The Myth You Need To Forget When Pairing Lipsticks With A Green Dress

If you imagine pairing a green dress with red lips together in your mind, you'll probably picture an overly festive clash of colors. The notion that you can't wear a red lip with a green dress has persisted in the beauty world for a long time, but it's a theory you need to forget. The truth is red lipstick is always a good idea. 

While red and green might seem to clash in all the wrong ways, these shades are directly opposite on the color wheel, which makes them complementary and means you definitely can create a cohesive look with red lips and a green dress. However, there are still a few things to keep in mind if you want to pull off this color combo to perfection. Namely, certain shades of red and green fit better together than others, and you'll also want to take into account your skin tone and the occasion for your outfit when choosing from both the red and green palettes. 

The idea of a green dress paired with a red lip sounds simple, but in reality, there are endless ways to do this when you consider the vast array of shades of each color. A wine-red lip worn with an emerald-green dress will look different from a candy-red lip with a mint-green dress, for example. According to Piperberry, the general theory is that the intensity of each color should be in contrast. If you pair bright dresses with muted lips, and vice-versa, you can't go wrong.

With that in mind, the best reds to reach for with a standard green dress include deep reds and strawberry red, which will have an orange tint. Coral red, which has pink and orange elements, is also a good match for a standard green dress. Opt for soft peach or coral when wearing a bold light or lime-green dress, mauve lips to match an olive or khaki dress, and berry reds for forest green. In the same vein, reds that lean too close to solid orange or brown should generally be avoided as they create too much of a contrast. Of course, these are guidelines more than they are rules. If you stumble upon a green and red combination that looks amazing against all the odds, then roll with it!

Different shades of red and green may match each other in theory, but things get more complicated when skin undertones enter the conversation. Your undertone is the hue underneath your skin, per Healthline. Whatever color your skin is, you'll have warm, cool, or neutral tones beneath, and this will affect how your lipstick and clothes look. The best way to figure out your undertone is by checking your veins: Green veins indicate a warm undertone, blue or purple veins mean you have a cooler undertone, and those whose veins don't stand out either way are likely to be neutral. Warm undertones tend to look the best in deeper red lipstick, cool undertones should go for blue-toned red, and those with neutral undertones are lucky as everything suits them! Warm undertones are also lucky, as they suit most shades of green, but cooler undertones look the best in darker green. 

Once you've settled on a shade of lipstick to match your dress and undertone, decide whether you want a matte or shiny finish. The best tip here is to keep things consistent, so if your dress is shiny or glittery, go for a glossy or satin lip. But otherwise, a matte lip is the perfect partner for flatter materials. You'll also want to take into consideration what event you're dressing up for, as parties and more formal events are usually great places to wear a glossy lip, while matte is the perfect finish for work functions.