Is there an unconscious choice to your lip colour?
Choosing a new lip colour can be a fun and exciting job, but just how much does the colour say about you?
New research has revealed that people make instant judgements about a woman’s personality from the shade of lip colour they’re 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.
The study, commissioned by Avon UK 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 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.
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