WHEN it comes to bringing fiery color to the face, I think red lipstick is a gorgeous look to wear anytime, even if there’s no special occasion. After all, people have been donning red lip color across different cultures for hundreds, or possibly even thousands, of years. Although it doesn’t have to take on some ritualistic meaning, it is easy to incorporate a red lip into your daily beauty ritual. Here are some tips for the easy way to wear a red lip:
Start with a smudge-resistant, soft-finish lipstick. It’s no fun having to deal with a drying formula or color that runs astray, especially with red lipstick, which is very noticeable if it transfers anywhere. Sunnies Face Fluffmatte lipstick in Major has been hailed across local and international beauty blogs and online articles as one of the best red lipsticks currently available in the market. It’s personally one of my all-time favorite red lipsticks because it’s the perfect flattering red in a comfortable formula. NARS, Inglot, Bobbi Brown, MAC, Chanel, Shiseido, Estee Lauder, Sephora Collection and Avon all offer various beautiful reds to suit any skin tone, and come in a number of finishes, from matte to satin.
For a red lip at daytime, the barer, the better when it comes to skin. If you have great skin and can pull off wearing no base, good for you! For those of us who need a little assistance, dab the tiniest bit of concealer only where needed, then dust the face with a translucent or low-coverage powder. Sheer BB cream is also okay to even out skin tone. With makeup, it’s best to do whatever you like, but for me personally, a high-coverage, super matte foundation paired with a red lipstick is a bit much for daytime.
Leave the skin as is, or add a soft-finish highlighter across the cheekbones and a bit on the brow bones to add glow without a lot of color to keep the focus on the lips.
You don’t have to do anything with your eyes, but I feel like mine need to be balanced out when I’m wearing a red lip. I swipe on a thin streak of black liquid eyeliner, curl my lashes and apply mascara. Sometimes I’ll skip the eyeliner, but I feel like my droopy eye shape needs the lift.
To finish the face with just enough definition, groom the brows as you like. Again, makeup is a “you do you” thing, but for me, I prefer not to darken the brows too much when wearing a red lip. I just fill in and shape them a bit with a brow pencil close to my natural brow color, and I’m good to go.