Me in Colourpop’s Ultra Matte Lip, Creeper! My favorite red.
I think there is nothing as classic, timeless, and beautiful as red lipstick. Red lipstick is truly a legendary icon, consistently in style through the decades. It is also a shade that I believe looks amazing on everyone. Literally everyone. I honestly believe that.
A magical thing about red lipstick is that every woman of any skin tone, complexion, and style can rock red lips. I argue that no cosmetic invention is as versatile, immortal, and beautiful. Marie Claire magazine wrote a clear, concise, and fun article about the incredible history of red lipstick, which goes all the way back to at least 3,000 B.C.E. with Mesopotamian women. As a history nerd, I loved this article. Here it is: http://www.marieclaire.com/beauty/makeup/a9742/history-of-red-lipstick/
I’ve met some women who were apprehensive about red lipstick. Sometimes I hear, “It doesn’t look good on me,” “I can’t work it,” or “I’m scared to try it.” To those people: I can’t make you wear red lipstick, but I can positively assure you that you’d look amazing in it. Red lipstick is a classic; everyone looks good in it! You may just need to find the right shade for you.
If you’re new to lipstick, or even makeup in general, you may hear the words “warm” and “cool” thrown around a lot. Don’t worry, it’s not too difficult to understand. Don’t let the makeup jargon stress you out!
Take your hands and place them palms up. Gently bend your wrists backwards and look at your veins. If they are yellowish or greenish in color, you have been blessed with warm-toned skin. If they are bluish or purplish in color, you have been blessed with cool-toned skin. If you tan well when you are out in the sun, you are probably warm-toned. But if you quickly get pink and burn to a crisp lobster like myself, you are probably cool-toned. It is also said that gold jewelry is most flattering on warm-toned skin, while silver jewelry is most flattering on cool-toned skin.
A common misconception is that certain ethnicities will “always be” warm or cool. Some people may assume that all people of African descent are warm-toned, but this isn’t true. Viola Davis and Lupita Nyong’o are cool-toned, with bluish undertones to their skin. Likewise, some people may think that all fair-skinned people of European descent are cool-toned, but Kate Hudson and Emma Stone are actually warm-toned, with yellowish or peach undertones. Of course, skin tone is a spectrum just like anything else, so we all don’t fit neatly into one box or another. These are just generalizations.
With that said, now this should make sense: A warm red lipstick will look most natural on warm-toned women and a cool red lipstick will look most natural on cool-toned women. “Warm red” means undertones of yellow while “cool red” means undertones of blue. See the difference here?
Left: Warm red. Right: Cool red.
Some lucky women are neutral-toned, meaning that they aren’t exactly warm or cool. Their veins may be greenish and bluish. They may tan and burn at the beach. Neutral-toned women have a much larger range of natural-looking red shades when it comes to lipstick because they can wear warm and cool colors equally well. You may even see red lipsticks be described as “neutral red.”
But of course, it is not a felony to wear reds that don’t “match” your skin tone. In fact, I am extremely cool-toned with a pinkish complexion, and I love to wear very bright, bold, warm red lip colors sometimes. It doesn’t look bad; it’s just that it’s not as natural-looking on me as a cool red is. The right red can make your face come alive.
I want to share with you some great red lipsticks from the brand Colourpop, which I have the most experience in playing around with. I believe Colourpop products are very high-quality for their prices. Even if you don’t want to purchase Colourpop or you know already that you don’t like the brand, I hope you can at least find my list to be inspirational. Honestly, Wet ‘N Wild’s matte lipsticks are some of my favorites too. You can find those at CVS or other drugstores at about $1.99 each.
Tips on Lips:
#1: If you are buying lipsticks or any makeup online, don’t look at just the pictures the company’s website shows. Those photos are highly edited and are probably also only showing the lip color on one skin tone and in one particular kind of controlled light. They are a good place to start and get an idea of what the color is like. But I highly, highly recommend looking at pictures of real people wearing the lip color on Pinterest, Instagram, or even Google Images because you will get much more accurate images of what the lipstick truly looks like. Before I buy a product, I always do research. Some lipsticks, even if they are modeled on fair skin like mine on Colourpop’s website, look entirely different in real life on my lips. A perfect example is the shade Avenue, which you will see more about below. In general, it is safe to assume that Colourpop lipsticks look slightly darker than expected on light skin. Lipsticks look different on everyone, so research before you buy!
