How do I choose a lipstick?

[RangerLady]

I would really really like one "statement" lipstick. I think dark berry tones. I have one very understated one (I only own one lipstick) in the shade that the make up artist for my wedding 7 years ago helped me pick. Mac hug me.

I never learned make up!
I Have dyed reddish brown hair, brown eyes and not the whitest teeth so don't want to accentuate that . I am mid 30s with 2 under 4s so this will only be for occasional wear to make myself look like a grown up for once. How on earth do I know what suits me? I'm scared of the price tag of make up counters! And that they're just trying to sell some thing so don't actually care if I look nice. Help me proper grown up women!!

You are overthinking. It's lipstick, you're not buying a house! Experiment; spend no more than you can easily afford; who cares if you make a 'mistake' or change your mind. Not the end of the world. You don't have to wear one lipstick for the rest of your life. (I hope.)

You can obviously book an appointment with a private make up artist - but beauty counters are free fun, why miss out on that? No one can force you to buy anything you don't want. Go into a shop you like, visit various counters, say what you're looking for, try stuff on. Wipe it off. Try another. If you find one you like keep it on - go outside, check in daylight, wear for the rest of the day. No money spent. Rinse and repeat. Buy what you like. Or not.

Try going to No7 in Boots - they have a device which reads your skintone to tell you which colour foundation to get and then they have cards which tell you which other colours of their products would best suit your skin tone.

Oh you sound like you look like me! I go for blue undertones so the teeth look whiter. I'm currently using urban decay ravenswood. It is perfection and I get a lot of comments on it. For nudeish tones I'm using MAC creamsheen modesty which is so lovely. Go into urban decay and the ladies there will help you

Just go and buy loads of different shades in cheaper ones and when you find one you like look for similar colours in the counter brands if you fancy a luxury version.

I have to say having worked for Clinique and then Chanel for 15 years I wouldn’t necessarily assume luxury / counter brands are better than your average stuff at Boots! Especially for lipsticks and eyeshadows etc. Just try loads and find ones you like.

I think you can wear whatever colour you want to.
Some will look more "natural" because the undertone will work with your skintone, and some will look more like a statement colour because the undertone will work against your skintone. I think both look amazing.

I'm fair with warm undertones (meaning my skin is more yellow than pink), and I find that blue-toned/cool reds look like a statement, whereas a warmer/yellow-toned red look more natural on me.
Same goes for berry tones.

Blue-toned/cooler lipsticks tend to make teeth look whiter (but it can also get too cool IMO which makes teeth look more yellow) and yellow-toned/warmer lipsticks tend to make teeth look more yellow.

Mac usually offer really good service IMO, and they always offer to apply or sanitise the lipstick. There's nothing wrong with saying that you just want to think about it/wear it for a bit/want to look at it in other light and come back later.
You could bring a picture of a lipstick colour you're interested in or a description, and let them pick some - or just have a look yourself.

I recently bought Mac D for Danger which I find quite a wearable berry tone. I wear it normally and sheered out, and both look great IMO.
I used to wear Tom Ford Black Orchid a lot, but I actually think Mac Media is very similar and lasts longer. The Tom Ford lipstick just didn't last very long and was patchy - but the colour was lovely and definitely a statement colour on me.

The good thing about classic lipstick formulas is that you can sheer it out by wearing a thinner layer (and adding a lip balm if you want), or you can wear it normally to get the full colour payoff - so if you end up with a too strong colour, you can still get some use out of it.

Bobbi Brown
burnt red.

A lot of The bigger Boots now have rejigged themselves so that they have mirrors and boxes of tissues above a lot of the make up.

I go in with a tin of Vaseline in my pocket and go through the whole lot ( normally one shade at a time; i.e neutrals or pinks or corals so I don't end up with a really muddy colour) - I use the tissue to wipe the tester first and take off the existing top layer, try it on my lips, use the Vaseline to remove, wipe off with a tissue, re- wipe the lipstick, repeat.

