Matching Your Lipstick and Blush May Be a TikTok Trend, But I’ve Been Doing It For Years

I'll be the first to say that I can be quite critical of TikTok's beauty trends. Sure, thanks to the platform, slugging and the red-nail theory are both innovative concepts that have shaped the 2023 beauty zeitgeist, but when it comes to methods like skin cycling and glazed-donut skin, it's had me thinking, "Haven't we been practicing some of these trends for years already?"

Take matching your lip color with your blush shade, for instance, which has blown up on TikTok in recent months. The method is simple: match the hue of your lipstick and blush by choosing colors with the same undertones. Hot take: I've been doing this for years; in fact, it's a makeup trick I rely on, especially when I'm looking to create a more uniform and eye-catching look. Here, I'm breaking down why I match my lipstick to my blush hue, and two drugstore picks I've recently relied on to get the look — well before it ever breached the endless For You Pages of TikTok.

You know how when people with blue eyes wear blue clothing, their eyes appear more piercing and bright? Matching your lipstick color to your blush color has a similar effect. By doing so, your face will appear more enhanced, lively, and overall glowy — the similar colors and, most importantly, undertones pair together to give your lips and cheeks a rosy boost, giving your whole makeup look a lift. I've tried this time and time again with various shades throughout the years, until I landed on what I feel like is the most complementary shade combination for me: brown-toned lipsticks and matching blushes.

After testing cooler-undertoned brown lip and cheek products against warmer-undertoned ones throughout the years, I discovered that the warmer, almost-copper-like hues suit my skin tone the best. It all comes down to figuring out your skin's undertones, and once you find a color compatible with your complexion, finding products that pair well together for this trend becomes easy.

With warm-hued browns as my sweet spot, I've consistently had these very shades from various beauty brands at an arms reach for my everyday makeup look — I feel like I've tried them all! Recently though, I set out to find a new color combo to try an updated (I suppose TikTok inspired) version of this trend, and I was excited to find two drugstore products that helped me nail the look — for under $30, at that!

First up is the L'Oréal Paris Colour Riche Intense Volume Matte Lipstick in Le Wood Nonchalant ($14), a '90s brown shade which enhances my natural lip color without reading too light or too dark. The consistency of this lipstick is dreamy as well; it's incredibly easy to apply and the formula simply hugs your lips, not to mention, it's quite long-lasting. I also love that this formula contains hyaluronic acid which helps keep the lips moisturized and flake-free all day long.

L'Oréal Paris Colour Riche Intense Volume Matte Lipstick in Le Wood Nonchalant

From

$14

$14 at lorealparisusa.com

Next is the blush — the L'Oréal Paris Radiant Satin Blush with Camellia Oil in Amber ($13) is a near perfect match! It has the same warm rose undertones of Le Wood Nonchalant, and gives off a pigmented, copper-toned hue that instantly warms up my skin. I also adore that both of these products can be built up to great intensity, which makes them easy to match if you want to use a little less product for a subtler finish, too.

L'Oréal Paris Radiant Satin Blush with Camellia Oil in Amber

From

$13

$13 at lorealparisusa.com

I popped the blush onto the apples of my cheeks and swiped on the lippie for an almost-moody '90s neutral-toned look. Both the lipstick shade and cheek color also provide a little luminosity to my face, and the warm undertones play well off of my olive skin. You can do exactly this with other lipstick hues that are a little brighter or poppy, too, like reds or purples — just make sure you're matching your cool undertones and warm undertones together.

Pro tip: if you want to skip using two separate products, we recommend cheating by choosing a multitasking product that you can use on both the lip and cheek area, like the L'Oréal Paris Glow Paradise Lip and Cheek Tint. This formula provides sheer color on the cheeks or lips and comes in six stunning shades, from a neutral peach to poppy pink, and can be used on both areas for a monochrome makeup finish.

Despite my cynicism, I have to say that I do appreciate the re-birth that a trend goes through once it's blasted all over TikTok. Sure, these makeup methods may not always be something totally new, but they've inspired me to rediscover my love for certain beauty trends like this one. And for that, I tip my metaphoric hat to TikTok.