Finding the Perfect Natural Lip Colour

Some makeup looks are governed by rules, others are not.  One of the questions that still resonates with me is "How to find the perfect natural lip colour?'.  I have heard so many 'methods' of finding that perfect colour - matching it to the colour of your inner gums. going a shade of two lighter or darker than your natural lip colour, pinching your lips and then trying to mimic the shade that appears right after you 'pinch' etc etc.  I do think that we have a natural harmony that exists within our own colouring, but if you want that 'my lips but better' look, sometimes playing around with shades until you find that 'custom colour' is key.  Since my last makeup class, I've been thinking about the notion of creating a custom foundation shade and how many women need to customize their foundation to fit them - why should it be any different for lipstick???  Some women have very pigmented lips, others have pale lips and different colours will morph or change on different people depending on many factors.  For example, my natural lipcolour has a pinkish tone to it, but when I wear pink lipstick, the effect is un-natural. My natural lipcolour will influence the pink colour creating an overly-cool pink shade. I don't suit pink lipstick at all - as soon as I choose the right balance of brown and pink-peach, my natural lipcolour will alter the shade and it will morph into the perfect neutral shade.  Here is a good example of what I mean:

In this photograph, you can see that my natural lipcolour is pigmented - its not overly pink, but it has a pinky-rose undertone.  I feel I need a splash of spiced peach to create the ultimate natural look.  Here is a photo of a lipcolour I really like on me next to the colour palette that I feel is my best.  The interesting thing about this lipcolour is that its custom made (I had to mix a liner with a lipstick and then blend in a more nude shade just to the centre of my lips) - It was only through customizing, that I discovered that finding the perfect natural lip colour is not as easy as a quick swipe of one colour - the most original shades are a combination of 2 or 3 shades mixed together:

Here is a close up of the photo so you can see the actual makeup:

To create this custom lip colour, I started with Bronzelle lipliner (one of my all time favourite lip liners), swept on Sandalwood Beige by Revlon (a warm, peachy shade) and them mixed Siss lipstick by MAC in the centre of the lips - The combination of the warm peach with the neutral nude is exactly what creates this soft terracotta colour.  I'd love to be able to say that my search is over, but we all know it never will be - I love the 'hunt' for the perfect lipstick products and now I love the idea of mixing and matching various shades until I can find a customized look that is perfect for me!!!