Lipstick and Finish: Your Comprehensive Guide to Finding the Perfect Match

Part 1: How to Find the Right Shade of Lipstick

1. Check your skin tone

The quest for lip perfection starts with finding your skin tone. It can give you an idea of the colour range that suits you best and answer how to find the right shade of lipstick. Check if you have a light, dark, medium, or an olive skin tone and choose your shades accordingly. Here’s a quick guide to help:

Tanned or medium skin:

This is a wheatish brown skin tone, very commonly found among Indians. Try to immerse yourself in the vibrancy of poppy, and fuchsia reds and let your brown-girl glow soar.

Light skin:

Light skin tones can be tricky, as even the lightest lip shades create a stark contrast. If you wonder how to choose the right shade of lipstick for this skin tone, try ethereal shades of pale pink, peach, apricot, or the timeless dusty pink

Dusky skin:

The right lipsticks always add poise and elegance to dusky skin. Plunge into the depths of plum, burgundy, orange, the electrifying flash pink or even venture into the neon frontier.

Our Recommendation: Dive straight into Rouge Signature matte liquid lipstick collection that has 14 versatile bold shades and something right for all Indian skin tones.

2. Check your undertone

Determining your undertone is the second step of learning how to pick the right shade of lipstick. Identifying your undertone helps you narrow down your lipstick selection. It’s as simple as looking at the colour of your veins or checking which jewellery suits you more, gold or silver.

Cool undertone:

You have a cool undertone if the veins around your wrists appear blue. Choose cool shades such as pink, cranberry, wine, violet or nude.

Warm undertone:

You have warm undertones when your veins tend to appear green or yellow. Simply pick the warmth of coral, yellow-orange, peach, copper, or the allure of brick and bronze when wondering how to choose the right shade of lipstick.

Neutral undertone:

You have neutral undertones when your veins are between blue and green. This helps you dip your toes in both warm and cool colour palettes. However, the best news is that the sublime world of nude shades is crafted just for you.

Our Recommendation: For natural style lovers, the Color Riche Free the Nudes collection offers a wide range of subtle, pigment-rich shades. With 6 shades to choose from, you're sure to find the one that perfectly matches your skin tone. Read more on our guide to choosing the right nude lipstick.

Part 2: How to Find the Lipstick Finish

Satin, gloss, or matte - that is the question. While you’ve figured out how to choose perfect lipstick shades, looking for the right finish matters too. Your lipstick finish can have an impact on the wearability, comfort, and the appearance of your lipstick. The way your lipstick reflects light is completely dependent on the finish.

1. Matte

A matte finish lipstick has no shine or gloss and makes your pout look velvety, opaque, and flat. Matte lipsticks tend to offer rich colour payoffs, so next time you’re wondering how to find the right shade of lipstick, think about the finish too. Here’s everything else you need to know about matte lipsticks -

• Style: With an opulent opacity, matte finish delivers full coverage and good hold for an elegant, sophisticated and glamorous look.
• Suitability: This finish is perfect for full lips where the matte allure works its optical magic to refine volume.
• Not recommended for: Lips with lines or petite wrinkles that may appear over-drawn. Skin that craves luminosity, beware, matte colours can dull your face.

Our Recommendation: The Infallible Matte Resistance liquid lipstick which offers full, vibrant colour in a single stroke and 16 hours of addictive comfort. Its ultra-lightweight texture glides on and transforms lips without flaking, nor smudging nor feathering.

Our makeup artist’s tip:
When figuring out how to pick the right shade of lipstick, learn to apply it too! To make your matte lipstick last longer, use a lip primer, a lip liner to even out the shape of your lips before applying your lipstick, or layer on several thin coats for enduring vibrancy (nothing stopping you from using these 3 tips together). Don't apply too many layers to avoid looking too stiff.

2. Satin

These lipsticks give you a creamy texture with a slight sheen. It does not go overboard with the gloss and gives you the right balance between a matte and a gloss finish. These lipsticks are rich in natural oils and give you comfortable wear. Here’s everything else you need to know about satin lipsticks -

• Style: Satin lipsticks provide good coverage with subtle sheen to craft a glamorous signature look without compromising on comfort.
• Suitability: They are ideal for a pout that craves hydration and wants to stand out. Satin lipsticks have the advantage of showing off colour while gracefully concealing imperfections like creases and lines.
• Not recommended for: If you’re looking for resilient, all-day colour, stick to mattes. Satin lipsticks don't last as long as matte ones, but they're also easier to apply, so touch-ups are a breeze.

Our Recommendation: Strike a balance between hydrating satins and a velvety matte with the Color Riche Satin Lipstick range that has a perfect match for everyone. The formula is infused with jojoba oil and caring ingredients to provide the lips with gorgeous hydrating colours that keep you comfortable.

Our makeup artist’s tip:
Satin lipsticks are buildable. Start with a thin layer and gradually add more for your desired level of pigmentation.

3. Gloss

With a shiny, plumpy, and hydrated finish, glossy lipsticks reflect light and make your shade appear luminous. The colour tends to be more sheer, slick, and makes your lips look pouty. Consider the final look of a glossy lipstick while learning how to find the right shade of lipstick.

• Style: A vibrant, shimmering sheen that gives the illusion of fuller, plumper lips than natural.
• Suitability: Thin lips yearning for a touch of lusciousness or those who prefer shine over pigment. More translucent than other lipsticks, glosses bestow a bewitching, sensorial spell upon the lips.
• Not recommended for: Pale, discoloured lips that need the vibrant embrace of pigment to assert themselves.

Our makeup artist’s tip:
The liquid, volatile texture of glosses demands a touch-up, a regular reapplication to refresh the shine. To improve longevity, start by outlining the surface of your lips with a lip liner close to your skin colour, then apply your glossy shade in thin layers.

With a two-part guide on how to find the right shade of lipstick, it’s time to add some striking shades to your vanity. If you’re still uncertain of how a particular shade might look on you, simply hop onto the Virtual Makeup try-On tool and test all the rich L'Oréal Paris lipsticks online.