The Best Purple Lip Color For Your Skintone

I'm about to blow your mind with this fun fact. Are you ready? Purple is a neutral in the makeup world. Crazy, right? This shade has a hard-to-wear reputation that isn't deserved, but as long as you choose the best purple lipstick for your skintone, wearing it can be easy and gorgeous. I promise!

Purple is a versatile color because it can be worn anytime, any season, and on any skin color. It can be bright for springtime, vampy for the winter, or anytime neutral. It can be sheer or opaque, so whatever your makeup and beauty comfort level is—and no matter how "out there" purple makeup is in comparison—you can make it work for you.

The truth is, purple lips is more about beauty than anything. It truly looks beautiful on anyone, so it isn't a fad or trend. Like all things fashion and beauty, it is cyclical. But it keeps coming around, from the '80s to 2015, because it works.

The key to making a purple lip work for you is keeping the rest of your makeup monochromatic, yet understated. With a purple lip, balancing it out with a natural flush and blacker-than-black mascara will really make the color pop.

Here are a few other tips for choosing the right purple for your skintone.

1. If you have fair to light skintone

Yes, you can (and should!) wear purple lipstick even with porcelain skin. Lorde does it all the time and trust me, it will be your ultimate purple-inspo. If you're intimidated, however, but want to nail the look, go with a berry shade lip. This is a paler, softer approach to a purple lip that will compliment your skin tone. Choose a color that is cool toned and maybe even lavender or lilac in color.

NARS Audacious Lipstick in Dominique , $36, Amazon

2. If you have darker complexion

A purple lipstick with a metallic, sheen finish will add a radiance to golden and brown skintones. Plum shades are also complimentary to your skin.

Makeup Forever Rouge Artist Intense in Color 14 , $20, Sephora

3. If you're warm-toned

Red-based purple colors will look best against your warm skin, so choose richer colors that blend red and purple for a sophisticated look.

Urban DecaySuper-Saturated High Gloss Lip Color in Apocalypse, $20, Urban Decay

4. If you're cool toned

Congrats, you've won the purple lipstick lottery. You can wear as cool, blue-based lip shade your hear desires without looking scary. You can rock cool tones like no one else, so don't be afraid to go bold with a blue-based purple.

Lipstick Queen Silver Screen Lipstick in Stella!, $39, Amazon

Images: Courtesy of Brands