How To Pick (and Wear) the Perfect Red Lipstick

Red lips are all the rage this season, and bright red lips are a great look to wear to all your holiday parties and events.  But how do you know which red looks the best on you?  There are so many different shades and formulas to choose from, it can be overwhelming.  This weekend I went to my go-to makeup store, MAC, to get my own perfect red lipstick.  Here's what I found out, and some tips that I've picked up in my make-up wearing life ;)

STEP #1-  What are your skin undertones?  If you have pink or blue undertones to your skin, or pale light skin (like me), then you will look best in a cool red lip shade.  If you have olive or yellow undertones, then you will look best in an orange red or brown red.  If you are unsure of our skin tone, or not confident in choosing the best color for you, then take a trip to to your local cosmetics counter, and they'd be happy to help find the perfect color for you!

STEP #2-  Prepare your lips before applying your lipstick.  If you apply a bold red lipstick to dry lips, your lips will look cracky and gross (for lack of better words).  Don't do it!  Exfoliate those lips with a good lip exfoliant, or even with a facial cleanser that exfoliates.  This will remove all that dead skin, and  give you nice fresh lips.  Now add some moisture to your lips by applying a little lip gloss or moisturizer.

STEP #3- Use a lip liner.  When you wear red lips, lip liner is a necessity!  Red lipstick loves to bleed outside your lip line.  Not good.  To prevent this, you can add a little bit of foundation or powder to the outside of your lips.  Then apply a lip liner that matches your lipstick shade all the way along the upper and lower edge of the lips.  You can even color in the whole lip to make your lipstick last longer.

STEP #4- Apply lipstick.  You can put it on straight out of the tube, or use a lip brush to apply it to your lips, whichever you prefer.  Depending on the finish of the lipstick and how much shine you want, you may choose to wear a clear lip gloss over your red lips.  This is a good choice if your lipstick is matte, and you want a glossy lip, or if you want that super sexy shiny look.

STEP #6- Go easy on the eyes.  With a bold red lip, you need to have a more neutral look on your eyes.  You can go with a light shimmery tan, pink, or even a light brown.  You want the focus to be on your bright lips, and if you wear dark eyes, you will look overdone, and your eyes and lips will be competing against each other.  Stick a with neutral eye.

STEP #5-  Wear your red around the house before wearing it out.  This is for two reasons.  If you are not used to wearing such a bright shade, then this will help you become more confident and used to wearing red.  It also helps to wear your red at home first to see if your particular lipstick will bleed, or become dry leaving your lips looking cracked, etc.

I recently bought a bright red lip gloss, and put it on at home just for fun.  I'm so glad I tried it first, because this lip gloss bled outside my lip line, leaving my lips looking really sloppy.  Now I just add this gloss sparingly over my lipstick, so I don't look like a clown.

My red lipstick choice, MAC's "Russian Red"

I hope you give red lips a try!  Anyone can look great in red lipstick, you just have to choose the right red for your complexion, and know how to properly apply it.  Oh, and if you're curious, the red I bought from MAC is called "Russian Red," and is described as "intense bluish red."  LOVE it.  I am kind of addicted to MAC.  Once you buy MAC, you'll never go back!!

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XO, Laura