Have you ever bought a lipstick shade only to realize in your bathroom that it's totally wrong for you, or find yourself bored with the color? You don't need to chuck those colors in the bin — it's easy enough to chop up and DIY your own lipstick shades. There's nothing worse than making a drugstore purchase only to realize that the color is all wrong for your skin tone or swipes on funny on the lips. And even if you didn't spring for the fancy department stores brands, a corner store lippie still costs enough where it'll hurt throwing it in the trash. But by knowing which colors to layer together, you won't have to.
The same goes for all those lipstick shades pushed to the very back of your bathroom drawers, abandoned in a fit of boredom. You can play them up into entirely new shades, ensuring you a second round with some old favorites. And the process is simple enough — these tutorials aren't only earmarked for the Pinterest mavens or crafty people. All it takes is a lip brush and some patience. Below are tips on how to DIY your own lipstick shades, straight from a makeup artist.
1. Blend On Your Lips
To begin, you first have to decide if you're trying to make your lipstick lighter or darker. If you want to lighten or brighten a dark shade, start off with your lighter lipstick color first.
"Simply apply the lighter shade first to your lips, and add the darker lipstick in small portions. You can either pat it directly to your lips or you can mix it on the back of your hand first," celebrity makeup artist Julie Cuomo shares in an email interview with Bustle. That would be the most controlled way to get your dark lipstick the perfect shade.
2. Blend In Your Own Lip Palette
If you'd like to create a whole new lipstick completely and not mess around with reapplying the separate colors every time you want to step out, you can create your new color by either melting down or mashing the two lipsticks together in a palette or empty lip balm container. In this case, you'd still use Cuomo's same tips above — add your lighter shade into the palette first, and then slowly blend in the darker shade in conservative amounts.
3. Add Green To Neutralize Bright Shades
Say that you have a red lipstick that's way too bright for your tastes. To neutralize red, pink, or orange hues, you need the color green. "If you want to cut out some of the brightness in your bold lip color, dab in some green," Cuomo suggests. It's also a great color to use if you want to create a custom nude lip, or correct one that looks off with your skin tone. "Find a color close to your lip tone and add a touch of green to achieve your perfect nude, custom hue." All you have to do on your end is experiment with just how much green to add.
4. Add Blue To Cool Down The Tone
If the issue is that your lip color is too warm or rich, Cuomo recommends you throw in some blue to cool it down. "Blues will cool down any colors that are too warm, and yellow will warm up any color that's too cool." If it has too many yellow or orange undertones in it to work with your aesthetic or skin tone, adding some blue is a perfect way to save it from the trash. For example, Cuomo points out that adding some blue to a pink lipstick will create the perfect fall plum shade.
5. Add Yellow To Warm Up Cold Tones
On the flip side, say your pink is too icy, you own a purple that's a tad too blue, or you want some orange in your red. An easy fix for this is to mix in a little yellow. Cuomo explains just how to do it, using a going-out scenario to set the scene. "Say you find yourself getting ready and you have the perfect color in mind to complete your look. Take your favorite pink lipstick shade, add a little yellow to it, and — ta da! — you created the perfect autumn peach lip." This trick lets you create warmer, richer shades from the lipsticks you already own.
But what happens if you don't happen to have yellow lipstick lying around? "If you don’t have a yellow lipstick at home, then look for a yellow eyeshadow," Cuomo says. "Or even better — a gold shadow with a little shimmer so you can create the most amazing metallic peach lip!"
In case you'd like to DIY your shades with proper lippie, below are some mixing options for you:
Blue Lipstick
NYX Velvet Matte Lipstick in Midnight Muse, $7, Ulta
A shade of blue like this will cool down your color in no time — and on it's own, it's perfect for when you're feeling bold one Saturday night.
Green Lipstick
Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipstick in Plan 9 , $21, Sephora
This hue will neutralize any overtly bright pigments, but will also look pretty badass standing alone.
Yellow Lipstick
The Estée Edit Lip Flip Shade Transformer in Turn Up, $15, Estee Lauder
This lipstick was created especially to transform any full-coverage lipstick, so it'll be super handy to have in your makeup drawer.
There are no boundaries or limits when it comes to creating a hippie shade that's perfect for you, so arm yourself with these tips and tricks and start creating.
Images: F.J. Jimenez/Moment/Getty Images; NYX Cosmetics (1); Sephora (2)
