The Perfect Red: How to Find Your Shade this Holiday Season.

*Article from Lexington Line’s Autumn/Winter 2021 Issue, pages 70-71

Check out the full issue here.

As Audrey Hepburn once said, “there is a shade of red for every woman.” But finding the perfect red—that can be hard. Rest assured, somewhere between the deepest crimson and the brightest cherry, there is a shade for you.

A common mistake when trying to choose a shade of red is confusing your skin undertone with your skin color. You want to match the shade of lipstick to your cool, warm, neutral, or olive undertone rather than the lightness or darkness of your complexion. (If you don’t know your undertone, Google it—you’ll figure it out pretty quickly.) Here’s how to select reds based on skin undertones.

Cool Undertones

If you have cool skin tones, that means your undertone will be pink and/or blue. Blue-based reds are the best complement to cool skin tones. MAC’s “Ruby Woo” shade is among the most popular blue-based red lipsticks.

Warm Undertones

If you have more warm-toned skin, that means your undertone is either golden or peachy. Reds with these two undertones tend to look the best—perhaps a shade like fire engine red. One of my personal favorite warm-toned reds by Gucci Beauty is their Rouge à Lèvres Satin Lipstick in “Goldie Red.”

Neutral Undertones

Neutral undertones can be tricky because you will have a little bit of both, but this also allows for more color options. Neutral undertones can pull off blue-based or peach-based reds, so a classic red lip will offer a common ground. A current top seller for a classic red lip is Fenty Beauty’s Stunna Lip Paint in the shade “Uncensored.”

Olive Undertones

And finally, the olive undertone. Olive undertones require more green-based reds but can have a slight range of blue and gold. The best shades of red for someone with an olive skin undertone are coral-based reds. This red will be slightly more orange but will pop against someone with an olive complexion. Try to avoid blue-toned reds, because they will appear more fuchsia against an olive skin tone.

Fun Facts About the Red Lip

Elizabeth Arden would hand out tubes of red lipstick to the women marching past her salon during the Women’s Rights Movement circa 1912. This is when a red lip started to become a symbol of power and freedom to women globally. The “promiscuous pout” was seen as rebellious and liberating.
The red lip was hated by many men, most notably Adolf Hitler, who saw it as a statement against fascism. Because of this, taxes were raised on red lipstick all across Europe, so women started to get creative and tint their lips with beets.
During the war, there was an influx of women in the workforce. The red lip was very commonly worn by the working woman because it demonstrated resilience in the face of conflict.
The red lip became a mandatory part of the United States Army Uniform in 1941 after Elizabeth Arden released her iconic shade called Victory Red. The United States Government then asked her to create a lip and nail shade for the serving women who had enlisted in the Army.
The red lip became very popular in old Hollywood, most notably worn by Marilyn Monroe. The infamous Hollywood sex symbol wore a red lip both on and off screen, making it a part of her signature look. She achieved the flirtatious cherry pout by using Guerlain’s Lipstick in “Rouge Diabolique.”