Tweet
- Photo: Stock.Xchng
The recent surge in sales of red lipstick at Selfridges, which has risen by over 35 per cent over the last year, has resurrected a classic beauty product which although accentuates one of women’s most prized physical attributes, the lips, also tends to be a big responsibility to maintain.
The preparation
Terry Barber, the director of make-up artistry at MAC, described red lipstick as the stiletto heel of make-up. Just as one would clean and beautify one’s foot before putting on a stiletto heel, the preparation to applying red lipstick is similar. First gently brush away dead skin cells from your lips by using an old toothbrush. Secondly apply a balm to blot away any surplus skin cells. This process will make your lips look naturally redder and plumper. One of the integral parts of the preparation is the use of the lip liner. The lip liner prevents ‘bleeding’ into the skin above and below the lips and helps you to create the correct shape for your lips.
The right shade
- Photo: Stock.Xchng
Celebrity makeup artist Jemma Kidd is quoted in the December 2005 issue of Harper’s Bazaar as saying that pinker complexions suit plum shades of red better whilst more yellow tone complexions go well with warmer shades of red that have a brown base.
Terry Barber rebukes this by saying that he doesn’t confine red lipstick to skin tone but according to him, different shades of red suits different occasions such as a blue shade of red is seen as for formal occasions whilst an orange red is more for casual events. The ultimate way to distinguish for yourself the correct shade for you is to try different shades and see which one suits you the best.
Making your lips stand out
In order to make the most out of your red lipstick, look to stars such as Marilyn Monroe, Dita Von Teese and Nicole Kidman for makeup ideas. What these stars have in common is that in order to play-up their red lips, they play down the rest of their features. A simple tip is to forgo eyeliner and just wear mascara (black or brown) on both your top and bottom eyelashes and wear little if any blusher. This will make your look more classic and elegant.
Keeping it all in place
- Photo: Georges Biard / Wikimedia Commons
In order to make sure that your lipstick stays on, blot it and reapply it a couple of times. Apply some powder on the lips with a large brush before the last time that you apply the lipstick. The powder is used to give texture for the colour to hang on to.
Inner confidence
David Walker-Smith the Beauty Director for Selfridges said that ‘Red lipsticks are on the up because women want to feel sexy. It instantly changes your appearance, boosts, morale and sexuality.’ The only way to really be able to pull off red lipstick is to wear it with confidence because it looks best on lips that are smiling.
Leave a Response