How to: Wear Red lipstick

Hey everyone!  

Red lipstick, if worn properly, can make a girl look sexy and sensual and feel as glamorous as Marilyn Monroe; but many people make the mistake of purchasing a red lipstick that isn't right for their skin tone, making them look more like a clown then anything else.  In today's post, I'm going to show you how to choose, try on, and wear red lipstick.  

The first step, is choosing a red that looks good with your skin tone.  The best way to ensure this is to figure out which tone looks best with your skin, then drive over to your local department store, find a red you like, and try it on.  I can't stress that enough.  You don't want to purchase a red lipstick, drive all the way home, and later find out that the shade you purchased doesn't look good on you...this especially sucks if you have an event to go to that night and were set on wearing your new lipstick, and that's from personal experience. 

I would never recommend applying the lipstick straight on your lips, because the tester lipsticks have been used many times over by different people, therefore the slant of the bullet is full of bacteria and germs from other people's lips.  I recommend bringing a couple q-tips or a lip brush with you, and twisting the lipstick all the way up.  Once you've done this, cover your lip brush/q-tip with lipstick from the unused side of the lipstick bullet and apply it.  This way you can see what the color looks like on you without the risk of spreading germs.  Many women think that swatching the color on your hand will give you a good idea of what the lipstick will look like on you, but doing that is pretty pointless. Lip pigmentation often affects and alters the color of the lipstick on the lips.  So just because the color looks great on your hand, doesn't mean that's what it will look like on your lips.    

Be sure to pick a shade of red that compliments your skin tone.  You'll either be warm or cool toned. Warm toned skin tones are usually more olive with blue undertones.  Cool toned skin tends to be paler with pink undertones. 

Warmer toned ladies should go for red lipsticks with more yellowy undertones.  Shades including: tomato reds, orange reds like coral, and golden reds will look best on those with warmer skin tones.
Cooler toned ladies should opt for reds with a purple or blue undertone.  Like berry, cherry and plum reds.    
Many experts say that the basic, primary red looks great on all skin tones! 

When wearing red lipstick, it's important not to go over board with the rest of your makeup.  The red lips should be the main focus of your face, and the rest of your makeup should look polished.  
Wearing red lipstick, a dramatic eye and a ton of blush will make you look like more of a hot mess then a vixen.  That being said, I recommend pairing a red lip with neutral eye shadow and only enough blush to give your cheeks a healthy flush, the blush you choose should have the same undertone as the red lipstick you wear.  If you want to go for a more glamorous and sexy look, pair the red lipstick with neutral eyeshadow, eye liner on your tight line, black lengthening mascara and sexy black winged liner for a cat eye effect. 

Steps for creating the perfect red lip the Kelsey way:
1) apply a very thin coat of lip balm before you do the rest of your face makeup.  Once your makeup is finished your lips should look and feel more moisturized.  

2) Line your lips with a lip liner that matches your natural lip color.  

3) Using a lip brush for precision, fill in your lips with the red lipstick.

4) With a tissue, blot the lipstick, making it matte, and apply a final coat.    

5) Apply a plumping lip gloss to the center of your bottom lip, this is going to be the finishing touch for that sexy pout we're going for. 

6) Using a small concealer brush and concealer, line outside of your lips, being careful not to drag the lipstick outside of your lip line and creating a big mess.  This is going to clean up any mistakes that you may have made while applying the lipstick.  Now carefully blend it with your fingers so there isn't a harsh concealer line around your lips.  

7) Finally, stick your index finger in your mouth and suck in as you pull your finger out.  This will remove any excess lipstick that would otherwise end up on and stain your teeth.   

 
Please remember that red lipstick isn't just for nights out, it can also be worn during the day.  Just dab the red lipstick across your lips so that the color doesn't show up too intense and layer a gloss over top.  If you don't want to draw any attention to yourself by wearing red lipstick, but are interested in the idea of wearing a red lip, try out a red lip gloss.  This is going to add a red tint to your lips without looking super noticeable.  For my review on my favorite sheer red lip gloss click here.  


I hope you enjoyed this and found it helpful.
Thank you to the reader who sent me an email which inspired me to write this post, and to all of you for reading it, and have a great fourth of July my lovely American friends!
Now run off to MAC or Sephora and get trying on those red lipsticks, gorgeous! and good luck!

**photos: Catherine Zeta Jones: blackisback.ca, Taylor Swift: teen.ca, Marilyn Monroe: fabuloussavings.ca Penelope Cruz: makeupgeek.com, not sure where the first picture is from (ALL IMAGES FOUND FROM GOOGLE IMAGES).