Look in any woman's handbag and you can guarantee that you will find a lipstick, as it is the one essential beauty product that can instantly transform a face. The right tone of lipstick can add colour to your complexion while making your teeth look whiter and your lips fuller.
Lipsticks can change once they are applied to the lips, so if you admire a colour on someone else, chances are it may not suit you the same way.
Fair skins tend to suit soft rosey and buff tones, while darker skin can take richer colours like browns and berries.
To work out the perfect lipstick shade that suits you, try to find a colour a few shades darker than your natural lips. Once you have found a colour that flatters you, it is easy to choose other shades that will work – just try the same tone but go deeper or brighter, or simply play with different textures (such as metallic's or glosses).
When purchasing a lipstick, it's important to take your time. Testing the colour on your hand will not be of much help, as the skin there is a totally different tone and texture to your lips.
Make sure you test the colour on your lips (clean the lipstick and apply with a cotton bud or your fingers for hygiene purposes) and check it in the natural light, as in store fluorescent lighting can be very deceiving.
Bobbi Brown makes this selection process easy, with the new 'Lip System' chart. Simply spin the wheel to your preferred colour and there you will find a list of suitable shades divided into 'neutral, bright and deep'. Bobbi is my pick for the best selection of natural toned lipsticks, with a gorgeous range spanning from soft nudes and roses through to pinky browns and cocoas.
To make it even simpler, L'Oreal have created 'Made for me Naturals', a range of made-to-measure nude lipsticks that enhance your natural colouring. Each colour group is especially designed to correspond with your hair, from light blonde through to very dark brunette. 'Organza' is one of my favorites for darker skin and I love 'Taffeta' for blondes- a gorgeous magnolia pink.
Choosing a lipstick has never been easier!
Nikki Lovrich – FashioNZ pro makeup artist
