Lipstick is perhaps the first thing that comes to mind when you think of makeup, but it’s also the one thing you can easily go wrong with. If you have tossed tubes of lipstick in the trash can, you know that all shades are not ideal for everyone. With a wide array of brands and shades available, it can get overwhelming to choose one. So, here are some simple tips for finding the right lipstick:

1. Determine your skin color
Examine your facial skin, especially near the jawline, in natural light to understand whether it is fair, light, medium, tan, or dark.
Shades of nude, light pink, peach, and orange-reds go well with fair skin, while people with a light skin color can opt for nude, beige, peach, pink, and coral lipsticks. If your skin color is medium, shades of rose, berry, and mauve lipstick are great options for you, and shades of orange, coral, red, and deep pink lipsticks suit tan skin the best. If you have dark skin, browns and purples like plum, wine, and caramel are the shades you should pick.

2. Know your skin undertone
You can determine your undertone by carefully checking the veins on your wrist. You have a cool skin tone if your veins are clearly blue or purple, and lipsticks with blue or purple tones and classic reds will suit you. Green veins indicate a warm skin tone, and peach and orange-toned lipsticks are ideal for you. When the colors of your veins are a mix of blue and green, it means you have a neutral undertone, and almost all colors will suit your lips.
You can also determine your skin tone by trying on gold and silver jewelry. Gold looks good on a warm skin tone, and silver looks better on a cool skin tone. If both look good, you have a neutral skin tone!

3. Understand whether your lips are thin or fleshy
An effective tip for finding the right lipstick is to pick light or dark shades depending on how you want your lips to appear. Light shades and creamy and glossy lipsticks will make your lips appear full and plump. Dark shades and matte and glittery finishes will make them look smaller, thinner, and more defined.

4. Consider the color of your eyes
The color of your eyes will interfere with the lipstick you wear. Here’s a hint to choosing the right lipstick: choose light pink, deep reds, or brown shades for black or brown eyes. For blue eyes, cherry, corals, and scarlet shades are most attractive, and you can go for nudes or plum if you have grey eyes.

5. Pay attention to your teeth color
Some shades of lipstick will make your teeth appear brighter than they are. If you have white teeth, pretty much all shades of lipstick will look good on you. Otherwise, stick to rose, orange, and light red shades.