The Best Pink Lipstick Shades to Wear this Year

There’s no denying it: pink is the “it girl” in the world of color right now. And for good reason. Pink was basically a paid actor this past year and it has been dominating the latest fashion runways, not to mention pink lipstick is a staple in everybody’s lipstick wardrobe. From nude pink to pink brown lipstick– for more neutral lovers– to light pink and hot pink lipstick– for trendsetters– Maybelline New York has a shade for everyone. Not sure which pink lipstick shade is the one for you? Read on to find out!

First thing’s first, there’s really no going wrong when it comes to choosing your pink lipstick shade. Most importantly, the color you choose should make you feel confident. But, there are certain things to consider if you’re trying to find the shade of pink that may be the most flattering on you. For instance, your skin tone and overall coloring– including hair and eye color– can help inform your decision of which shade of pink will enhance your natural beauty.

In terms of your coloring, it’s important to understand your undertone. This differs from your skin tone (fair, light, light medium, medium, tan, dark, or deep). No matter your skin tone, you can have a different undertone of warm, cool, neutral, or olive. Knowing which category you fall into is going to come in handy when choosing cosmetic products, especially foundation. Not sure which undertone you have? You can easily figure it out by looking at your face in the mirror. If your skin tends to have a pink flush to it, you’d be warm-toned while more of a blue tinge would be considered cool-toned. If you find that you have more of a green cast, that would make you olive. And finally, if you don’t relate to any of these, you may be neutral, with equal parts warm and cool. Those with cool undertones should look for more blue-based shades such as berry and rose, but warm-toned people will benefit from wearing warmer colors including peach and coral pinks.

But, if you have your heart set on wearing a certain shade of pink lipstick, go for it! Despite your skin tone or undertone, whatever shade makes you feel the most beautiful, is the right pink for you.

In general, if your skin is on the paler side, you don’t want anything too dark or too light. While a bold color can be striking and beautiful in some settings, it may overpower your fair skin. On the other end of the spectrum, too pale of a pink can blend in with your skin and make you look washed out. For the Goldilocks shade of pink that’s not too light or too dark, go for a bubblegum hue like Lifter Plump in Pink Sting. The punch color will give you a healthy glow.

Pink looks great on all skin tones, but for those with olive undertones, it’s especially stunning. The reason: green is the opposite of red on the color wheel. What does that mean? Well, opposites really play up each other’s differences, so the brighter the pink, the better. Super Stay Vinyl Ink in Striking fits the bill with its fuchsia pink hue and high shine finish.

For those with medium skin, you have lots of options to play with because you can handle going lighter or darker with the shade of pink you choose. If you simply want to enhance your natural lip color, opt for something sheer with a hint of pink like Lifter Gloss in Bubblegum. But, if you want a true pigmented pink with a matte finish, you’ll love Super Stay Ink Crayon in Treat Yourself.

With darker skin tones, you’ll want to stay away from super light pink shades because they can read as frosty, but you can pull off a bold berry pink with ease. Super Stay Matte Ink in Optimist will look right at home on you. And bonus: shades with blue undertones have a whitening effect on teeth, so your smile will look extra bright.

Check out more pink lip products.