Lipstick or clear gloss? A naked eye or a smoky one? Simple and fresh-faced or contoured and highlighted?

These are some of the questions that women ask themselves when trying to up their chances of getting male attention.

And from the research, I’ve done, the results are mixed.

For example, Bustle cites an analysis done by the dating app Zoosk comparing how many messages female profiles received based on whether women were made up or bare-faced.

In a nutshell?

Women wearing makeup received three times as many male responses.

However, the study does not specify the exact amount or intensity of the makeup, which leaves women unsure of precisely what things to add or subtract from their makeup routine.

Byrdie provides more clarity on this issue, revealing that many men like makeup on a woman only when worn in moderation.

But before you throw out all your lipstick and decide to switch to gloss, there’s one other fact you need to consider.

Lipstick is the one area where bolder may be better.

For example, Stylecaster mentions a University of Manchester study where fifty men looked at images of either red-lipped, pink-lipped, or bare-lipped women. The study revealed:

“Men spent an average of 7.3 seconds staring at the women wearing red lipstick, 6.7 at the pink-lipped ladies, and only 2.2 seconds at those who wore no lipstick.”

The publication also reports ruby-lipped waitresses are tipped more than servers who had other lipstick shades on or no lip color at all.

This love of red lipstick may be because red has long been associated with desire and seduction (think Marilyn Monroe and other pin-up beauties).

And this fact reveals itself not only in male preferences for lips but also for clothes of the same color.

The Bottom Line:

If you’ve been wanting to experiment or try out some new looks, there’s no harm in playing around with hair color, makeup, and clothing. You may even find a “trial run” helps you discover a part of yourself you never knew existed.

However, there are certain things that all women should remember.

• You should never change your personal style simply to make a man happy.
• What makes you feel most beautiful is when you are most beautiful.
• No hairstyle, lipstick color, or mini dress will ever produce what’s most beautiful in a woman: kindness, confidence, and a sparkle that resonates only from the inside out.