Makeup artist’s golden rule for lipstick shades to make your teeth look ‘so white’

Everybody looks more put together when they are smiling with pearly whites; not only are they aesthetically beautiful, but they can make you look younger and healthy.

Have you ever noticed that some lipstick shades make your smile shine brighter in pictures, while others can make your teeth look rather yellow?

Makeup artist Mel Belles posted a beauty tutorial on her TikTok channel explaining why this is and how to make sure your lip shade is complementary.

“If you’re looking to make your teeth look extra white, the lip colour you are wearing will actually play a huge part in this,” said Mel Belles.

“Normally, warm tones like orange or peach will pull more yellow tones from your teeth,” she warned.

“To get that bright white effect, any lipstick with a blue undertone will [create a] contrast and make them look so white!”

People who wear a classic red lip are likely to have a red lipstick that has cool undertones making their teeth look so much whiter than they usually would. “Let’s face it, everyone looks good in a classic red lip,” said Mel Belles.

How to tell if a lip shade has a warm or cool base?

Makeup brand L’oréal suggested trying out the lip shades on your forearm to compare the shades.

Cool-toned lipsticks tend to “appear deeper and richer” whereas warm-based lipsticks “can appear bronzy”.

Cool-based red lipsticks

• L’Oréal Paris Infallible Matte Resistance Liquid Lipstick in Le Rouge Paris
• L’Oréal Paris Colour Riche Intense Volume Matte Lipstick in Le Rouge Avant-Garde L’Oréal Paris Colour Riche Reds Of Worth Satin Lipstick With Saturated Color in Lovely Red

Cool-based nude lipsticks

• L’Oréal Paris Les Nus by Colour Riche Intense Nude Lipstick in Nu Impertinent
• L’Oréal Paris Colour Riche Intense Volume Matte Lipstick in Le Nude Admirable.

Cool-based berry lipsticks

• L’Oréal Paris Colour Riche Intense Volume Matte Lipstick in Le Carmin Courage
• L’Oréal Paris Colour Riche Les Nus by Colour Riche Intense Nude Lipstick Nu Exuberant
• L’Oréal Paris Glow Paradise Balm-in-Lipstick with Pomegranate Extract in Ecstatic Mulberry

What about the lipsticks I already own?

One trick put forward by Lique Cosmetics is to swatch the lipstick shade next to a bright blue item, like a top, for example.

If the colour looks muted, then you have a cool-toned lipshade on your hands that can make your teeth look pearly white.

Should the lipstick swatch look as though it is competing with the blue, it’s likely the lipstick shade is more on the warm side and could make your teeth look yellow.

While warm-toned lipstick shades could make teeth look yellow, why do make-up stores sell them in the first place?

The answer is that warm-based lipstick is thought to complement people who have warm undertones in their skin; so for those who have more green veins and tan easily without burning first.