Red For Beginners

The first thing my friends know about me and my makeup post-makeup school is that I always campaign for red lips. I used to be a nude and pink lip fanatic but I never discovered the power and beauty of the red lip until it was introduced to me at a workshop conducted by Paul and Joe's international makeup artist, Craig Ryan French. It was an instant sexy look. I've also fallen in love with red lips as to how effortless it makes a statement on its own. If I need to look glam and all i have is 10 minutes, I whip out my red lipstick. I always carry a tube of red lipstick in my purse so when I need to upgrade my look, all i need to do is change my daytime pink to nighttime red. I don't need to whip out so many brushes to get that smoky eye. Effortlessly, one makeup product can create a lot of impact on the face.

Actually, as I promote red lipstick I hear 2 out of 3 girls stating that "Oh, red will never look good on me" or "Red makes me look too trampy." Tell you what, when someone tells you that "Girls with this skin color should stay away from this lipstick color," do not believe it, because there will always be a perfect pink, a perfect brown, a perfect coral, and a perfect red for each and everyone of you. If you can't find one in the market, you can always mix your own. Here, my red lips here in this photo:





(taken from the Collezione event)
is actually a combination of 3-4 reds to get that strong, bold red. Well, yeah, it actually faded since me and the wine were bonding. Yet here's the thing: you can mix, match, and layer reds to get the red you want or you could tone down red by adding a bit of beige or pink or try mixing it with clear gloss.

Okay, so I'm very adventurous with reds. I own like 8 of them at home in different hues, tones, undertones, and finishes possible and gravitate to the matte, blood red color. But for girls who are starting out with the red bandwagon and are shy to go all-matte, all intense, here are some reds that I would suggest to try out first. Then when you're ready, try going for more adventure. Some have swatches and actual photos from file photos, but since I don't have my camera with me, I just made do with pictures from the net.



1. MAC Flash-N-Dash from the Fafi Collection


Okay... that's a picture of me all joys after the Body Shop event at BK Glorietta wearing my new purchase: Fafi has just been launched and here is my corally-red lippie. I dunno if there are still Fafi lippies in MAC counters, but they may have a similar shade. It's actually a frost finish, and there's some orange to it to "tame" the red.

2. Maybelline lipstick in Dragonfly Red

This is actually very sheer and it shines the lips with a sheer red hue. It's not as drying, if that's your problem too with the harsh matte shade. It's in between a gloss and a lipstick. I recommend this to red virgins. Also, Maybelline is relatively affordable. :-)

3. MAC Lipstick in Hot Tahiti

A glaze finish, this is described as a "soft reddish-coral" This is a more subtle red, more conservative than frost in terms of shimmer specks but a little more subtle in pigments than Russian Red. (MAC Lipsticks: Php 900)

3. Chanel Rouge Hydrabase in Barcelona Red

I was counter-hopping at Rustans when I went to the Chanel counter and tried their lipsticks. Rouge Hydrabase is semi-matte, there's less shine but with your lips shining through. Here's how it looks like on me:



I'm still suffering from a VGA camera but will get my camera soon. What I loved about Chanel's lipstick is that with matte being notorious for drying up lips, this one didn't feel dry. The wallet dent it'll cost me though is Php 1450. Maybe on a very, very, very special day. :-)

4. Max Factor Color Collection in Chili

Morenas can never wear red? FALSE! Like I said, there will always be a red for everyone. Max Factor's Color Collection is in a cream finish. Although this shade was classified for morenas, I broke the rule and tried it on... Not bad! I actually found it subtle, or maybe it's because I'm used to fire engine reds.



It's a very warm red, but less intense. Not drying too (SRP is Php575. Not bad!)


5. Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited Crystal Shine in RD 165 S



This universal red (Php1350 at Rustan's) is buildable from a sheer stain or wash of color with a hint of glitter up to an opaque, shiny red when you're bold enough to. If you want, you can swipe a coat first then when you want more red swipe 3 (or 5!) coats more!
(picture from shuuemura-usa.com)


6. YSL Rouge Pure Shine Sheer Lipstick in #8 (Plum Fusion)



(swatch from yslbeautyus.com)


A sheer plum-red shade with gold sparkles that glides smoothly on the lips. It smells good too, like candy! For me, it also made me graduate from my "fear of plums". Another YSL Bonus: SPF 15!

Does anyone have a red in mind for her already? Do share!