Happy National Lipstick Day!

That's right, dear readers: Today, July 29th, happens to be National Lipstick Day here in the U.S. Apparently lipstick is the most popular cosmetic item and therefore deserves a prominent place on the national calendar. In honor of this, I thought I'd share a little tip on determining which lip colors will look good on you.

Most people only consider their skin color when browsing for the next perfect nude or vivacious fuchsia. Actually, the first feature you should look at is your lips themselves. The natural color of your lips has everything to do with how that lipstick will look on you. Unless you cover your lips with concealer first, the color you see in the tube is going to look different on your lips. For example, there's a generalization that pale pinks look good on pale girls. If I wear a super light pink lip, I look like a corpse. Here's the reason why: My lips, though not extremely pigmented, are actually a neutral reddish-pink. If I want to look alive, I can't wear anything lighter than my own lips, so an extremely light pink or nude will make me look dead.

After you've got that straight, then you consider your skin and hair color to determine whether the color will be flattering. Also, don't be surprised if you have cool-toned skin and a warm color looks good on you, and vice versa. If you have neutral lips like I do, you may have more color options than you think. More than once, I've been shocked when an obviously warm-toned color has looked flattering on. I recently got a Revlon Moondrops lipstick in the color Apple Polish, a bright orange-y red, and it's now one of my favorite summer lip colors. I'm thinking that's because not only are my lips neutral, but I have pink and yellow undertones.

I'm making this sound like a scientific study, but it's not. All of you lipstick-wearers probably already know what colors look good on you just by eyeballing them in the store. I just thought it would be fun to share how I hunt for lipsticks. Maybe the next time you're shopping for a lipstick, be a little adventurous and pick up a great shade that you normally wouldn't dream of wearing. Who knows? It might just be your new favorite.

xEsther