Holiday Red
Seeing Red.
Nothing says a holiday look like a red lip. Classic, bold, a statement.
Here are my top tips to getting it right:
Red lips, especially around the holidays, are always in style. Either matte or glossy, I always am asked about how to achieve the perfect red lip around this time of year. Red lipstick can be intimidating for most and to be fair they can be a bit high maintenance, but for special occasions they are timeless and gorgeous.
Shade: there are sooo many shades out there, warm reds, cool reds, berry hues, dark vampy… do your best to try before you buy, ask for samples, mix colours you already have, play a lot. Your natural lip colour can change the shade you try, so your friends colour, may look different on you.
Prep time: Your lips should be as smooth and as hydrated as possible. We want them soft and pillowy, not shriveled and scratchy (who does, right?) I highly recommend a lip scrub or polish. My favorite’s include Revival Lip Scrub in cinnamon – and it tastes DELICIOUS. Rub that bad boy on there for a while and either wipe or eat it away. Next apply a super hydrating and healthy lip balm such as Hana Lip Balm or Saje. Leave on to absorb for a little bit. I find if you do this step pre foundation etc, and then apply the rest of your look and lip last works well.
When you’re ready for lip time, just blot off any extra lip balm off. We don’t want the lips too slippy for the product to move around.
So first, lightly sweep a concealer or foundation across your lips, just to neutralize the colour out. This way the red will be truer to colour and have a nice pop to it. Then with a lip liner (such as Saint’s in Hell Ya) make an X (see pic below on my friend Delia) this helps keep the lips symmetrical. Make another mark at the center bottom of the lower lip. From here you can feather out to the corners to create the full outline. You can adjust the shape slightly if need be (most people have asymmetrical lip lines), but be careful – colour stains easily.
Then fill in the rest of the lip with the liner!
From here with a lip brush that isn’t too floppy or large, such as Kjaer Weis’ lip brush on your desired shade of lipstick. For a shade that’s a more on the warmer side I love Ilia’s Wild Child and for the cooler deeper tones I like Kjaer Weis in Goddess (a bit of a deeper, darker shade) which is smoother than a lipstick like you mixed a lipstick and lip balm, but the colour still packs a punch. Love.
You can leave the colour matte or add a clear or corresponding lip-gloss colour over top if you prefer a wet, glossy look.
To help with possible feathering and also to make the lips pop that much more, with a concealer brush and a teeny tiny bit of concealer, very lightly trace the outer outline of the lips. And blend out. Be very careful as if you slip, you could easily blend into the red and then it’s a big hot mess! *A trick of the trade is to steady your hand by placing your pinky finger on your chin. OR you can do this at the concealer stage of doing your makeup ahead of time.
There you have it!
Hope you enjoy and happy holidays!!!
All photo’s above, makeup by me 🙂