Wearing the red lipstick

Alright, I'm sure many of us have been through some red troubles. Me personally, I took a long time to get my technique down so I am sharing with you:

1. Choosing your red: Depends on what you like really and what compliments your skin tone. BUT if you're a coffee drinker like me and have yellow teeth (Sigh, one day pearly whites I'll see you again) avoid yellow, coral, orange based reds they will only make the yellowness more noticeable! Instead choose pink and blue based reds.

2. You have to have smooth well exfoliated lips and moisturized (Especially if you're going matte!). To exfoliate try some olive oil and sugar, works and your lips taste yummy after wards (Or you can just go buy a LIP exfoliate). Now moisturize your lips with a chap stick (This entire process if easier if you moisturize your lips regularly, drink lots of water, and exfoliate about once a week)

3. Alright time to line, you can pick something either much darker then your desired lipstick, slightly darker, or colourless. I use colourless (benefit d'finer d'liner, Too faced borderline, Urban decay lip liner in clear), if you want to make your lips a little more plump looking line right outside the lip line, if you want more of your natural lip shape line on or a little below your lip line. You can either use a lip primer next or you can use your lip liner to fill in your lips.

4. Now your lips are all ready for your red, you have the choice of powdering now (I don't) because for some people it helps the lasting power. Apply the red lipstick (my favorite at the moment is MAC Lady Bug) either from the tube (which I ALWAYS DO) or using a lip brush, lip brush tends to tone down the colour no matter how many layers you put and from the tube is more intense and true to the colour you see in the tube. Avoid going out of the line because red does stain skin more noticeably but if you do don't fret, wipe it off and keep going I'll tell you how to fix it in a bit. Add setting powder on top to make it matte if you like.

5. Alright now your lips are looking smoking (Except maybe a stain or two) but even the best of us have a hard time getting that perfectly lined and even red lips we see in photographs. And here is the secret, CONCEALER! Take a concealer brush and line the outside of your smoking hot red lips with concealer and blend it outwards away from the lips but the lipline around the lips should be close to perfection (if it isn't perfect already). Keep your lipstick with you because red does tend to fade and you're set to go!

It's only Tuesday?! Oh god, this is going to be a long week... How are you holding up?

-Brenda

RED RED RED!

Red is a classic colour, one that will always be the showstopper. Some of us will spend countless hours at the makeup counters looking for that perfect red lip colour, now I have many reds and the "perfect" red has yet to be found (well actually I have found it in the YSL heart necklace from last years holiday collection but it's in a palette and I want that colour by the tubes, TUBES I SAY!) but I'm getting closer, I can feeellll it.



I really REALLY need a new camera none of these look like they do in real life. Here are a few reds from different brands, I compared 15 red lip colours on my hand from high end to MAC because I don't believe in drugstore brands. For the high ends there was usually a dupe that was almost exact, goes to show you that high price doesn't always mean better.

Chanel Shanghai Red $30.00 CAD - My suggestion is to get MAC's Dubonet ($16.50 CAD), which is a SLIGHT bit more red but honestly it is only noticeable if you're picking it apart like I am. This is one of Chanel's best selling colours just like Dubonet is one of MAC's best selling amplified cremes... I think there is a connection! Another colour from Chanel that is really similar to this one is Lotus Rouge which is a bit darker and more dramatic if that's what you prefer. MAC's So Scarlet($16.50 CAD) and Rapturous mattene ($17.50 CAD) from the Cult of Cherry collection are also quite similar however they were limited (I believe Rapturous is still available on the MAC website)

Estee Lauder in Rich Red $32.00 CAD - More expensive then Chanel? Yes it's ridiculous to me but it is the first red lipstick I ever bought and it is a decent colour. This one is a bit more orange then all my other lipsticks, which I am not a fan of since I tend to go for blue based but overall it's a decent colour. Worth the $32.00 CAD however? No... not really.

Dior Addict High Shine in Runway Red $31.00 CAD - I don't consider this a red, just like I don't consider MAC's Adore it a red (In the new Adoring Carmine Red Lips set $42.00 CAD). So sheer it's a sheer pink. They're pretty much the same except the Dior packaging makes me feel like going around pulling out the lipstick pretending it's a light saber.

MAC in Russian Red $16.50 CAD - If you love Russian Red, I suggest checking "Red" she said out from MAC's holiday collection, to me when on the lips ("Red" she said is a little more pink when swatched and a slight bit darker) it is basically the same colour. However, I hate wearing mattes because by 3 pm I feel like my lips are so dry they're going to fall off but "Red" she said is an amplified *YAY* so it's a much more hydrating lipstick. Go check that lipstick out....STAT!

Dior Creme de Gloss in Rouge nectar $31.00 CAD - Shines like a gloss, looks like melted lipstick, and is hydrating! I love this colour it is the closest one to my YSL palette red and is just gorgeous, if you're not used to wearing lipsticks and prefer glosses I definitely suggest this because it's an amazing dramatic colour with all the benefits of a gloss! The price is a bit steep though so another option would probably be MAC Russian Red lipglass ($16.50 CAD) with a but of Desire Lipglass ($16.50 CAD).

MAC in New York Apple ($16.50 CAD) This is too pink for me to call a red (IMO) so I was very disappointed because I heard it was a good dupe of Queen's sin from last years MAC holiday which I missed *Cries* personally it is almost an exact dupe of Adore it from the red lip set this holiday. Nothing more about this colour, it's just not a red red that's all.

Dior addict gloss in red stockings ($31.00 CAD) - Sort of looks like Russian red($16.50 CAD) or Cult of Cherry(No longer available) lipglasses by MAC, it's a nice sheer hot pink when it fades though but personally I prefer lipglasses. Dior is nice but it doesn't have staying power...at all.

MAC viva glam 1 ($16.50 CAD) - Pretty classic matte red for a good cause, what more could a girl want?! If you're in a fork in the road in your red search and haven't tried this one and Russian red you should definitely take a peek =)

Future plans on getting - MAC's :Lady Danger, Ruby Woo, Brave Red, Fresh Moroccan, MAC red, Chili, Lady Bug. Estee Lauders: Ruby, Dior: Red Premier

What about you, what is your "perfect" red if you've found it? Any red you want to try?