How to wear lipstick (and what colour to wear for any occasion)

I like lipstick. And most days I happily wear it.

140610 lipstick meme

In some circles that apparently makes me a ball breaker, man-hater, woman-hater, desperate, hiding something, insecure, tight-arse, unsustainable, animal torturer and rude.

Ah well, you can’t win ‘em all.

But you know, I am just me. And if that means I like lipstick and it makes me feel good when I wear it, then sue me.

For what it’s worth, here are three random thoughts on wearing lipstick:

1. Red lipstick is bloody magnificent. Wear it with pride. 

But never wear it bleeding off your lips. You’ll look like a crazy person. Wear lip liner if it helps and a teensy check in the mirror every now and again means you can fix it if you need.

And most people shouldn’t wear red lips with dark, smoky eye makeup. It’s just too much.

Check out Lisa Eldrige’s tutorial on red lipstick. She goes through the different reds and shows you some of her fave brands and colours. It is awesome. It’s a bit long at 15 minutes, but I enjoyed it!

2. A good nude lipstick will see you through many an occasion.

You may have to search around a bit but once you find the right nude, you’ll be set. I suppose ‘nude’ to me would be classified as a lovely natural pinky-brown colour that is close to your lip tone.

Here’s another Lisa Eldrige tutorial that shows how to do a full face with nude lips. The specifics of the lip colour come around 12 or 13 minutes if you want to skip to that bit.

And this is a great slideshow of some delicious nude lipsticks.

And this Pinterest board is awesome too.

3. Last but not least, unless you are a ‘youth’, novelty-coloured lipsticks are not okay.

With the exception of coral/apricot/pale pink/bright pink. Colours in that range, anyway. These can be worn, but with caution!

Any lipstick that is slightly black or purpley or has a name like “gothic doll” or “black reign” is to be avoided at all costs.

Final word…

I haven’t banged on here about the right colour to match your hair/skintone/eyes. This is because I know that you are not a dick and you can work this stuff out yourself. Try on a few colours. If you don’t think they look nice, then don’t wear them. If you are totes clueless about it, ask someone for their opinion. A friend, not a salesperson.

Don’t know what colour to wear and when? I have just the thing for you! Here’s my ‘Very super helpful lipstick wearing guide’ so you’ll never be confused again.

140610 lipstick guide

Are you a lipstick fan? What’s your favourite?

Written By

Gillian is a marketing savant and brand strategist with over 20 years of experience in above and below the line marketing, digital strategy and creative direction. She is an exceptional people person who loves to collaborate with clients every step of the way to achieve the best possible outcome. Gillian is also a successful makeup-artist and make-up obsessive who loves to share her tricks of the trade and help women to look good and feel great.

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