Channel your inner red lip: M.A.C Red satin lipstick

I love red lips, when I think about red lips I think of sexuality, rebellion, strength and intelligence. I see Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor or an impeccably dressed alpha woman whose tailored dress and hourglass figure provides the perfect backdrop for the red lips. I am nothing like that, but I still believe that all women must have a red lipstick. It could be worn with a little black dress, or as renown makeup artiste Lisa Eldridge  says "red lips are best worn with a simple cardigan, or a white t-shirt and jeans, that is when it will truly pop."

Elizabeth Taylor (top) and Marilyn Monroe, iconic celebrities who adored a red lip.

Have I sparked your interest in red lipsticks yet? Before we embark on an in depth discussion of the different shades of red lipsticks on the market, I will like to point you towards this interesting article that will give you much insight into the history of red lips.  


Red Lipstick shades:

1. Orange toned red lipstick
Coral red color or hot tomato color looks best on yellow skin tones, or olive skin tones. It will not sit too well on you if you have a cooler skin tone. (Note: You tend to have yellow skin tones if you have green veins on your underarm, and your skin tone is probably cool if you have quite a bit of redness / pink in your skin and your underarm vein color is blue.)

Ex M.A.C. Lady Danger (swatch here)
     Rouge d'Armani 401   (swatch here)

Rouge d'Armani 401 was made famous by songstress Rihanna.

2. Blue toned red lipstick 
Sits best on cool toned skin. It tends to make your teeth look bright and white, so this is one of my favorite red lipsticks (I happen to have neutral toned skin :P). Despite it being best for cooler skin tones, it will also look pretty nice on people with warmer skin tones because the blue in the lipstick will make it pop, and reduce the sallowness of your yellowish skin. Cooler tone lipsticks are usually easier to wear than its warm tone counterpart, so if you are a little on the yellow side and daring, give blue toned red lipsticks a try! 

Ex. Tom Ford Cherry Flush (swatch)
      M.A.C RED ( swatch, + see below).

Ann Hathaway with gorgeous red lips.

3. Neutral Red lipstick

Basically goes with ALMOST any kind of skin tones. If you are new to red lips, maybe you would want to pick out something from this category first. 

Ex. M.A.C. Ruby woo: M.A.C says it is supposed to have a slight blue undertone, but I see it as more of a true red, and good for all skins.  (swatch)
Chanel Rouge Allure Passion 104 (swatch)

Scarlett Johansson and Dita Von Tesse  in classic neutral reds.

4. Deep Red lipstick

In my opinion, dark red lipsticks are the easiest to wear out of all lipstick colors. It pops on pale skin, and it goes well on tanned skin too. If you are quite tan, and bright colored red lipsticks just look it is wearing you, try a deeper red, you will be surprised by great it looks. 

Ex. Chanel Rouge Allure Lover (swatch)

Jessica Alba: tan and rocking a deep red lip.

3 ways I wear my red lipstick:
 Red lipsticks are very versatile, if I only have enough cash for 1 one lipstick, I would probably invest it in a classic red color, than one of those sheer nude ones, because a classic red will give you more to play around with than a lighter color. 

Today I am using M.A.C RED lipstick that Zhaoru kindly loan me to try because I don't own any blue tone lipsticks (rectifying that soon with some makeup shopping :P). M.A.C. RED is a blue tone lipstick with a purple undertone. It has a classic satin finish and is not drying like Rubywoo. It is also quite long lasting, I was able to wear it for a good 6 hours, which is nice. 

1. As a lip stain 
TIP: Before you wear a red lipstick, I recommend exfoliating your lip first otherwise the color will emphasize on your peeling dry lips. I usually brush my lips with my toothbrush or use a wet cotton bud and roll it around my lips to remove dead skin.

 The first way I use my red lipsticks is as a lip stain. This is good for just adding color to your face, and brightening up your skin without being over bearing. It is a look good for work. It is also easy and fuss free because you don't have to worry about following your lip shape or lipstick bleeding throughout the day, just get enough product from the lipstick onto your finger and  dab it all over your lips. The result is a rosy, kissable lips that looks very natural.

2. As a satin full red lip

 To wear a full on lip, you will probably need a lip pencil. The lip pencil will help you create the perfect lip shape as well as prevent bleeding of the lipstick outside of your lips through the day (all red lipsticks bleed btw). Here I am using M.A.C lip pencil in Cherry, also courtesy of Zhaoru. I find it hard to draft a lip shape on my nude lip just like that so what I usually do is use my lipstick and apply it on my lips to get some sort of a shape. Then I will use my lip pencil and feather in the outline (do not DRAW the outline, it will make your lips look fake and harsh) according to the shape I already have. Finally I apply the lipstick again, now following the shape I've already created with my lip pencil. Blot your lips once with tissue paper and reapply the lipstick a second time, to make sure the color stays on for a longer time. This look is good for brunch, shopping trip, dinners.

3. Glossy Red Lips

Glossy red lips are the boldest way you can wear a red lipstick. I usually wear it to a wedding dinner, or maybe clubbing, places where you need to look very put together. If you have already mastered the full red lip, glossy red lip is simple, just apply gloss over it. :P You could use a colorless gloss, like urban decay lip junkie lip gloss in naked, or choose a gloss color that is similar to the red lipstick you are wearing. 

 I forgot to take a picture of myself with glossy red lips, I leave you with Kim K in gorgeous glossy lips.

That's all folks! Hope you find this entry useful. Last words, make sure you wear your red lips with confidence, don't let the red wear you instead! 

xoxo, 

Nicole.