How to Wear Dark Lipstick Shades – Plum and Purple Lipsticks

Article Published: 14 February 2022

Learn how to wear dark lipstick and select the best berry, plum and dark purple lipstick shades for you.

A dark lipstick hue in shades like purple, plum or berry can be a nice switch up from the classic red lip. Sophisticated and elegant a dark lipstick shade can serve as the focal point of a makeup look no matter your age or skin tone – but there are a few careful considerations to make before you try out this look like finding the best dark lipstick shade for your skin tone or choosing between a matte or cream formula.

Choose Your Formula and Finish: Matte or Cream

Whether you choose to wear a matte finish or a cream finish is entirely up to you and your personal preference.

For a deep and vampy lip try choosing a matte finish – a luxurious and silky matte lipstick with a soft powdery matte finish can give a luxe and elegant look to the lips. Our L’Absolu Rouge Matte Lipstick is perfect for creating that dark and vampy look with a sophisticated edge. The formula delivers bold and saturated to the color in lips with just one swipe and then sets to a luxurious soft powdery matte finish with long-lasting properties.

If you are looking to go for a purple shade that’s a little more vibrant or fun try a cream finish lipstick instead. Our L’Absolu Rouge Cream Lipsticks are creamy, luxurious and a total treat for the lips. With 30% moisturizing rose balm and hyaluronic acid the cream formula gives lips comfort and hydration but sets to a smudge resistant lip color which doesn’t bleed into the lip line. This is especially vital when wearing a dark purple or plum lip as dark lipstick shades just don’t look as great when they’ve smudged or faded.

Our L’Absolu Rouge Lipsticks are the perfect option for creating any lipstick look regardless of if you choose to go with a matte or cream finish. Both finishes deliver bold and intense color to the lips and lasting comfort in just one swipe.

Select the Best Shade of Plum or Purple Dark Lipstick for You

When it comes to selecting the best plum, berry or purple lipstick shade there are a few things to consider shade wise (for example – do you prefer a more dramatic look or do you prefer something bolder and fun?) Overall shades in this shade family are typically universally flattering with the right face makeup and eyeshadow.

Most plum, berry and purple lipsticks tend to lean on the cool side of the color spectrum. Whilst warmer shades typically look best on medium, olive, and darker skin tones many cool toned shades can be flattering on these skin tones.

If you have a fair or light skin tone try a cool raspberry shade like L’Absolu Rouge Matte Lipstick in the shade 397 Berry Noir.

For a medium skin tone try L’Absolu Rouge Cream Lipstick in Nuit Parisenne 493 a cool deep plum lipstick shade.

For darker skin tones the shade Mademoiselle Lupita 507 in the L’Absolu Rouge Matte Lipstick formula is the perfect vampy and dramatic berry-purple toned red.

If you are looking for a bold purple lipstick color that’s a little more fun and colorful try L’Absolu Rouge Cream Lipstick Rêve Toujours 509 a Violet Purple shade that looks great on a wide variety of skin tones.

Create an Even Complexion

Foundation and Concealer

When wearing a bold or dark plum, berry or purple lipstick it’s a good idea to neutralize any redness or sallowness in the skin. To even out the skin tone apply Teint Idole Ultra Wear Foundation in a shade that matches your skin tone. Start off slowly and build up the coverage to your desired level – the formula is buildable and offers a natural matte finish which is suitable for all skin types. It’s our best-selling foundation and has a lightweight, breathable feel with long-wearing properties which can last for up to 24 hours – it’s also heat and humidity resistant against transferring and fading. For anywhere you need extra coverage apply Teint Idole Ultra Wear All Over Concealer. When wearing a dark, vampy, cool toned lipstick it’s especially important to remove blue tones, ashiness and sallowness in the skin so make sure to apply a little extra onto your under eye area (you may even like to use a shade that’s slightly lighter than your skintone to brighten) Teint Idole Ultra Wear All Over Concealer provides up to 24H of hydration and comfort in a natural matte finish – it’s lightweight and doesn’t feel heavy or cakey on the skin so it’s perfect for use all over (and it doesn’t settle into fine lines or wrinkles)

Top tip: apply your dark lipstick prior to applying any other makeup. This will allow you to see just how much foundation you need (and you can also clean up any edges around the mouth with concealer for an ultra-crisp and clean lip)

Blush and Bronzer

A deep dark lipstick color adds an edge of vampiness – but it can also look stark against the skin tone and wash out your complexion (regardless of your skin tone). After evening out your complexion with foundation and concealer make sure to add some color into the face to balance out the drama of a dramatic vampy purple, wintery burgundy or plum lipstick shade. Try applying a light application of blush in a warm and rosy color like Blush Subtil in Absolutely Happy or French Blush to offset any cool tones in your lipstick shade and in terms of technique — apply a little blush around your temples or nose for a subtle glow.

Eye Makeup with Dark Lipstick

When creating a dramatic and vampy lipstick look it can be confusing to know how to balance out your eye makeup and create a cohesive and complementary look. For a modern look skip the dark and smokey eyeshadow as the combination together can be overpowering. Instead – team your dark lipstick with long and fluttery lashes for a chic and elegant easy to wear day look. Apply Cils Booster XL Lash Primer to the lashes and follow up with two coats of Lash Idôle Mascara – our lash lifting mascara which creates a fluttery and open-eye effect thanks to its curved mascara wand with 360 degree bristles.

For a bold and vampy glam look that’s perfect for evening time and parties go for a little shimmer and sparkle. Create a shimmery nude eyeshadow look using Hypnôse 5-Color Eyeshadow in Brun Adore – a carefully curated selection of shades in a smooth and blendable eyeshadow formula. Use the darker shades in the palette to create definition and sculpting to the eyes and focus on applying the shimmering nude shade over the center of the eyelid and in the inner corners of the eyes. Once the eyeshadow is complete follow up with two coats of Monsieur Big Mascara – our smudge-proof and flake-proof mascara that gives lashes up to 12x more volume than bare lashes. Use it to create a false lash effect without the fuss.

Shop purple plum and dark lipstick shades.