How to Wear Red Lipstick

Hello, everyone! It's been crazy for me these last couple of weeks, and it's got me seriously behind in my blogging which I have missed so much! Following up on my last post about wearing red lipstick, I thought it would be fun to discuss how one should correctly wear red lipstick--not that I'm an expert, but I do love makeup and do lots of research on such things in my spare time. So I thought I would pass along what I have learned for those of you who are interested. 

I have always heard that red lipstick is flattering on everyone, so long as it's the right shade.  Well, any 30-second stroll down the cosmetics isle at your local drugstore will show you that choosing the best shade of red may be a little more daunting than initially thought.  The good news, however, is that as long as you know the basics of selecting the right shade, it's all easy from there. 

Essentially, you want to choose a shade of lipstick that compliments your skin tone.  Skin tone is basically broken down into three categories: cool, warm and neutral.  Not sure which one you are?  A quick way to tell is jewelry: if silver jewelry looks good on you, but gold clashes or washes you out (like me!), then you have a cool skin tone.  On the contrary, if gold looks best on you, then you are warm-toned.  However, some lucky people are flattered by either gold or silver jewelry; in this case, your skin is neutrally toned. 

If you still have doubts, go by the color of your skin.  If you are fair, then you will be most flattered by a cool, blue-red. (An orangey-red would be to glaringly bright against such fair skin.) Look for something with berry tones or a very deep crimson red.    If your skin color is medium or tan, you will probably look better wearing a red that has more of an orange (warm) base.  However, you could also get away with wearing a peppery red.  You will probably want to stay clear of the extremely dark reds, however. If you have very dark skin, you will definitely want to choose a red that provides enough contrast to your skin tone, and orangey reds are a good bet for this.  If you choose something too dark, it will wash out your complexion.

So you have your color, now what...? Something I'm just dying to try is an invisible lip liner. (And can I just say WHAT a brilliant idea that is! One lip liner to go with every lipstick!!) However, I have yet to purchase and test this alleged miracle product.  One of the most common problems with wearing red lipstick is that it tends to bleed.  Not that other colors of lipstick don't, but since red is the brightest of lipsticks, the bleeding is more obvious than with other colors.  A quick fix for this (and a neat trick for any lipstick) is to:

1) Exfoliate your lips before applying makeup (you can do this by dabbing some sugar on them and lightly brushing them with a warm, wet washcloth).

2) Apply foundation over your lips as you apply to your face. (Long-wearing is especially good for this.)

3) Apply lipstick, then blot twice.  Re-apply lipstick and blot again. 

4) Apply lip gloss if desired.

By the way, can I just add that two of my favorite reds at the moment are: Maybelline ColorSensational Lipcolor - Hot Tamale and Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick - Coral Crush.  I hope you enjoyed this post, and I wanna know what your favorite red is too!  Happy Friday everyone! =)