The 1952 ad campaign of Revlon’s Fire and Ice Collection marks the debut of matching lipstick with nail paint. Dorian Leigh, a supermodel, appeared in the ad wearing bold red lipstick with red nail polish. This display of coordinating “lips and tips” took the fashion and beauty industry by storm. It instantly became a trend.
With the beauty industry continuously evolving, it lost its glory over time. The good news is, we think it is coming back. So, the question remains- “Should lipstick match nail polish?”.
Matching your lipstick with nail polish is an excellent way of putting in the effort without having to think about both of them separately. It saves your precious time, energy, and effort. What’s better? You look like you have put in the hard work.
Should lipstick match nail polish?
Fashion is and should always be a personal choice. There should never be pressure of following a particular trend. You do what you think looks the best on you.
While this trend was quite popular back in the 1950s and is back now, the choice of matching your nail paint with your lipstick is still on you. There are various other ways of coordinating your outfit with your makeup and accessories.
Matching your nail paint with your lipstick saves you a lot of time and reduces your chance of messing up the look. It gives a chic and monotone look. While if you wear a different color nail polish or lipstick, it will break your monotone look.
However, your main focus while dressing up should always be on occasion you attend and the outfit.
If you are going to a funeral, the need to match your nail paint with your lipstick does not arise. On the other hand, if it is a date, a wedding, or a party, you may want to put in the extra effort.
Another thing to keep in mind is always to choose colors that work best with your skin tone, be it in terms of lipsticks or nail paint.
Nudes, pastels, sheers, and pinks go well with fair skin. You can even wear a bright dark color if you want to add that extra oomph to your outfit.
Opt for browns, reds, and gold hues for an olive complexion. Try and avoid colors that have cool undertones to them. Wine, chocolate, and magenta look beautiful on dark skin lovelies.
Irrespective of the trends or season, wear colors that reflect your personality and style. Always remember, if you are not comfortable wearing something, don’t! Your discomfort will show at the end of the day, and it will not be flattering.
Does nail polish have to match with an outfit?
Matching your nail polish with your outfit at all times can be a little too intimidating. We can’t take out time every day to match our nail paint with our outfits in our fast-paced lives.
Matching your nail polish with the outfit gives an impression that you care enough about your appearance. But it can also make you look too put together and dressy. So the question is, should we match our nail polish with an outfit or not?
First, let us discuss if it is economical to change our nail paint every day to match our outfits. You are wearing a navy blue dress, and you wear navy blue nail paint to match your outfit.
The next day, you decide to wear a white shirt to match your nail paint; remove the former color and put on white nail paint. Not only is it a waste of nail paint and money, but it would also mean that you will be prone to emptying bottles which will directly impact the environment.
Second, changing nail paint every day is also very time-consuming and unfeasible. There will be special occasions where you can take out the time to match your nail paint with your outfit, but not daily.
We all love dressing up and looking our best on dates, weddings, farewells, and there is no shying away from it. But what can we do on days when we are lazy but still want to look presentable?
It is simple. We color-coordinate.
Yes, while matching your nail paint with your outfit daily can be quite intimidating, coordinating them can prove to be a savior. It saves you time, energy, and of course, a lot of bucks too!
So, what do we mean by coordinating nail paint with outfits? You need to pick a color of nail paint that will look good with multiple outfits. Whether you wear a basic white dress, a black, or something designer, the nail paint will match them all.
Now, how do we know what is the right way of coordinating nail paints with outfits?
Don’t worry; we are here to help you with it.
- The first step is to take a look at your wardrobe. In doing so, you will get a fair idea of the patterns and colors that dominate your fashion style. If your wardrobe has more bold and colorful patterns and prints, you can wear any natural, pastel, or nude nail polish. It will complement your wardrobe well. But if neutral colors dominate your wardrobe, go all out and wear vibrant nail polish. You can also experiment with statement nail arts to add a pop of color to your otherwise neutral outfit.
- You can also color block your nail paint with your outfit. It is an easy way of coordinating, as you get to pair colors and hues that effortlessly contrast each other. The best method to ace color blocking is to follow the color wheel—pair primary colors with major colors and minor colors with minor colors.
- Coordinating your nail polish with the outfit does not always mean that your nail polish has to match the color of clothing you are wearing. Paint your nails accordingly. You can also coordinate your nail paint with the kind of jewelry you wear often. See if you have more silver, gold, or rose gold jewelry.
- The most underrated form of coordinating is when you pair your nail polish with your makeup. You can carry a bold red lip with equally stunning red nail paint. Or, you can also color block your red lipstick with hot pink or dark green nail paint.
However, the simplest way to match your nail paint with any outfit will always remain wearing neutral nail paint. It looks flattering on almost all skin tones. If you opt for a safe color, go for muted pinks and beige. You can also wear black nail paint, as it is the most versatile color and would go with everything. Some lesser-known neutral colors that you can try will include silver, brown, white, grey, and gold.
Ways to know which lipstick match your nail polish
Lately, cosmetic companies are coming up with the same shades for nail polish and lipsticks, making it easy for us to match and ace any look. But it is important to understand that one can always opt for the combination they desire.
The most attractive combination will be nude lipstick with a timeless French manicure. If you want something edgier, you can pair your smokey eyes with nude lips and dark nails. If your outfit belongs to the darker side of the color palette and you are wearing pink lipstick, avoid pastel nail paint or muted pinks.
The trick is to keep both lipstick shades and the nail paint in the same color family. Do not mix a warm color with a cool-toned color and vice versa. Avoid going over the top with coordination.
Always remember that your lips, eyeshadow, nails, and outfit should have a balance and not be of the same shade. The best way to do that is by coordinating two elements together. Pair your lips with your nails, eyeshadow with your lips, and so on.
You can also match your lipstick with your nail paint, depending on the season you are wearing it. Each season comes with a different color palette.
For example, you can wear pastels in spring. Anything muted or in shades of peach and lilac looks best in spring.
On the other hand, earth tones and berry shades look the best in winters. To complete the look, wear bold lipstick and vibrant nail polish. Pair it with nude lips, and you are ready!
Let us have a reality check now, shall we?
We can’t take so much time from our daily lives to match our lipsticks with our nail paints. All of this is too much to remember and is most likely to stress us out. As I always say, fashion is about comfort and what makes us feel good.
Conclusion
Let us keep the extra effort of matching our lipstick with our nail paint when we want to make a difference in our routine, not because it impresses our crush!
But if you have the time and the energy to put in the effort every day, please do so!