Pinks, nudes, browns. Reds. Blacks. When it comes to choosing a lipstick, there are colours to fit every look, and every mood.
While any hue can be worn with the right degree of confidence, some colours look better depending on your skin tone. For instance, as someone with Indian ancestry, the last thing I would ever personally choose is a pale pink or anything frosted. Instead, if I’m thinking pink, I’ll veer towards a bright bubblegum, bold Barbie or dusky rose to either pop or blend with my complexion as required.
How to find your skin’s undertone
Choosing a shade of lipstick differs from one person to the next, but a good rule of thumb is to work out your undertone - cool, medium or warm - and go from there. If you’re not sure, an easy way is to look at the veins on your wrist. If they appear greenish, you’re warm. Blue? Then you’re likely cool. And if it’s a mix of the two, you’ve landed in a neutral undertone.
Makeup artist Mira Parmar, who works with MERIT Beauty, has tips for anyone with brown complexions, particularly when picking out the perfect shade of red or berry.
“If I’m using reds and darker colours I’ll look at the undertone of the skin and use orangey reds like MERIT Signature Lip in Cabo for warm undertones and blues/cherry reds like MERIT Shade Slick in Maraschino for cooler skin tones,” she says, adding: “Neutral undertones can generally wear all colours”. Lucky neutrals.
In my experience, nude colours can be tricky to nail, but Parmar has advice if you want that pared-back look made famous by the Kardashians. She suggests colour matching to the darkest tone on your naked lips - taking all the hues to that default setting.
“I love using a brownish lip liner to outline lips and give them extra oomph and staying power,” she adds. “Then through the middle of the lip, I’ll use a warm deep nude like MERIT Signature Lip in shade 1990 to accentuate the lip”.
If you’re looking for inspiration to add to your makeup bag, you’re in luck. I’ve rounded up some of my favourite lipstick colours in the hope that you’ll find your new signature shade. To quote Parmar “wear whatever colour you feel comfortable and fabulous in, makeup has no rules!”
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The Nudes
Looking for the best nude lip colours for brown skin? Scroll this way.
Huda Beauty Power Bullet Matte Lipstick
Huda Beauty's amazing matte finish was a game changer when it first launched and the Power Bullet Matte Lipstick in Staycation is one of the best out there for a nude lip that refuses to fade. This beige-leaning-towards-brown shade is smooth and creamy, a formula promising unrivalled pigmentation that needs no layering.
You'll only need to apply a quick dash of this cruelty-free lipstick for easy coverage and matte results. Looking for a slightly different colour? Huda Beauty's extensive range covers nude lips for all skin tones - try Girls Trip for a cool-toned pinker shade or Board Meeting for a warm-toned, mocha colour.
Buy now £24.00, Cult Beauty
Hourglass Phantom Volumizing Glossy Balm
The Hourglass Phantom lippie was an instant classic on launch. Beyond the sleek gold bullet exterior, its extensive fan base was drawn to its hybrid formula that combines all the best parts of our lip balms, glosses and sticks to streamline your cosmetics collection.
With just this one lip product, you have an instant colour payoff, a hydrated pout thanks to the signature Hourglass Conditioning Complex and a seductive, glazed finish.
It comes in eight shades with Trace 105 as the perfect caramel brown hue.
Buy now £35.00, Cult Beauty
MAC Taupe
Warm-toned, medium brown and with a long-lasting matte finish: it's hard to beat MAC when it comes to nude lipsticks and Taupe is the very best. Its versatile colour makes it a great choice for a large range of skin tones, while its moisturising formula keeps your lips feeling soft throughout the day.
Be warned, as far as nude lipsticks go, Taupe is up there with the most pigmented. The benefit is that you can apply this one first thing in the morning and sip coffee until your heart’s content without ever having to consider reapplying.
Buy now £22.00, Selfridges
Illamasqua Sheer Veil Lipstick Souffle
Illamasqua Sheer Veil Lipstick glides onto the lips with a sleek, sheer application that adds a dash of colour that can be built up with multiple uses. This "barely there" design manages to hit all the sweet spots in the lipstick world, with its balmy, oil-infused texture, hydrating formula and au-natural effect.
Illamasqua uses Macadamia Oil and Vitamin E in its lipsticks, adding a conditioning finish to each shade and allowing them to be applied in one quick movement. The Souffle shade is a warm taupe, an ideal nude for those with darker skin tones with its brilliant pigment.
Buy now £6.80, Lookfantastic
NYX Professional Makeup Lip Lingerie Liquid Lipstick Push-Up
NYX Professional Makeup Lip Lingerie Liquid Lipstick stays on all day long. You'll eat and drink as much as you please without anything budging. It's so long-lasting, in fact, that you'll probably have to use some kind of oil-based cleanser to remove it at the end of the day.
The best part about that is, as soon as you've found your new staple shade, you'll only have to apply it once a day for optimum, matte coverage. These budget friendly liquid lipsticks also come in a huge number of nude shades. Push-Up is our favourite, with its velvet-like silky formula and gentle volumising effect.
Buy now £7.00, Lookfantastic
The Pinks
The right shade of playful pink can liven up the complexion, adding innocence and a fresh-faced quality. Find the best pink lip colours for brown skin here.
Victoria Beckham Posh Lipstick in Jump
Demure and moisturising, VB proves her prowess in her makeup line with Posh Lipstick. The balm-like formula comes in a range of colours with hydrating oils that leave behind a fetching sheen. Gorgeous.
Buy now £37.00, Victoria Beckham
Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture Lipstick, PM Pink Muse
She's pink, she's a princess. YSL's creamy formula is boosted with botanical extracts and ceramides, offering hydration and high-intensity colour in every swipe.
