Lipstick is Essential for Your Look

First and foremost, I find lipstick to be essential. Lipstick adds a touch of freshness, intrigue, and grooming. It's a hallmark of personal style.

Often, it's the key to giving your outfit that extra oomph. Whether you opt for a natural shade or go bold with red, the color of your lips plays a significant role in your appearance for several reasons.

1. Lipstick Always Leaves a Polished Impression

A hint of apricot or rose-colored lipstick instantly elevates your grooming. Try it out, even if you're otherwise completely makeup-free. A lipstick that adds just a touch of color and definition to your natural lip hue acts like a rejuvenating treatment. And no one will notice you're not fully styled yet.

2. Lipstick as a Boost for Your Outfit

Use your lip color as a fashion accent or color anchor.

When selecting a lipstick shade that complements your look, consider one of the following two criteria:

• You can use your lip color as a highlight for your outfit. Bold lips add a pop of color to your look, making it more interesting and giving it that essential kick. Think of an all-gray or all-white outfit paired with vibrant red lipstick, instantly erasing any concerns about your outfit looking dull. Your lips become a stylish accessory.

• The same applies to black-and-white outfits or outfits in neutral colors like gray and navy. Just a touch of red elevates your style to new heights.

Alternatively, you can match your lip color with a specific element of your outfit. For example, pairing red lips with red pumps creates a vertical color connection, creating a visual link that completes your look. The same concept applies to shades like berry or wine red, harmonizing with your accessories.

If you're wearing patterned clothing, such as a floral pink-toned skirt, a matching lipstick can harmonize your outfit.

3. Lipstick Can Add Contrast to Your Face

One of my style rules is to maintain the same level of contrast in your outfit as exists naturally in your pigmentation. This means that if you have fair skin, light eyes, lashes, and hair, lighter lipstick shades are more harmonious.

However, if you want to break away from your natural color palette, a red lipstick can help. A bold lip color takes center stage, allowing you to create a higher level of contrast consciously. Combine a bold lip color with well-defined lashes (and possibly slightly darker eyebrows) to increase the contrast in your face.

This applies particularly to women with gray hair – a vibrant lipstick can compensate for the lost contrast between hair and skin tone. For mature women, red lipstick can become a captivating focal point!

For women with stronger color contrasts between hair color, eye color, brows, and lips, you can experiment with more contrasting lipstick colors. If you like outfits with high contrasts, like dark blue and cream, a bold lipstick color can make your appearance more harmonious.

4. Lipstick as a Style Statement

I'm often asked about my colorful lipstick choices, and I intentionally use them as a style statement. Especially when the outfit and occasion align, raspberry and apricot tones stay in the drawer, and I opt for a signal-red lipstick. However, I apply it with utmost precision because the bolder the color, the more crucial it is for the lipstick to stay exactly where it belongs – and I may need to touch it up five times a day.

5. Finding the Right Lipstick

Consider the following when selecting the perfect lipstick color:

• Never choose your lipstick under artificial lighting! Ask for a handheld mirror and go outside to evaluate the color in natural light.
• Your natural lip color also affects how the lipstick color appears.
• Some women naturally have pale lips, while others have more pronounced lip tones. Therefore, the lipstick that suits your best friend with the same skin type or your mother may not be suitable for you. Never perform a color test on your hand or forearm, as this won't yield accurate results.
• Warm color types should opt for warm red shades like tomato red or rust.
• Cool color types look better with cool red shades like raspberry or cherry. The crucial factor is the yellow or blue undertone in the respective shades. To truly determine if your skin tone and lipstick color match, avoid wearing makeup. The right lipstick shade should make your complexion glow even without makeup – and enhance your smile as well.
• The right lip color can support or even define your style message. You can see this in the four pictures I've taken of myself. Which one do you like the most?