Switching to a Darker Lip for Autumn? What Your Lip Shade Says About You

Sept. 12, 2013 - PRLog -- New research has revealed that people make instant judgments about a woman’s personality from the shade of lipstick they are wearing. The conscious choice of selecting lip colour for a job interview, first date or to meet a partner’s family for the first time is subliminally linked to how a woman feels and how she is perceived by others.

KEY FINDINGS

·         70 per cent of women surveyed admitted they judge women who wear dark lip shades as unfriendly
·         Over half of women surveyed said they felt more confident when wearing a bright lip shade, however less than six per cent of women would choose a bright colour for an interview
·         Over 80 per cent of women surveyed perceived those who wear a bright lipstick as confident
·   Over 85% of women believe women who wear paler shades are shy

The study, commissioned by Avon UK[1] to coincide with the launch of the new Avon True Colour make-up range, explored the lipstick colour choices of women across the UK.

Over 80 per cent of women who took part in the survey said they perceive bright lipstick wearers as being confident and almost 60 per cent of women said bright lip colour signals friendliness. Despite this, less than six per cent of women said they would defy convention and choose to wear a bright colour themselves for a job interview.

Renowned colour psychologist, Angela Wright, an expert on the affective properties of colour, comments, “Red has the ability to draw people and grab attention, so can make you memorable in an interview or new social situation. However, red shades also represent a competitive streak and if worn when dressed all in black, could be perceived as aggressive. When paired correctly, bright colours such as red can portray openness and exude a friendly vibe.”

In addition to confidence, women reported feeling sexier when wearing bright lipstick with over a third of women surveyed stating they would opt for a brighter shade for a first date.

Wright comments, “As a psychological primary colour, red is physically stimulating, raising the pulse rate and physical energy. This is a reflection of the body’s reaction when aroused, so when wearing red to a first date, make sure you aren’t making a statement bolder than your intentions.”

Overwhelmingly, 85 per cent of women surveyed said they perceive women who wear paler shades as shy. However, over 60 per cent of women stated that they would wear paler colours for situations such as a job interview, their first day of work and meeting their partner’s family for the first time.

Wright comments, “Women connect pale lipstick with being reserved and socially shy. But when it comes to themselves, many women seem to choose a pale lip shade for an occasion, preferring not to risk attracting too much attention. Pale or nude lipstick colours are the safe option. For them, putting on a bright red lipstick would actually cause their confidence to shrivel. Whilst bright red lipstick communicates confidence, it does not actually build confidence in the less self-assured.”

Revealingly, almost 70 per cent of women surveyed said that they perceive women who wear darker shades of lipsticks as unfriendly and only 22 per cent of women admitted to wearing dark shades. However, as many as a quarter of women (24 per cent) said they would choose a dark shade for a work Christmas party.

Wright comments, “Colour comes from reflected light and the darker the colour, the less light is being reflected. In the case of black, it gives nothing away. A dark lipstick is often unconsciously adopted as a security blanket, indicating a person has something they don’t want to reveal which may be perceived as unfriendly. Interestingly as many as a quarter of women would wear a dark shade to a work Christmas party signalling they may not want to be as open with or as warm to colleagues or may even want to fend off unwanted amorous advances.”

Finally, when asked the question which is the one colour lipstick a woman should never be without, the most common responses were a shade of red or nude. Colour expert, Angela Wright concludes that this could be an indication of the inherent spilt between those who are intrinsically shy versus those who are confident.

Emma Malone, Avon European brand manager for colour says, “Every woman knows how a great shade of lipstick makes her feel, but it’s interesting to see how these shades are perceived by others. The powerful red lip has long been associated with confidence and sexiness but this research reveals the woman behind the pale nudes and dark shades too. With 60 True Colour shades to choose from, Avon’s new range enables every woman to find the perfect colour to show their true personality.”

Avon’s new make-up range comprises of 60 lip and 17 highly pigmented eye colours. The Avon R&D team performed extensive research and found that colour pigments, no matter how vivid, are obscured by an opaque base. They identified that in order to create ‘true’ colour it was necessary to develop an entirely new base – one which is translucent. The translucent base allows colours to appear true and vibrant on every skin tone so for the first time the colour on the packet of the lipstick will be the ‘true’ colour on lips.

[1]The research was conducted by independent research agency, Censuswide. This consisted of a survey which questioned over 1,000 UK women aged 16+

For more information contact:
Stephanie Murray – Rain Communications
Stephanie.murray@raincommunications.co.uk 0207 828 0118