“Bright, punchy lipstick is NOT just a trend. It has become a classic. Defy me. I dare you” tweeted beauty buff and editor of www.primped.com.au, Zoe Foster, earlier this year.
As I sit here wearing an electric pink Nars lipstick, I have to say that I totally agree with her. And I wish that more girls would jump on the bright lipstick bandwagon. In fact, I think that bright lips should be added to your stable of fail-safe makeup looks. By fail-safe, I mean those always-great, never-wrong tricks that you pull out whenever you need to jazz up your look.
Still not sure what I’m talking about? Well, say you’re wearing a 10-year-old black cocktail dress and feeling a bit boring. By simply adding a classic smokey eye and nude lip or a red lip and black liquid liner, your look will go from drab to fab. Smart girls know that it’s not all about designer labels, but the overall look. You can pair a Target dress with show stopping hair and makeup (and killer heels!) and people will you think you look a million bucks.
My suggestion is that next time your outfit needs a bit of a lift, give bright lipstick a go. I’m talking zesty orange, hot pink or even yellow. But before you do, read on. These are tricky waters and you don’t want to end up looking like Britney or a wannabe Aggy do you?
First things first - selecting the shade for you. When choosing a colour don’t just slap on a bright pink because you saw Rhianna rocking it on the red carpet – rather you need to consider your own hair and skin colour first. The base rule is coral and orange tones suit yellow-toned skin and pink and cherry reds suit pink-based skin types. If you have combination skin then pretty much anything will fly!
Once you’ve selected your ideal shade, you need to think about the rest of your makeup. Don’t just do what you always do – think about what will look best overall.
There are a couple of things to remember when wearing bright lipstick. The first is that bronzer is everything for this look. EVERYTHING. Apply liberally, but make sure to blend properly of course. My current fave is Jane Iredale Moonglow $90.00, which has a gentle shimmer that comes from 24-karat gold flakes and gives a natural, subtle glow to your complexion.
Secondly, go easy on the eyes. Black liquid eyeliner is fine, but leave the smokey eye look well alone. The look is high-class fashion not high-class hooker. And thirdly make sure you skin is luminescent - glowing with health (or illuminator). Try Benefit Cosmetics High Beam $45 on your cheekbones and brow bones for a radiant glow.
Lastly, if you are going to draw attention to your lips, then you need to make sure they are in great shape! Jane Iredale’s National Educator, Celeste David, says that while you may not be blessed with Angelina or Scarlett’s pouts, with a few steps and the right products, you can create luscious lips in minutes.
The first step is to exfoliate and Celeste suggests using Jane Iredale’s Sugar&Butter $54.00. This all-natural product combines beeswax and organic brown sugar to gently exfoliate dull, dry skin from the lips. This product is absolute gold because (as with all Jane Iredale products) it contains no chemical preservatives or synthetic dyes so you can actually lick the sugar crystals off your lips after you’ve exfoliated. Best product ever invented? I think so.
After exfoliating, the next step is making them full and kissable via a lip plumper. Flip your Sugar&Butter around and ta-da - you’ve got a lip plumper (told you it was the best product ever). The lip plumper contains a peptide that’s been shown to increase hydration and stimulate collagen synthesis. It gives your lips a natural, glowing pink tint while plumping and diminishing lines to reduce feathering. Best bit? You’ll feel your lips tingling from the cool mint and zingy ginger.
Now that you’ve plumped, you’re ready to line and define. Colette advises to ‘study the shape of your mouth before applying any colour’. Now is the time to decide whether you need to make any adjustments to your lip shape. Nobody is born with perfectly symmetrical lips, so use a lip pencil to define and correct the area. By lining your lips you’ll create a border for the lipstick to stay in, thereby minimising feathering. Since you’ll be using lots of different colours now that you’re a fan of brights, I suggest investing in Benefit’s D'finer D'liner $36 – a nude lip pencil suitable for all colours. It’ll work wonders and save you money as you only need to buy one product (rather than a pencil to match each colour)
Now that you’ve done all that, you’re ready to apply your lippy. There are a couple of brands that do lipsticks extremely well. My favourites are:
MAC - MAC Lipsticks provides colour plus texture for the lips and are available in a huge variety of shades. My picks? Morange Lipstick $35.00 and Show Orchid Lipstick $35.00. Also check out the Viva Glam Lipstick $35 range as every cent raised from the sales of these lipsticks goes to the MAC AIDS Fund to support the fight against HIV/AIDS.
ELLIS – the new Ellis Lips range consists of liquid lip colours in three textures: Creamy Lips, Milky Lips and Glazed Lips (all $52.00), with nine specific colours in each texture. The only shade that is available in all three effects is the signature Ellis Red, which is the colour of blood – a reproduction of the colour Snow White’s mother wished for the lips of her child. All Ellis Lips are lightweight, long lasting and easy to apply. They’re also paraben free and contain Vitamin E.
NARS - As previously mentioned, I’m currently obsessed with the Schiap colour (a hot pink), but I also love the Jungle Red. Nars lipsticks have a matte finish which I love and they’re staying power is second to none. You can eat a steak and these lipsticks won’t smudge or fade. Nars lipsticks retail for $58 and are available from Mecca Cosmetics. I suggest you get yourself to a store quick smart because these lipsticks will change your life. They’ve changed mine!
JANE IREDALE - Jane Iredale PureMoist LipColours
$40.00 are a conditioning and moisturising lipstick that contain edible zinc oxide for broad-spectrum SPF18 sun protection (very important for Perthsiders). Available in many colours, my faves are Jane (coral with 24 karat gold flakes) and Renee (a perfect pink).
Bright lipstick will make you look and feel great. And as Heather Locklear once said "You can't keep changing men, so settle for changing your lipstick" From orange to pink to red to ….
Stockists:
Nars – www.meccacosmetica.com.au or call 1800 007 844.
Benefit – available from MYER and adorebeauty.com.au or call 02 8353 5000
Ellis - www.meccacosmetica.com.au or call 1800 007 844.
