Red Lips During The Day

Lately I’ve become pretty obsessed with (the concept of) red lips, to the point that I’ve started watching so many makeup tutorials and reading all sorts of red lips tips that I feel I’m becoming a tiny lipstick encyclopedia (as if). Now most of you might be rolling your eyes right now (those of you who are probably donning red lips with the most fabulous nonchalance), but it was just a few months ago that I’ve ever… yes EVER wore red lips. And you pretty much can count that one out, since it was a party… So I’ve still got the red lips during the day thing to try out and some more (read tons) of red shades to buy. Why this red pout reticence from my part? Just because I’ve never felt comfortable with bold lips… I’ve never felt they looked good on me. So I’m probably that ‘haven’t-found-the-right-shade‘ case. Which is a situation under control as I will start shopping for lipstick on every possible occasion I may get. It’s a promise! A true eye opener for me was Lisa Eldridge‘s video on red lips (click here to watch, highly recommend it). She is one of my favorite makeup artists out there and I completely agree with all she said in her red lips video. According to Lisa everyone looks amazing with red lips (noted) and it’s simply a matter of finding the right shade or texture that makes you feel comfortable. Yet she does not believe in makeup rules & restrictions such as: warm shades are just for brown skin tones, pink shades for fair skin et all. Au contraire she loves the play of contrasts & the powerful look of a bold color pout against a certain skin tone. But I guess nailing that takes a lot of practice and tons of confidence. One of the most inspiring things (for me) she said during this video was that, – yeah red lips look great on the red carpet, cocktail parties, evening events, but nothing beats ”red lips during the day with a grey sweatshirt & a pair of jeans while out shopping”. Ah! So well put Lisa. It’s edgy, out of place yet immensely feminine and beautiful! Looking back on my poor red-lips knowledge  I think it was the very traditional look of the red lips, that for me, was a real turn off. I mean I honestly love how red lips look for an evening event, but at the same time I find itBORING. Sorry. Yet I’ve always had a soft spot for those nontraditional beautiful looks: Tom-boy outfit & red lips, or sporty chic and bold lipstick. You know what I mean, those situations when red lips are not part of a certain look per se, actually they are in complete contradiction to it, and this very opposition is making it all look so appealing and strong. I’m not a huge fan of perfectly polished looks and uber put together styles (I find it way too unnatural and stiff), yet I love a super sexy feminine strong style. I guess at the end of the day it’s a matter of taste and how it all looks. If you love it and it makes you feel on top of the world than it’s a winner!

I find all the street style photos of the bold pout looks so inspiring. Just comes to show us when it comes to red lips the best tips are to:

• never color coordinate,
• never style coordinate,
• never event coordinate.

just throw that bold shade on your lips whenever you need a boost of self confidence & hotness. Another inspiring red-lips girl is fashion blogger Karla Deras from KarlasCloset – best style ever, simple with a twist, retro chic and a true bold lips guru! Love her   For an edgier style, urban / hip hop / grunge / glam & always feminine, strong & hot – Rihanna remains my all time favorite.  

Posted in: Beauty