Have you ever sat in front of your dresser mirror applying your makeup and redoing your lipstick because you hated the lipstick color that you got?

Many women find choosing the lipstick color that is just right for their lips and skin tone a little confusing.  It does not help that there are probably thousands of shades of lipstick colors out there, which makes the process of choosing the perfect lipstick color for your lips a little more complicated than it should be.  However, if you knew how to look, you would be surprised at how easy finding this perfect lipstick color is.

The trick to finding the perfect lipstick color for your lips is simply this: get a lipstick color that is a shade or two darker than the natural color of your lips.  It is as simple as that.

Now, of course you would want to figure out just what kind of lipstick color would compliment the tone of your skin.  As a rule of thumb, if you have fair skin, you should go with soft pinks and corals to match the pinkish tone of your skin.  Apricot would be a nice lipstick color too if you are fair-skinned.

If your skin has olive tones, the lipstick color that would suit you would be something that has tones of rose or mauve.  If you have dark skin, you should pick lipstick colors with deep reds, deep browns or chocolate.

Now that you know what lipstick color you should go for, how do you determine if the lipstick you are thinking of buying is the perfect color?  The answer to that is that you should try the lipstick on.

However, never ever apply the sample lipstick directly to your lips.  That is very yucky.  You would never know how long that lipstick has been exposed to dust and dirt and putting it directly to your lips may cause you to take in germs into your system.  Instead of putting the lipstick directly to your lips, just swipe it against your finger or your palm.

There are some stores where it would not be possible for you to take a swipe of the sample lipstick on your skin because the sample lipstick is not available.  In that case, what you need to do is to just hold the product against your face and take a look at yourself at the mirror.  That will help you determine if the lipstick color is just right for the tone of your skin.

When you shop for makeup, do not limit yourself to just the lipstick.  Get yourself a few lip liners as well.  Lip liners are very helpful because they trace the natural line of your lips and prevent the lipstick from bleeding away from your lips.  Take care to buy lip liners that are a shade lighter than the lipstick colors you will blend them with.  You can also go for a nude lip liner if you think figuring out what color of lip liner would match your lipstick color is just too much work for you.

Another tool that could come handy when you are applying makeup is a lipstick brush.  A lipstick brush is good if you are the type who wants to put on just a thin layer of lipstick instead of slathering it across your lips.  A lipstick brush is also more hygienic than dabbing your fingers on the lipstick and then rubbing it on your lips.  In using a lipstick brush, you minimize the need for kissing tissue to get rid of excess lipstick on your lips, as well as to prevent it from getting to your teeth.

Sometimes, even though you are sure that the color of the lipstick that you got from the store is the right one for your skin tone, there are times that when you actually get to use it, you would find that it is not really the right shade for you, or you simply do not like the way it looks against your skin.  Do not despair, though.  You can still make use of that lipstick.  You do not have to waste money by throwing it away.

What you do in this situation is to get your lipstick brush and blend this unwanted lipstick color with your other lipsticks.  In this way, you would be able to create a shade of color that would be more to your liking.  You get a new shade of lipstick without buying a new one or throwing one away.