Best Brown Lipstick Shade

Noelle's beauty stats: 23; long curly chestnut brown hair; brown eyes; combination skin; part African-American, part Irish and German. Keeps skin clear by exfoliating and moisturizing daily.

"I always thought brown sounded drab, but this rich shade is anything but."

Colleen's beauty stats: 34; brown-black hair; green eyes; fair skin; extremely low-maintenance beauty routine.

"Love this one. I would definitely buy this color. It's bold without being garish."

Judy's beauty stats: 30; colored and highlighted hair that's naturally black; combination skin; dark brown eyes. Always moisturizes at night and wears sunscreen during the day.

"This shade of brown is my new favorite lipstick color. I need it!"

Pro tip: This color worked on everyone because it's not too muddy or too orange, says NYC makeup artist Agata Smentek.

Erin's beauty stats: 40; medium-length, curly hair (sometimes flat-ironed when it's not raining); bright red hair not showing any gray (yet); blue eyes; highly pale white skin with freckles; mostly Irish with some French-Canadian thrown in. Uses a heavy moisturizer at night and a lighter one during the day. Seriously cranky without eight hours of sleep every night.

"I have been rockin' the brown lipstick lately — I pair it with a blue shadow liner and coppery blush. This particular brown was working with my pale-as-skim-milk skin tone without making me look like a runner-up at the Ms. Goth 2009 contest."

Wendy's beauty stats: 40-ish; naturally wavy highlighted hair with a mind of its own; blue/green eyes; dry skin with some visible laugh lines; dark circles not at all helped by a horrendous commute each day!

"Brown was a color I avoided because I thought it would make me look washed out. Instead, this shade gives me a warm glow and now it's one of my favorite new lipsticks."

Elizabeth's beauty stats: 24; very thick, wavy brown hair (never color-treated) either worn natural or flat-ironed, combination skin that can get very dry in the winter, dark brown eyes, part Italian/Syrian/German.

"This shade shocked me. I could never picture myself in brown, but I would absolutely wear this on a fun night out, it's so different"

Nina's beauty stats: 32; Filipino-American; dark thick curly hair worn naturally; dark eyes; combination skin.

"I tend to gravitate towards brownish lip colors, so I was really comfortable with this look. It's definitely something I would wear out."

Camille's beauty stats: mid-30s; African-American; brown eyes; dry skin; coarse, chemically processed hair.

"Earth tones work best for me, especially since I usually wear neutral eye shadow colors. This brown lipstick hue is bold and balances out the rest of my makeup."