Lipstick aisles in pharmacies can be overwhelming.

How is anyone meant to figure out exactly which shade of red or pink or coral will suit them best out of the thousands of options to choose from?

“What lipstick suits me?!”you cry, with every available space on your hands smeared with swatches of different lipsticks.

But don’t worry, because choosing a lipstick shade doesn’t have to be daunting. We asked a makeup artist for the simple, easy-to-understand tricks for finding the perfect lippie for you.

Types of lipsticks 101.

If we’re going to split lipsticks into two groups, they are either blue-based or orange-based.(And nudes, but that’s a conversation for another day.)

Blue-based.

Orange-based.

Luckily, Maybelline New York has done the hard work for you! Their new Color Sensational Made For All Lipstick range features six universal lipstick shades that sit perfectly between blue-based and orange-based tones. These shades were tested and proven flattering on 50 (!!) different skin tones, meaning you’ll find a shade to suit you among these lippies. Here’s a little preview from their Instagram:

So, what lipstick suits me?

The good news? According to Aussie celebrity makeup artist Monica Gingold, the lipstick that suits you best is whichever one you pick up, swipe on your lips and wear with a big, confident smile.

“When it comes to choosing lipstick, there are a few things to consider, like skin colour, hair colour, eye colour, the clothes you wear and what you like,” she toldMamamia.

“There is no blanket rule that ‘blondes must wear X’ or ‘people with a darker skin tone should wear Y’. It’s more than one factor that determines if a colour suits you. If you put the same lipstick on five different people, it will likely show up slightly different on everyone. So go with what makes you feel great.”

That said, if you’re looking for a bit more guidance in which lipstick to choose for your hair and eye colours, skin tones, outfit and/or occasion, here are five helpful tips.

1. Lipstick to compliment your skin tone.

Google ‘what lipstick suits me’ and you’ll find a bunch of guides that dictate which lipstick shades work best for different skin tones.

While we reckon you really can wear whichever colour you want, you can also use your skin’s undertone to help sift through the 14,264,685 shades of lipsticks in the world.

Generally speaking, all of us have one of three undertones to our skin: cool/pink, warm/yellow or neutral.

An easy way to figure out your undertone is: ignoring what you would normally wear, hold up a piece of gold jewellery and a piece of silver jewellery to your face and ask yourself, which piece of jewellery looks the best against your skin tone?

As a very, very loose guide – gold jewellery looks great with warmer skin tones, and silver jewellery looks equally great against cooler skin tones.

From here, you can narrow down your lipstick shade search:

Yes, it is 100 per cent possible to look fabulous in both silver and gold (and rose gold!), but if you’re stuck deciding between two very similar shades of pink, this could help you make up your mind.

Cooler skin tones work well with blue-based reds. Image: Getty.

A deeper red or plum/burgundy can also be blue-based. Image: Getty.

Corals and oranges look incredible on warmer skin tones. Image: Getty.

How beautiful does this orange lipstick look?