If you can afford it, buy some teeth whitening strips. Having whiter teeth has increased the amount of shades I feel comfortable wearing tenfold.

Thank you so much for all the helpful advice. I no doubt am overthinking it. I rarely wear make up so beauty counter ladies with a full face on always make me feel like a 10 year old who doesn't know what they're doing! I should have more confidence of course they will understand wanting to wear it a while etc... I also don't want people looking at me and thinking "what a state"
I wish I could work out my skin tone, I can be quite pale (with a lovely red nose when it's cold!) But then sometimes feel I look a bit sallow. Boots matching is obv the way to go.

I'm on such a tight budget (zero pay bit of mat leave) I can't afford to buy much, and I'm trying to be less wasteful in my purchases. Brands should make mini lipsticks for the infrequent flyers!

don't go for something too goth. try clinique black honey, great for winter and sheer but full of colour

I've clearly lost a lot of confidence along the way, aged 18 or go out in black lipstick

Ha ha cross post with @southeastastra I think I secretly miss my goth dabbling days but probably not right for me these days!!!

i miss my 80s grey lipstick days too! but black honey is lush and you can build it up to add more colour, much more flattering than a flat matt shade

I only buy No7 Cameo now. It’s the only one that doesn’t make me look “made up”. I’m a cool blonde so, suits my colouring. I’ve just stocked up in No7’s 3 for 2. I hope they don’t discontinue it.

If you dont normally wear makeup then dont bother spending a lot on a statement lipstick. You might barely wear it

I understand about the tight budget - and didn't mean to suggest that you should heedlessly buy lots of unsuitable things. But even on the tightest budget this won't be the only lipstick you ever buy.

What is this 'statement' you want to make via lipstick? (I'd be worried if mine said anything about me other than that I'm wearing it.) Are you sure you want to start with a strong colour? Why not build up your confidence with something gentler?

Given the time of year, maybe ask for a box set for Christmas? Mac have a set of 10 mini lipsticks which includes lots of their best sellers. It would give you a chance to try several and experiment a bit.

Not sure if this is of interest op but ASOS do mini Mac lipsticks for £10 each. Or they did recently anyway. A cheaper way to give some of them a go!

I've read the shade of your nipple is the best natural shade for you. Not that I recommend getting your nips out in boots 😂

Revolution in Superdrug do little kits of 3 or 4 lipsticks for about £8 I think. They come in colour groups like neutrals or reds. Might be worth a look?

Why not check out some youtube vids to get an idea what you like and then go to the beauty counters. If i go to ask someone in a shop for advice and their own makeup is bad i go somewhere else. I love nude shades from too faced, the matte stayx on all day and the peaches and cream lipsticks are amazing (sunday funday is my fav)

I wouldn't recommend Clinique Black Honey, to me it was very disappointing, it lacked pigment and literally looked like a horrible brown on me. If you are not used to lipstick I think a nice sheer true Berry would look lovely. Try a pinky berry that pulls blue.
Revlon HD gel lip colors are sheer shiny lipsticks, so you can build up the colour.

I couldn't find a suitable HD one but then I remembered an old favorite Revlon (great quality for the price imo) Cherries in the snow. It's a pinky berry that pulls blue and is very very much like Mac Girl about town. I expect you can get the Revlon one on eBay for a few pounds if money is really tight.

Honestly this is all so helpful. @quatermiss basically i used to wear quite colourful make up but since working outdoors for years and having 2 small people I have stopped. I suppose I want to get back to being the more fun version of me. In general I am quite confident so I could get out of my current comfort zone I think . I just Want to look like I've made an effort and that 2 small children doesn't mean dowdy. I'm going to start wearing my basic make up every day.

I'd heard that nipple colour matching thing too off to check of my Mac hug me matches ha ha

And Christmas sets is a good shout!

If you want a deep berry I recommend another Revlon lippie, Va Va Violet. It's very purple, and more blue toned. Black cherry (also by Revlon) is another good one too.