Let’s face it: we’re not all Gwen Stefani. Not all of us can fearlessly rock a red lip with major style and flawless finesse. Personally, full on red lipstick feels a little bit out of place. When I find myself in the midst a of fall chill in the air, with boots and sweaters on the brain, I often long for a red lip that suits me. Luckily I’ve found several ways to master the look, sans lipstick. Here are a few tricks to get your red lips on in ways you might not have imagined:
1. Use Lip Plumper
Yup, most lip plumpers do a good bit of their fabulous work by bringing blood to the surface of your lips, hence creating a rosy red glow on most folks. Try several brands, including drugstore finds, to see which one is most comfortable (some can sting) and gives you the most colorful pout.
My product pick: DuWop Lip Venom
2. Try Lip Balm, Baby
When the heat is on inside and the wind is gusting outside, lips need special care anyway, so why not get yourself a red lip balm to help keep your lips hydrated and give them a cheery red hue? The trick here is to apply the lip balm, blot lightly and apply a second coat. You’ll get that ‘I just ate a cherry popsicle look’, which to me is far more flattering than intense red lipstick lips.
My product pick: Maybelline Baby Lips in Cherry Me
3. Just Line, It’s Fine!
People who dismiss lip liner as silly or obsolete just don’t have the right shade for their complexion or don’t understand how to use it properly. I love to take a lip liner to bare lips, draw dashes lightly around the lip line, then use my finger to smudge and blend it all over my lips. This technique offers a look that is more organic and not as ‘done’ as applying lipstick directly to the lips. As you eat dinner or chat away during your coffee date, you’ll still have color, but in a sexy, not trying too hard kind of way.
My product pick: Aveda Nourish-Mint Red Petals Lip Pencil
How do you do a red lip? Are you a classic, bold lipstick girl or do you have alternative methods to looking glam and gorgeous?
By Laura Carson Miller
