Mastering the Red Lip

To wear a red lipstick or not to wear a red lipstick, that is the question. My answer now is YES, wear the red lipstick. If you asked me a couple of years ago I would have answered with a big ole negatory on the red lipstick. Growing up as a dancer, red lipstick became a sort of torture. Imagine five year old Courtney saying, "But Mooooooom,  whyyyyy do I have to wear red lipstick AND blue eyeshadow? The red lipstick gets on my teeth and on my face!" When I shuffled off stage, I could not wipe that stuff off quick enough! But my mom insisted on me wearing it for every recital and with every costume. My mother always wore a dark lip and now that I think about it, maybe she was onto something.

I found myself shying away from red lipstick in my teens and early twenties. It seemed so abrasive to me. Like "HELLO PEOPLE, HERE I AM, LOOK AT ME AND MY RED LIPS!" But, the more I began to get into makeup and beauty, the more I realized that women like Gwen Stefani, Dita Von Teese, and Christina Aguilera always look so fabulous with their red lipstick, so why can't I? 

Gwyneth Paltrow said, "Beauty, to me, is about being comfortable in your own skin. That, or a kick-ass red lipstick." You no what, I couldn't agree more! You like the way a red lip looks on a woman, wear a red lip! If you feel beautiful, you exude a sense of beauty and confidence that can't be bought. But a "kick-ass red lipstick," can be bought. So, let's make sure we are applying it correctly, shall we?

I use five products to apply my lipstick. It may seem excessive, but trust me, each one is important. My essential products are a great lip balm, pressed powder, lipliner, lipstick, and a gloss. 

Product details: Lipstick-Cover Girl Tempt 355 // Lip liner- Rimmel Ravish 057 // Gloss- Revlon Bordeaux 016 //  Balm-EOS // Powder-Clinique

First:

Apply a generous amount of lip balm. Nothing is worse that trying to apply lipstick to chapped lips, yikes.

I love EOS lip balms.

Second:

Apply pressed powder to your lips. This sets the balm and creates a matte palette to apply the lipstick. Not to mention, I find that it creates a base for a longer lasting lipstick.

Make sure you pat the powder on, not swipe. You don't need coverage just enough to create a smooth surface for your lipstick.

Third:

LINE YOUR LIPS. Ladies, I know that it seems silly because you put lipstick right over it. But please, please, don't skip the lip liner. ESPECIALLY with a bright color like a red, plum or pink. I lied before when I said nothing is worse than applying lipstick to chapped lips. There is something worse, and that is your lipstick acting like a pre-schooler coloring outside of the lines on your face. Don't feel like you need a lip liner for every shade of lipstick you own. You really just need one for the main color groups, one for reds, one for pinks, one for nudes. 

Remember when this was a trendy beauty look circa J Lo in the 90's? I love J Lo.

Fourth:

Apply the lipstick. You can use a brush to apply lipstick. I usually don't, but that is a preference.

I love this color and it just so happened to match my nail color: Essie- Bordeaux

Fifth: 

This step is optional. Sometimes I don't add a gloss. It depends on my mood.

Outfit details: Sweater (I HIGHLY recommend this sweater... it has a long fit which I love!)-Express // Necklace-Express // Link bracelet-Target // Pearl bracelet-Burlington (Similar here) // Rose gold cuff- Macy's (Similar here)

A note about color choice for reds:

Red lipsticks with an orange base are not good for me. They wash out my face and make my teeth tint yellow. I always choose a blue based lipstick. Most lipsticks will be labeled with warm or cool. A cool tone is usually a blue based lipstick. 

I love the color of this lipstick!

Voila! You are ready to turn heads with your red lipstick. Own it ladies! There is nothing wrong with looking and feeling beautiful any every day of the week.

Enjoy!

--Courtney

For more beauty looks check out mine and Kelsey's Instagram accounts-- Courtney_m_b & Kelseymkipp