Seasons come and go, yet one thing remains the same…the timeless red lip. This week we will take a look at how to pucker your pout red…and make it last.

Once upon a time, women would take berries and stain their lips for attention. Nowadays, we aren’t so primitive in our method, but the idea remains the same.

In order to master the red lip, there are a couple things to consider, such as the tone of red, the formula and also the way you prep your skin.

Tone is important for choosing a red that is right for you. Reds come in “blue-red,” “orange-red,” or even “pink-red” and “burgundy-red.” Burgundy red is really a beautiful choice for fall. Look at the runway this season and you will see the color everywhere labelled as “Bordeaux.” Burgundy is very seductive. Those with less than perfectly white teeth should avoid this color, however, until a package of Crest White Strips is utilized! “Pink-Red” is a nice option for those girlie girls who don’t want to make the full commitment to “red.” It can sometimes be softer than other reds and is more forgiving in the teeth department. An “Orange Red” is truly meant for a special client and is a more difficult color to pull off. Someone with golden undertones in their skin will look fabulous in an “orange red.” “Blue-Red” is one of my favorite types of red as it is a most universal red. Sometimes mistaken to be a deep berry red, this one can be worn recreationally and for major events. For those with a flexible budget, Giorgio Armani’s “Rouge D’Armani Rouge 400” lipstick is THE red! Its consistency is amazing and it truly stays. For those on a budget, I enjoy any L’Oreal long wear lip stain from the drug store paired with an equally inexpensive lip gloss for shine.

The best secret to making a red lip last is the way you prep your lips. A clear wax-based lip liner will save your red from bleeding all over your face. Shiseido makes an amazing version. I recommend tracing just outside your lip line to create a barrier for the red. Take whichever red you are wearing and begin to apply. Smack your lips together until it becomes a stain. Now go back over your lips with your lipstick. What you are doing is creating a base for your red to last much longer. If you care to, you may apply a lip liner in the same color as your red to the lip lines. This will make the lips look super polished.

Another trick to create that perfect lip is to take a tiny bit of concealer or highlighter and apply to the bow of the lips. This makes the lips look juicy and full. You can trace all the way around and blend outward, however, I prefer just applying the concealer into the bow of the lips and blending.

Next take your powder and set above your lip area so that way if you sweat, you will not entice the red to bleed upward.

The last step when wearing any lip color is the “smile check.” Please smile at yourself so that you can see if you are wearing the color on your teeth as well as lips. Remove excess.

I love pairing a red lip with a neutral eye, however, this season we are seeing more seductive eyes matched with a red lip. Very dramatic. Very beautiful indeed.

Love and Beauty,

-E-

This entry was posted on Monday, September 26th, 2011 at 8:09 am and is filed under Beauty, Health & Living. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.