Purple is a bold color that might seem difficult to match with the right makeup. Here's how to pick a shade of lipstick that complements a purple dress.
First, view your dress in natural light, and in light similar to the light where you'll be wearing the dress. Determine whether the purple is more reddish or bluish. The former calls for warmer lipstick shades, and the latter calls for cooler lipstick shades.
More importantly, the lipstick needs to look good on you, not just match the dress. Take a look at your hair, eye and skin colors. Are there predominantly warmer (golden and green) or cooler (blue and pink) tones? Warm-toned people look good in golds and sheer, warm plum. Cool-toned people look good in sheer, cool purples and berry hues. Beige shades work well on both.
Feel free to play with lipstick shades at the cosmetics counter. Bring a swatch of the dress if you can.