I'll update it with photos when I get home (posting from work), but in the meantime, has anyone else ever had success with lipstick? I always assumed it didn't fit me, but it's a basic makeup so omnipresent among most women that I have a hard time believing it's not me. It's like thinking there are no bras for me. While we think you can use any color you want, you can also use your skin's undertone to help filter out the 14,264,685 shades of lipsticks in the world. For those of us with a very light lip color, nine times out of 10, the shades of lipstick will look true to their color on the lips.
Anyway, I think it's often the kind of thing where you have to get used to seeing it on your face. When you say it seems like you're trying too hard, that's all attitude. There's something to be said to make sure the shade looks good on you, obviously, but beyond that, I bet if you wore lipstick every day for a week you'd notice it a little. This is mainly due to your nuances.
People with cool tones have a lighter skin tone, while those with warm tones have a darker skin tone. If I ever use lipstick, it's a color similar to the natural color of my lips or slightly pinker, I basically use it to fill in my lips or give them a little more color and shine. To learn more about the shade that's right for you, check out the new range of Color Sensational Made For All lipsticks by Maybelline New York. If you put the same lipstick on five different people, it's likely to look a little different on each person.
To choose the right lipstick for you, start by finding a color that is 1 or 2 tones deeper than your natural lip color. At the risk of sounding cheesier than a cheese platter, the universally flattering shade of lipstick is the one worn with a smile. Every time I wear lipstick, it feels like I skipped my mouth a bit and stuck it in my face until you look closely and see that no, it's actually still my lower lip. When it comes to bright colors, you really want your lipstick to be highly pigmented and durable; otherwise, the entire lower part of your face will end up looking slightly purple as the product moves away from your lips.
You can test this by applying lipstick to the lower lip and comparing the shade to the upper lip. It wore well and was hydrating, but not completely transparent (I prefer matte lipsticks, so that was great for me). I think Rimmel lipsticks are a great buy on Main Street, and I would definitely keep them in my bag during the days when I forget to put on my lipstick in the morning. I have a very common skin tone on Main Street, so the only one I'm wary of is Sleek orange lipstick.
That and her “Buttershine” lipstick are great, as they give a bit of color with staying power, but they're not very bright. I had a hard time with lipstick until I found stains (normal lipstick ends up everywhere) and I had a very nice lady from Clinique help me choose colors. They're more transparent than lipstick (although some are more tinted than others) and come in a good variety of colors.