Definitely a girl’s best friend, the perfect lipstick can transform a look in a mere minute. But with so much choice out there, and fashion being fickle, how do you find the perfect lipstick to flatter your face and skin tone?

Skin tone

Regardless of how fair, medium or dark skinned you are, your skin will either have cool undertones, warm undertones or neutral undertones.

When finding the perfect lipstick, the first thing you need to do is to work out what your skin undertone is.

Cool undertones: There are a few ways to tell if you have cool undertones.

• Are the veins on your wrist blue or purple?
• Do you burn easily in the sun?
• The clothes that best suit you, are they blue, purple and emerald green?
• Do you suit silver jewellery more than gold?
• Have you noticed that your skin gets a pink or ruddy hue in the cold or when you exercise?

If you answered yes to the above, then the chances are, you have cool skin undertones.

Rihanna has cool undertones

Anne Hathaway has cool undertones

Warm undertones: There are a few ways to tell if you have warm undertones.

• Are the veins on your wrist greeny-blue?
• Do you tan easily in the sun?
• The clothes that best suit you, are they mostly earth toned?
• Do you suit gold jewellery more than silver?
• Have you noticed that your skin gets a golden or peachy hue from time to time?

If you answered yes to the above, then the chances are, you have warm skin undertones.

Kate Hudson has warm undertones

Beyonce has warm undertones

Neutral undertones: If you have trouble telling whether your veins are green or blue, and if you suit both silver and gold jewellery equally, then it’s likely you have neutral undertones.

Neutral means that your skin has a combination of warm and cool undertones. People who have neutral skin tones can wear lipsticks suited to either warm or cool skin types.

Jessica Biel has neutral undertones

Finding the perfect lipstick

Light skin with cool undertones

• Everyday lip colour: choose a soft muted pink lipstick a few shades darker than your natural lip colour, or a light mauve brown.
• Going out lip colour: Opt for a crimson red, or a berry toned pink lipstick with a glossy finish.

Light skin with warm undertones

• Everyday lip colour: Opt either for a marsala (which is a brown toned red – like the colour of fortified wine), or a nude lipstick with yellow undertones.
• Going out lip colour: Try an orange toned red with a gloss finish to make your lips really pop.

Medium skin with cool undertones

• Everyday lip colour: Try a soft warm pink.
• Going out lip colour: To make your lips stand out from the crowd, try a wine red or wine purple.

Medium skin with warm undertones

• Everyday lip colour: Opt for a rose coloured neutral.
• Going out lip colour: Make a statement with a cherry red or a bold orange lip.

Dark skin with cool undertones

• Everyday lip colour: Try a sheer cool plum for everyday elegance.
• Going out lip colour: Step out with a cool red or a beautiful berry lip.

Dark skin with warm undertones

• Everyday lip colour: Opt for a warm pink with a glossy finish for understated glamour.
• Going out lip colour: Try a coral or a cool red to make your look really pop.

Lip rules

Now that you know what colours will really complement your skin, we’ll finish off with two cardinal ‘lip rules’.

Firstly, when applying lipstick, start at the middle of your lip and work outwards.

Secondly, for an extra coat of colour, apply your lipstick, blot at it with a tissue, and then apply another coat. The first coat will act as a base, and give you a richer, longer lasting colour!