While summer was all about the soft pinks and bright corals, lips are getting a bold overhaul for the new season. Fall trends are calling for deep plums and rich mauves for your pout, and you'll find that there's a color for everyone -- even the Chapstick-wearer in the corner who dares to maybe wear tinted lip balm for a night out.

See the fall 2011 lip trends now.

We get it: Bold lipstick can be intimidating. What if it bleeds, flakes, or worse -- leaves red stains on your man's crisp white shirt? Even those of us who've dabbled with the coral colors of summer may find these hues for fall pretty daring. But with all these gorgeous colors, it'd be a crying shame if we didn't partake. That's why we talked to Jessie Powers, Make Up For Ever National Educator, who filled us in on how to wear these fall lip trends. Turns out it's all about choosing the right hue for your skin tone and undertones.

So whether you're a lipstick newbie or bonafide beauty junkie, there's never been a better time to break out of your lip box and experiment. Here's how to do it right.

Before you even think about colors, you need to determine your skin's undertones in order to find the most flattering hue for your skin. Take these three tests to figure out whether you're "warm" or "cool."

• Wear a pure white towel or bathrobe and wrap your hair in another white towel in your bathroom and look at your skin in a mirror (the white helps the color under your skin be more pronounced). If your skin looks blue-ish, you have cool undertones. If it looks yellow-ish, you have warm undertones.

• Hold a silver piece of jewelry as well as a gold piece against your skin: Which one looks better? Try not to think about your taste preferences. If the silver looks more harmonious on your skin, you have cool undertones. If the gold looks better, you have warm undertones.

• Go out in the sunlight and look at the veins on your underarm. If your veins look blue-ish or blue-purple, you have cool undertones. If they look yellow or green, you have warm undertones.

When you know what your undertones are, you're ready to find the perfect fall lip color for you.

The first step to having flawless lip color is creating a smooth base. Follow these tips to get flake-free lips:

Once a week: Exfoliate your lips with a lip exfoliator like h.wood.beauty h.wood.lips Lip Tea Scrub, $20. Or you can make your own scrub at home. Mix a tablespoon of virgin olive oil with a pinch of brown sugar and lightly rub the mixture over your lips to remove any flakes.

Right before lip color application: Apply a lip balm and let it absorb for a couple of minutes. Then blot it off so that the lipstick doesn't slip off.

Now that your lips are prepped, let's look at the hot new lip colors for fall.

One of the hottest fall lip trends is lips that look like they spent some time sipping a bottle of wine. Merlot-stained lips are a rich hue that anyone can pull off, says Powers. "Burgundy is a classic shade that really draws attention to your lips."

To choose the right hue for you:

For fair skin tones: "If the contrast between your red lips and fair skin is too much, you can always opt for a gloss," says Powers. "The transparent nature of a gloss will let a little of your natural lip color come through and soften the overall contrast between lip color and skin." Try CoverGirl NatureLuxe Gloss Balm in Peony, $6.49.

For medium skin tones: Choose a rich opaque burgundy. If you have cool undertones, try a blue red (like Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupte Silky Sensual Lipstick SPF 15 in Red Taboo, $34); warm undertones, try an orange base (like Clinique Long Last Lipstick in Vintage Wine, $14.50).

For dark skin tones: Opt for a deep burgundy in a glossy finish. "Deep skin tones can get away with pushing the envelope with vampy dark lipsticks, so be daring and choose a color that looks almost too dark to wear," says Powers. Try Nars Lipstick in Viridiana, $24.

For the women who shy away from a red lip -- but still want to play with color -- Powers says this rich color is a flattering alternative.

To choose the right hue for you:

For fair skin tones: Choose something bright but pink-y. "This should look almost like you've been biting your lips," says Powers. Try Dior Dior Addict Lipstick in Show 778, $28.

For medium skin tones: Go for a true berry hue like a bright raspberry. Try Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense in #34, $19.

For dark skin tones: Choose a deep raspberry shade with a sheer texture, like CoverGirl Queen Collection LipPerfection Lipcolor in Regal Raspberry, $6.99.