Buy now £30.40, John Lewis
Charlotte Tilbury Hyaluronic Happikiss
If you are a fan of the staying power and beautiful tints of the Charlotte Tilbury lipsticks but want to treat your lips to the care of a balm, the legendary makeup artist has answered your prayers with with the launch of her new Happikiss Lipstick. The lipstick balm is packed with hydrating hyaluronic acid, C-peptides with anti-ageing benefits and passioline butter, a passion fruit seed oil that is bursting with nourishing benefits.
The formula has a lovely texture when applied, feeling thick and moisturising on application. It’s long-lasting, leaves a lovely shine and has impressive colour pay off.
There are 10 shades including the cult Pillow Talk.
Buy now £27.00, Charlotte Tilbury
The Reds
Bold and statement-making, everyone needs a red lip colour in their makeup arsenal. See the best red lip colours for brown skin below.
MAC Retro Matte Lipstick in Ruby Woo
Perhaps the most famous of all the matte reds, this blue-red instantly confers retro glam. It’s the first choice for many brides either for the big day or the reception afterwards, beloved not only for the rich shade but for the impressive longevity. Paired with the right liner, Ruby Woo will go all day and night.
Buy now £22.00, MAC
Nars Powermatte Lip Pigment in Don't Stop
I have scaled Snowdon in this lip colour, and it did not budge despite the considerable effort involved in climbing the UK's tallest peak. If that's not a thorough testing, I don't know what is.
Don't Stop is a rich red that, despite painting on like ink, saturates the lip in deep colour without smudging or budging. Because of the shade, this isn't one for makeup commitmentphobes, but don't worry - if you don't like this lively red, there are eight other shades to pick.
Buy now £28.00, Space NK
Bobbi Brown Luxe Shine Intense - Supernova
Supernova is a burnt orange red that offers vivid colour to your lipstick collection. There are also more traditionally Hollywood red hues available - Red Stiletto with a blue undertone - or at the other end of the spectrum, there’s Showstopper (pink-red) or Wild Poppy (coral-orange), but there is something so immediately eye-catching and unique about Supernova.
It’s a rich colour and the formula is hydrating too with the added bonus of hyaluronic acid and salicornia herbacea extract within the product that gives a subtle shine finish and leaves lips feeling supple and soft. The application is foolproof and long-wearing.
Buy now £35.00, Lookfantastic
Fenty Beauty Sheer Shiny Lipstick
If you have ever tried a Fenty Beauty lipstick, you’ll know the formula doesn’t budge. You can put it on in the morning and after a long day out and out and a few tequila shots down, when it comes to going to bed in the early hours, the formula is as good as when you started.
While this can often result in needing to scrub your lips if you’ve not invested in an oil-based makeup remover, this is the type of lasting power we all need and deserve.
The formula is enriched with hydrating pomegranate butter to make application a breeze and due to the slightly sheer finish, it has maximum impact and is easily buildable.
The Tang Thang colour is a holiday-worthy red-orange, offering a warming effect across skin tones.
Buy now £17.60, Boots
Jones Road The Lippie Stick Tinted To Perfection is Ruby
Lipstick doesn't have to be high-impact. Legendary makeup artist Bobbi Brown, famous for championing natural, wholesome beauty, has this lip tint in her Jones Road beauty range. A dense-looking colour balm with a buildable stain, it's packed with nourishing ingredients to care for your lips as well as dress them.
Buy now £24.00, Jones Road
The Berries
Ready to embrace your dark side? Sultry and seductive, a deep berry brings edgy appeal. Shop the best berry lip colours for brown skin here.
MERIT Signature Lip in soft berry
No one loves the caked-on feeling, but the formulas of old have long gone - at MERIT at least. Swipe on a colour from its Signature Lip collection and you'll forget about it all day - it's that lightweight. If you're after a bitten effect, the soft berry colour offers a satin finish that adds youthful shine.
Buy now £23.00, MERIT
Glossier Generation G Jam
In true Glossier style, the brand’s sheer matte lipstick is subtle rather than overpowering. Adding a soft, berry-coloured shade to your lips, it adapts to your natural lip colour to add a little extra boost without performing like an all-out matte would.
It’s also one of the easiest berry lipsticks to apply - no mirror necessary here. The shape of the applicator combined with its soft, not-so-pigmented colour means you can easily grab and go without hunting down for a compact first.
Buy now £19.00, Glossier
Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Black Cherry
Revlon’s Super Lustrous Lipstick is great if you’re someone who likes a little variety. At less than £8, it’s easy to pick up a few of these shades to alternate between days.
Despite their budget-friendly price tag, these lipsticks provide impressive, smooth colour with a slick, moisturising finish. Formulated with micro-fine pigments for high-impact colour, this soft, creamy shade is boosted with vitamins A, C and E as well as silk-enriched moisturisers.
Buy now £7.19, Boots
Wonderskin Wonder Blading Peel and Reveal Lip Stain Kit
The hype checks out; Wonderskin’s Lip Stain Masques are fantastic. They’re high-impact yet low-maintenance (which, frankly, is all I’ve ever asked of my makeup), sticking around for hours and through eating and drinking - which is a lot longer than anything else I’ve tried. While it’s not all-day colour for me, it does last long enough to impress; I’ll definitely use it again.
Like an understudy in a play, the masque is also excellent reinforcement to wear under regular lipstick if you want to dial up the impact of your favourite colour.
The fact that they’re all-natural and waterproof too is the icing on the cake. Swimming around on my desert island is gonna be a cinch.
Buy now £18.00, Amazon
