“Heels and red lipstick puts the fear of God into people,” burlesque star Dita Von Teese famously once said.
Hells yeah – there’s just something about a perfect red pout that screams sexy & gives you an instant sense of grandeur, and, better yet, it’s a look that can be created in just a few minutes.
However, it is important to know how to apply your lippy, so you look more like Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s than Heath Ledger in Batman. Tread carefully…
Know your colours
The shade of your red lipstick should be chosen in relation to your skin tone, in order to accentuate your features as best as you can. For example, candy-apple red looks great with porcelain skin, brick red suits medium skin and for darker skin, try purple-red. Try on as many as possible to find the shade that makes you look brighter, fresher & more radiant.
Don’t overdo it
Less is deffo more when it comes to this one – red lippy with heavy make-up looks far too over-the-top. Instead the makeup pallet should be understated and totally casual – think beige shadow and a little mascara.
And…concentrate…
Don’t ever apply red lipstick in the back of a taxi – it’ll only end in disaster. There are also a few tricks of the trade to prevent any morto moments, including the dreaded lippy on your teeth scenario. To avoid this, put your finger in your mouth after applying the lipstick, purse your lips around it, then slowly pull it out to remove excess colour.
To liner, or not to liner
You don’t necessarily need lip liner – If it doesn’t match your lipstick perfectly (and odds are it won’t), you’ll end up with a two-tone effect. If you like using liner, find a shade that’s close to your natural lip color and use it to outline your lips.
Check out our pics of Irish celebs who know how to rock a red lip….