for a cherry lipstick, charlotte tilbury proposes his Red Carpet Red of the Matte Revolution. Annatto and orchid extract soften, protect and hydrate lips to reveal younger, healthier looking lips. On the other hand, its bright 3D pigments create the illusion of lips that glow from within, fuller and larger. RRP: 35.99 euros.
We saw this tone in Sacai’s autumn-winter 22/23 collection and it promises to be one of the most used in these cold months to come.
Finally, we could not end this article without including the redheads. Contrary to what many people believe, copper tones can also look good red lips, as long as they are not a cold undertone.
“Now that copper-colored hair is so fashionable, the orange reds or corals are ideal to emphasize your image even more”, comments Charo García. These colors manage to create harmony between lipstick and hair, being together with scarlet, one of the best options.
Among the orange alternatives we find the tone inspire of the Rare Beauty Lip Soufflé, a creamy, lightweight lipstick with a mousse feel that pampers your lips with intense color and deep hydration for a velvety smooth, matte finish. RRP: 23.99 euros.
Although each hair color looks better than another, the most important thing is to wear the one with which we feel most identified. “In any case, the best advice of all is test to see what each one looks best with. There are no universal recipes”, advises Charo García.
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