I wish I had a Yves Saint Laurent lipstick for every time a woman told me she cannot pull off the red lips look. I would be able to match every outfit to a perfect shade. Perhaps in another life. In this life, however, I want you to know that you can pull off absolutely anything you WANT to pull off. Fashion is experimentation, style, is having the courage to wear something you love and something you feel great in.
I first discovered red lipstick like any aspiring Spice Girl. It was 1997 and I was wearing my mother’s favorite green satin shirt as a dress, the buttons were undone to reveal my healed chickenpox. Gold clip-on hoop earrings took away from my long blond locks that went untamed, until my mother forced me to look like a lady for school the next day.
I went into my very own makeup box I had gotten for Christmas a few weeks before, and as the only girl in the family, it was definitely a one of a kind makeup box. It was far too advanced for the cosmetic talents of a seven year old.
I grabbed the red, smeared it across my lips, grabbed my favorite stuffed animal and flounced downstairs to announce to my father that I was wearing that very outfit to school the next day. English primary schools with school uniforms do not take kindly to burlesque-looking seven year -olds. Needless to say, I think he had an early introduction of what to expect in my later years.
Fast forward fourteen years, and I finally have figured out how to wear the perfect red, maybe not pairing it with green was a start.
The first rule of thumb with any product is quality over quantity. If you have one shade you love, wear that shade, rock that shade, and keep a steady supply of it handy. Know your skin tone and what looks good, for paler skin tones, stick to a neutral ‘blue-based’ tones. For medium and darker skin tones, brighter, orange hues will compliment you best and will make your lips pop!
Splurge on a fancy red lipstick, only one. Grabbing this little shiny, golden gem from my clutch makes me feel instantly unstoppable. This was my first big-girl lipstick and I have been in love with it ever since… find one that you are in love with!
My Red Lips Pick: Yves Saint Laurent, Rouge Pur Couture in Le Rouge.
(www.yslbeautyus.com, $32)
For fair skin tones:
Yves Saint Laurent, Rouge Pur Couture in Rouge Saadi (A bluer undertone of this shade allows the lips to compliment your skin tone without being too overbearing.)
MAC lipstick in Russian Red, (www.maccosmetics.com, $14.50) This shade honestly compliments almost anyone. It is stunning, yet classy. The Jackie-O of red lip shades.
For darker skin tones:
Both of the above will compliment you, it really is fair skin women who have to make sure the color and shade really does compliment their skin. I like a darker, deeper red that has strong hues.
My pick for you: NARS lipstick in Afghan Red, ($24, www.sephora.com.)
The second is soft lips. Primer, primer, primer. Exfoliate your lips and add a base to moisturize well, my favourite is Vaseline. It locks moisture in, especially during chilly months. On the go, chapstick works great! After the moisture sets In, you are ready to use primer so that your lip shade is fade-proof. My pick: MAC Prep + Prime Lip (www.maccosmetics.com, $15).
Red lips are classically feminine, and can change the tone of an entire outfit. I absolutely adore red lips, and I really do think they look great on every woman. You really can rock this look, but you have to own it. Find YOUR shade, and wear it. If not now, then when can you.