This is why the same lip colour can look different on two people

It's colour theory, darling.

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Have you ever seen a lip colour that looked perfect on someone else, only for it to look completely different on you? Sadly, it’s a tale as old as time—and colour theory plays a big part in it. The first part of tackling this is to find out your skin’s undertone, as knowing whether you’re warm, cool, or neutral-toned can greatly help you in your search for the perfect lip colour.

Why do lipstick colours look different on different skin tones?

Think about basic colour theory: when you paint the colour red over a white background, it won’t look the same as when you paint it over a yellow background; the latter will turn out orange. Use this same concept with lipstick and skin tones. Not all skin tones have the same base, which is why it makes sense that your lip shades do not look the same. You’ll also need to take your original lip pigmentation into account to see what colour it will eventually turn out to look.

How do you pick the right lip colour for yourself?

With all this talk about colour theory and lipsticks not looking the same as they do in the tube than on the lips, how on earth does one go about choosing the right lip shade for themselves? First things first: identify your undertone. There are app filters on TikTok that you can use to identify if you’re warm-, cool-, or neutral-toned. Another easy way to tell is to take a look at your jewellery box. Does silver or gold jewellery look better on you? If it’s the former, you’re a cool-toned girl. If it’s the latter, you’re warm-toned—and if you look good in both, you’re neutral.

Now that you know your undertone, here is a basic rule of thumb that you can stick to: stick to lip colours that are the same as your undertones. Of course, that doesn’t mean you can’t look good in a warm-toned lipstick if you have cool-toned skin. It all boils down to experimenting with as many lip shades as you can. Take it from beauty influencers Yazmin Aziz and Leeloo Larcombe, who tried out the Make Over Powerstay Glazed Lock Lip Pigments in the video above. They were astounded to find that all three shades they tried—#D02 Vixen, #D08 Uplift, and #D04 IYKYK—looked completely different on both of them.

The Make Over Powerstay Glazed Lock Lip Pigment is definitely a worthy contender to get to find your best lip shade. It’s not your ordinary lip gloss, giving you the illusion of plumped lips and a glazy shine. With patented Powerglaze Technology, you get the most intense colours that last all day (up to 24 hours!) without cracking. Not to mention, it’s also transfer- and smudge-resistant. There are over 12 colours to choose from, so go crazy.

colour theory lipstick

Producer & Director: Roanne Woo

Videographer: Aqil Hamidun

Hair & Makeup: Ummi Nasir

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