echoes of noise: lipstick picks for darkskinned ladies

When I transitioned from the shimmery lip-gloss (back when lip gloss was poppin’) to picking out a lipstick color—the transition was a bit of a challenge.  I wasn’t sure if I should go matte or glossy, dark or light blah blah blah.  As a black girl with a darker complexion,  I knew the Barbie pink lipstick that worked for Nicki Minaj would most definitely NEVER work for me. Black girls needs to understand the science behind what looks good and what does not. DO NOT wear bright pink lipstick or massive amounts of it when you have a darker complexion—that doesn’t make your face pop.  Lipstick in a sense adds certain flair and pop to an outfit and to yourself. Define your face with a color that matches.  For darker complexions, darker colors seem to work well—even for those of a lighter complexion, you can never go wrong with a dark lip.

 I went dark for my first pick—a slightly glossy black lipstick from Sephora by Makeup Forever. Yes very bold, rather gothic maybe…but I loved it. The darker the lip, the better in my opinion.   I don’t believe you can ever go wrong with a dark lipstick on your palette.  Black lips aren’t the best for every occasion, but for a night out with your girls, heading out to a concert or maybe a lounge, pop on the dark lips if you are feeling a bit sassy. Slip on a dress with similar dark tones and a shimmering brown eye shadow, slick black lines for a cat eye and BAM, you are good to go.   My lipstick collection has expanded a bit—I purchased a dark purple from MAC andmidnight blue from Manic Panic (purchased on Amazon).  All of my lipsticks have a slightly glossy finish complementing beautiful chocolate skin.  Matte lipstick is a bit dry but there is room to do much more in terms of makeup—eyes, etc. Have not tested out matte finish, but that is on my summer  bucket list.

Finding a different color choice makes your outfit pop- don’t be afraid to pick something besides a red—pick something that works for you.  If you are on a budget (like myself, being a college student..) go for the cheap—look for lipstick in a Duane Reade or Rite Aid.  I found a dark brown lipstick in Duane Reade that works just as well as my $20 MAC lipstick—but I only paid $2.99!  My next lipstick investment will entail a very dark green—don’t know how it will go, but I will never know unless I try it out.

Below is an image of myself wearing black lipstick with a brighter outfit and then again with a dress displaying darker tones.  The links to start your lipstick ventures are below!  Check out Sephora, Amazon for Manic Panic colors and MAC.

Manic Panic on Amazon

Mac Cosmetics

Sephora-Makeup Forever

I will be testing out a matte finish lipstick in the coming weeks and be sure to write about that turn out. More fashion and makeup tips in the coming weeks, and for daily fashion posts check out Echoes of Noise, echoesofnoise.tumblr.com.

Stay fly.

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