Your perfect RED lipstick
Wear red lipstick and walk with a spring in your step! Red lipstick is always in good taste, classic, elegant, feminine, sexy and timeless. But which red should you wear? There are so many different shades. Here’s how to find and wear YOUR perfect red lipstick.
Match your red lipstick to the rest of your makeup
Depending on the occasion, it’s important to make sure that your makeup goes with your lipstick and gives a harmonious look. For a chic evening out, there’s no problem with a smoky eye or a dramatic look but for a daytime event or work, go for a softer look on the eyes. No eye makeup (or just a little mascara) with a lovely cherry red lipstick can look very glamorous. Or go for neutral tones and a discreet eye makeup so that you emphasize your lips and don’t look too made-up…
Go gently with blush too. You could do without and just structure your cheekbones with a bronzing powder. Use a light shade, neither pink nor orange. Earth tones like beige or mocha will look best. Use a really light touch when you apply your blush.
If you wear nail polish, a nice red on your nails would create a balanced look. But make sure that it’s the same red or at least in the same colour family (warm or cool red) as your lipstick. A blue-red lipstick with an orangey red nail polish will not be visually interesting. If you’re not sure, go for a French manicure, nude nails, transparent or black polish. Black polish and its variants have been really trendy for many years now.
Choose the right red for your complexion and your features
Thin lips
If you have very thin lips, go for a transparent gloss or a red lip balm which will give them a delicate veil of colour without saturating them. If you wear a deep or dark red, your lips will look even thinner. The more pearly the product, the more flattering the effect.
Yellow teeth
You should normally avoid red lipstick if you smoke, drink a lot of coffee or simply have yellow teeth. You’ve got two options. The first is obviously to whiten your teeth at the dentist’s or do it yourself with kits available on the market. The other option is to cheat by choosing a shade of red that doesn’t accentuate yellow. Avoid purplish or mauve-toned reds and go for a cherry red or other bluish red shade.
Redness, broken veins and rosacea
As with yellow teeth, it’s not advisable to wear red lipstick but here again you have two options. The first is to camouflage your redness with a correcting foundation/concealer. The second option, if you really love red, is to choose a shade which doesn’t accentuate the redness such as pinkish, fuchsia or violet toned reds.
Complexion
Before choosing a lipstick colour, determine what colour your complexion is.
First, is it warm or cool? To find out, here are a few clues. Cool complexions are often pale, with pink undertones and burn easily in the sun. Warm complexions have yellow or olive undertones or can be dark. These skin types will tan easily. So if you’re « cool », choose pure red, blue-red or pinkish red. If you’re “warm”, go for orangey, rust or coppery reds.
Then, there is the saturation level of colour in your skin; it could be light, medium or dark. If you have light skin, opt for a red with a blue or brown undertone, this will brighten your look. Go for luminous shades which are not too dark. The lighter the skin, the more the red will stand out so it’s up to you what kind of effect you want to produce! ;-). If you have medium skin, you can wear deeper reds, with a brown, gold or copper base but anyway you have many choices. Dark skins should be enhanced with more intense reds. Fire-engine red looks great on dark skin. Pinkish, fuchsia, orangey or coral reds look good too.
Hair colour
Hair colour can be a good guide to choosing your perfect red. Blondes look god with warm reds with gold undertones. Brunettes can go for bluish red. Flaming redheads can also wear bluish red but darker redheads or auburn-haired girls should try copper, gold or brownish reds.
Clothes
Apart from gala evenings or balls, the brighter the colour of your outfit, the less bright your lipstick should be. A little black dress looks great with bright red lipstick as does a chic white suit. Weekend looks are great with red lipstick too, try it with jeans and a white shirt or wear it any time with grey, charcoal or black clothes. If you like to wear beige, go for warm, coppery or gold-toned reds.
As I said before, a touch or red elsewhere on the body, such as the nails will create a harmonious look. Try a thin red belt or red stilettos, a red bracelet, watch, brooch or hair accessory, etc.
Applying your red lipstick
As red is the colour, along with burgundy, fuchsia and other dark colours, that is the most visible, you can’t allow any mistakes, or imperfections. So I recommend you use a lip primer which will help your lipstick last longer. You can also powder your lips before applying the lipstick and finish with a corrector brush and some concealer around the lip contour. You can also get lip barrier pencils which are transparent and very useful to prevent the lipstick from bleeding (apply a lip pencil). It’s a really good idea to outline the lip contour with a pencil that matches your lipstick, never darker. The pencil will help to make the lipstick last longer and will give a more defined look. Finally, add a final touch, blot your lips on a tissue to get rid of excess product. Don’t add a gloss because this will make the lipstick “bleed”.
You could also add a fashionable touch, a little lipstick applied with the finger, patting it on from the centre of the lips, not extending to the contour. This gives a doll-like look. It’s fine for full lips because it makes them look thinner.
Mentally prepare yourself
Your lipstick should match your mood. If you feel tired and lonely, go for natural colours because if you wear red, you’re certain to attract attention. There are colours to match your mood and red = confidence. You should get out of bed on the right side if you want to wear red. But don’t be afraid of this colour. It’s a great colour for brightening your day and giving you confidence. Go gradually if you’re not used to it. Begin with a red gloss which will give you a more subtle red, then add colour as you feel more confident. Try different shades at home. When you find your perfect red, you’ll probably find that red lipstick suits you better than you thought it would. Just look at the Hollywood stars like Gwen Stefani, Dita Von Teese, Christina Aguilera and Scarlett Johansson, who all wear red lipstick. They look great and yet they all have a different style.…