#2: Lippie Stix score higher in comfort and moisturization, but Ultra Satin Lips and Ultra Matte Lips score higher in longevity. It depends on what you want. In my opinion, here are the only cons of Colourpop’s lip products: If you’re putting on one of the Lippie Stix, prepare to have to touch up slightly throughout the day. If you’re putting on an Ultra Satin Lip, prepare to have a little bit of transfer onto your cup or the cheek of a loved one (but the color won’t come off your lips). If you’re putting on a Ultra Matte Lip, prepare to have a bit of dryness on your lips at the end of the day. Moisturize with some nice lip balm beforehand, and after you take it off too! But Ultra Matte Lips stay put all day long; it’s crazy.
Warm Reds
Mama – Ultra Matte Lip ($6)
This is a beautiful color, sort of an orange-red. “Orange” and “lipstick” sound scary together, but it’s not exactly orange. It’s a stunning twist on your everyday standard red. Because of the burnt-orange tint, it’s probably best for warm-toned skin. But it’s still on my wish list!
Frenchie – Lippie Stix ($5)
Truly a unique color. Neon red! It’s so cute. You’ll definitely turn heads with this one. Pin-up girl vibe. Probably looks best during the summer because it’s so vibrant and happy. I want this one so badly. Très amazing.
Avenue – Ultra Matte Lip ($6)
A great, deep red! Very popular. On my light skin, this is very dark, almost mahogany for some reason. Still pretty, but I just wouldn’t call it “red” on light-skinned, cool-toned women. Be very careful applying and staying in the lines especially if you have light skin because mistakes will stain. However, it’s totally amazing on medium- and dark-skinned women. For ladies with darker skin, this is your go-to red!
Poison – Lippie Stix ($5)
Yet another beautiful red for warm-toned ladies! I don’t own this one, but I think I would find it to be a very wearable red. Since it’s one of the Lippie Stix, it is creamy-feeling and comfortable while still being very pigmented! Poison has just a touch of brown, so it’s a very pretty color. A really nice shade for fall or winter, although, does lipstick really have seasons?…..
Cool Reds
London Fog – Ultra Satin Lip ($6)
A super cute slightly-pinkish red. This color seems to be highly popular and it’s on my wish list! The satin finish provides just a touch of sheen, not too much. I’m really captured by this electrifying color, and anyone who looks at you wearing it will be captured, too!
Creeper – Ultra Matte Lip ($6)
This is my ultimate favorite red. I can confidently say this is my personal go-to red. (I’m wearing it myself at the top of this page!) It’s radiant! As classic as “classic red” could be for cool-toned skin, but I think Creeper would look universally amazing on everyone. Will stay on for hours without transfer onto anything; I can attest to that. Awesome.
Bossy – Lippie Stix ($5)
I have Bossy in my own collection and this is an exquisite red. Yet another red that would look good on absolutely everyone. It’s maybe a tiny bit darker and more muted than Creeper, but they are very similar colors. Bossy, however, is one of the Lippie Stix and not an Ultra Matte Lip, so it will be more creamy-feeling and more comfortable. This one makes you feel like the boss, literally.
Notion – Ultra Matte Lip ($6)
A luscious plum-red! So pretty. A little on the purple side, but still in the red family. Another favorite of mine, however, it bleeds quite easily so make sure your lipliner is strong and defined! Be very careful applying and staying in the lines especially if you have light skin because mistakes will stain. A vampy, bold color for lighter skin and a natural-looking color for darker skin. Very beautiful.
HC XOXO,
Annie
Photos Courtesy Of:
http://cdn.skim.gs/image/upload/v1456337513/msi/lipstick-cool-warm-reds_…
https://edge-azure.dayre.me/user-uploaded/azure-dKBxLCDFLNOKJ0FQvHMG.jpg
https://d2xngy2dw7hums.cloudfront.net/media/photos/products/2016/02/15/c…
http://www.terapeak.com/worth/colour-pop-ultra-matte-lipstick-liquid-ave…
https://fionaseah.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/colourpop-lippie-stix-penc…
http://hilianadevila.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/IMG_9774.jpg
https://beccafaithbeauty.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/img_6522.jpg