9 lipstick tricks that can help your teeth look whiter
Redeem now - There are certain ways you can use lipstick to help your teeth appear to be whiter.
- Wearing darker lipsticks that have cool tones may help your teeth to appear whiter.
- Red lipsticks with blue undertones can be a great choice if you want your smile to look a bit brighter.
Not all lipsticks are created equally and the shades and finishes you choose to wear could impact how white your teeth appear to be. Fortunately, there are a lot of lipstick shades and finishes that can help brighten your smile.
This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Log in.INSIDER spoke to several makeup artists about some of their best tips and tricks for helping your teeth appear to be whiter using lipstick. Here's what they said.
Try wearing a red lipstick that has blue undertones
For an instantly brighter smile, choose a red lipstick that has a blue base instead of an orange one, said Rick DiCecca, Artistry's creative director of makeup design.
"On a color wheel, blue and yellow sit opposite of each other, so the blue tone will cancel out the yellow in your teeth," DiCecca explained.
If you're not a fan of red, there are other cool-toned shades of lipstick you may want to wear
Any lipstick with blue-shaded or purple-shaded undertones can help counteract the warmer, yellow tones that may be present in your teeth, giving you the appearance of a whiter smile, said Kristen Fortier, a professional makeup artist for CRUNCHI.
DiCecca said he suggests raspberry-colored lipstick or fuchsia-colored lipstick for those who don't like red but want a cool-toned color.
You may want to avoid wearing colors that are very light
DiCecca said that if you want to make your teeth look brighter, you may want to avoid light-colored lipsticks because they won't contrast against the colors of your teeth enough to make them stand out. To make your teeth stand out more, he said he suggests you try wearing darker colors instead.
Generally, he said berry-colored lipsticks and plum-colored lipsticks are a great choice. They work well to brighten your teeth due to how much they contrast the light colors of your teeth, DiCecca added.
Try adding some gloss to amp up your lip color's whitening effects
Fortier said if you want to make your teeth appear to be even whiter, layer a lip gloss on top of your cool-toned lipstick.
"The gloss gives your lips additional moisture [and] a more youthful appearance, giving the illusion of a whiter smile," Fortier told INSIDER.
For those with darker skin tones, you may want to try a dark-purple lipstick
DiCecca said those with darker skin tones may want to try wearing dark-purple lip colors. He said that the blue undertones found in purple-colored lipsticks could help your teeth to appear whiter.
No matter which color you wear, make sure your lips are moisturized
Dry lips can accentuate any plaque buildup on your teeth, said Alejandro Falcon, celebrity makeup artist at Osmosis Colour Mineral Cosmetics.
Occasionally using a lip exfoliator or regularly applying a moisturizing lip balm could help you to keep your lips feeling soft.
You may not want to wear a matte lip color if you're looking to make your teeth appear whiter
Although they are trendy, matte lipsticks tend to make lips look dry and they won't help reflect any light off of your teeth, DiCecca said.
You may also want to be wary of lipsticks that have a frosted finish because they might make your teeth look dull
"Adding shine to your lips will make your teeth look whiter, but if the lipstick is too icy or too frosty, it can make [your] lips look too light — giving the illusion that your teeth are dirty," he told INSIDER.
He said you may want to stay away from any colors that are too holographic, silver, or frosted, as they will provide less contrast to your teeth, making them look dull.
If you want to wear a frosted lipstick while also helping your teeth to appear whiter, try wearing one with a lot of shine and only a touch of silver, DiCecca said.
Read More: 17 lazy beauty hacks that shave time off of your beauty routine
Be careful when selecting a brown-colored lipstick as some shades may cause your teeth to look more yellow
If you're looking to make your teeth appear pearly and white, you may want to avoid wearing peachy, brown-colored lipsticks that have warm undertones. According to Fortier, when applied to your lips, these hues can cause your teeth to appear more yellow than usual.
Instead, she said she suggests you try a brown lipstick with cool undertones.
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