“Of all the hues, reds have the most potency. If there is one Electric Blue, a dozens reds are so charged” ~ Jack Lenor Larsen

Bonjour Mesdames

Every girl wants to have a perfect Red on her Lips.. Deep down she loves the Pop but dreads to wear out as it is perceived to be “loud and bold”..Worry not.. Annie to the Red’s cue 😉 I’ve jotted down all the Do’s and Don’ts to wear a Red Lipstick.. You can Rock any look irrespective of your complexion, clothes and the time when you are wearing it.. Take a look, I hope you like what you see 🙂

1. Which color suits my Complexion?

It is a myth that the color ‘Red’ doesn’t suit Redheads and blends with warmer tones of skin only! While, women with lighter skin tones have many options to choose from but a note above your complexion can bring you from “Damn good!” to “woahhhhh..yeeeeks”..

–>Women with Light skin tones like Scarlett Johansson, Anne Hathaway, Leighton Meester, Emma Roberts, Angelina Jolie should go for orange or burgundy shades of Red..

Scarlett Johansson in (left) orange-red shade and burgundy shade!

Anne Hathaway and Leighton Meester in orange-red shade

Some more inspirations for Lighter skin tones:- (left) Emma Roberts in a chic casual look while Blake Lively Looks priceless! What do you think?

–>Women with pink undertones in their complexion should stick with cool red or plum shades like the one below!

Some celebrity examples are Gwen stefani, Emma Stone, Kim Kardashian and Kristen Dunst..

–> Women with olive or darker skin tones should opt for majenta-based or tamer versions of Red..

Celebrities with such skin tones look glorious!!!… Some are, Beyonce knowles, Thandie Newton, Penelope cruz, Eva Longoria and Jessica Alba

2. How to wear it?

Start with a lip moisturizer.. A MUST! You don’t want flaky Red Lips.. Pleaseee NO..

Next, keep your lips in a natural position; don’t stretch them to apply ANY lipstick as they will bunch-up when you bring your lips back..

Start lining the ‘V’ of your lips using a lip liner, gradually moving to either sides… If your lips look uneven then correct them use a cotton bud etc. to carefully even them out!

Now, apply your lipstick with a brush or directly through stick depending upon your hand-setting! Work your way from middle of the top lip to the sides. Repeat the same for the lower lip as well!

3. When to wear the shade? Day or night?

ANYDAY, ANYTIME!! Though it seems as if it’s a glamorous, get-on.. get-going shade.. but it looks equally good in day as it does in night! Just keep your hair & outfit simple with 2 or maximum 3 solid colors… Red looks vivacious at night.. You can even go with same color lip gloss to dazzle and add more bling!

4. How to avoid looking wonky?

Do not wear one note higher than your skin tone! Like, lighter tones should wear orange-red and not majenta-red.. Doesn’t give you a good feeling..

If something goes wrong then don’t start rubbing it aim/lamelessly 😛 .. Instead, with a napkin or a Q-tip, gently swipe in one direction..

Apply primer and exfoliate well if your lips are darker than your skin!

Girls with colored hair/Redheads can go with darker or cooler shades of Red.. 🙂

5. How to complete the look?

For Day- Keep rest of your look simple. Skip the eyeliner or kohl and use mascara instead. NO BLUSH!!

For night- Pick a single light colored eye shadow and use concealers around the lips and wherever needed! Here you can apply just a hint of Blush. JUST!

And whatever you do, don’t clash your nails and lips.. Prefer not to wear red on nails.. But if you want to, then choose the EXACT same Shade as on your lips!

Tips for fuller and thin lips:

Fuller lips- Angelina Jolie and Fuller lips are synonyms.. well ‘The leg’ is also now (Remember her famous right-leg in recent oscars?) 😀 .. Be happy that you are blessed with such sophistication! So, all you need is to define them with a lip liner.. you need to shade in the corners with it.. Use a sheer Red instead of Matte and Avoid Gloss!!!!

Thin lips- You have to work a little hard with these but once you get it right you’ll look like a princess 🙂 Line your lips 1mm (don’t be this precise!) below your lower lips.. and SHINE SHIMMER SHOW.. Use lot of shine on your lips to make them appear fuller!!