11 Lipstick Shades Every Dark Skin Woman Should Keep In Rotation

Not to sound dramatic, but finding the perfect lipstick shade for my skin tone changed my life. For most of my beauty-obsessed life, I’ve been a nude gloss kind of girl and shied away from lipsticks because I was afraid of “doing too much.” As a teenager, I was told that wearing bold lipstick shades made me look too grown; as a young adult, I was sold the myth that bright lipsticks don’t look good on dark skin women (false!). Now that I’ve fully grown into loving and celebrating the beauty of being a dark skin Black woman, exploring the endless shades of lipsticks on the market is all the more fun. With the help of a few makeup experts and inspiration from famous beauties, including Lupita Nyong'o, Naomi Campbell, and Jackie Aina, I’ve found the select few lipstick shades that pop against my complexion; stay on all day, and allow me to flex my beauty and confidence. Since I’ve cracked the code, it’s only right to share; here are 11 lipstick shades every dark skin woman should keep in rotation.