There are a few ways to go with a fair-to-light complexion and nude lips. First and foremost, it's best to stick with colors that match your undertones. Check your wrists: Are your veins more blue or green? If the answer is the first, stick to blue under toned nudes, like dusty pinks. If you're the latter, nudes with warm undertones will suit you best like creamy warm brown buffs. Trying to match the color of your lip is also a great trick to finding your perfect nude. Slightly blushing up the cheeks with a soft eye is best for a natural look. Going totally smoked out with a light cheek and a nude lip is often a night-out staple.
Pro tip: Julianne Moore has a lot of blue pigment to her lips. To tone that down, it's all about wearing more peachy colors. The orange will neutralize the blue.
Berry tones on lighter skin can go from sophisticated to vampy. Violet-berry tones can keep porcelain skin tones from looking too washed out. Going more blue-based can brighten up your look like we see here with Reese Witherspoon and Emilia Clarke. As we see with Gretchen Mol's lip, a warm berry can add the perfect amount of drama.
Pro Tip: Maisie Williams is at a perfect vamp level. Going any more brown than that can look washed out.
Pairing lighter complexions with bold reds gives off a striking contrast and can be really fun to play with. As with nude colors, working with your undertones is key to wearing a bold red lip.
Pro Tip: Subduing the eye and face makeup while wearing a striking red might keep you from looking too garish.
Dusty roses à la Julia Roberts or monochromatic nude like the one Maria Menounos was wearing are two different ways to wear neutral for lighter to more olive toned complexions.
Pro Tip: The clothes know. Medium-skin tones can sometimes go either way with warm or cool colors. Use your outfit as a color guide—warm with a warm lip; cool with cool lips.
Berry lips on more medium-toned skin can go from looking like wine-stained lips like we see on Amanda Peet, to the va-va-voom look we see here on Homeland actress Nimrat Kaur.
Pro Tip: When you're going lighter on the lip, wear a berry blush to match to help tie the look together.
Having light to medium skin can be really fun for pairing with a bold red lip. As we see with Sofía Vergara's skin tone, a deep brick red can really add some mystery to a beauty look. Rashida Jones opted for a blue-red lip that really is a fun way to play up cool tones on an outfit. Choosing an orangey-red can really be fun for darker skin tones.
Pro Tip: Going a little bluer might help avoid looking sallow, if your skin tone is naturally yellow.
Medium-to-dark tones have some room to play with colors in the nude family. You can see how Orange is the New Black star Dascha Polanco went for a white ash nude. Laverne Cox went for the ombré effect and added a brown toned liner, which can really add volume to a pout. Viola Davis wore an amber-laced nude, and Uzo Aduba's lip leaned to a blue-toned pink for an interesting look.
Pro Tip: Unlike Dascha and Uzo's daring lip choices, going too white or ashy in a color can look less avant-garde and more white or ashy.
Berries, maroons and Bordeaux colors can be a stunning addition to a makeup look for dark skin. The cast of Orange is the New Black really won at the SAG Awards and with their lipstick choices. Veep star Sufe Bradshaw also really wowed us with her bold brows and wine-toned lip.
Pro Tip: Keeping the eyeshadow light makes for one naughty/innocent combo, while going for a smoky eye can bring out a '20s look.
The contrast of a bright and bold red on dark skin is absolutely jaw-dropping as we can see here on Lupita Nyong'o and ER's Yvette Freeman.
Pro Tip: Fill in the entire lip with a matching liner before layering a lipstick on top. This will help keep the look of a bold red look.