how to: the perfect red lip.

got to love that screen shot... haha

Being as pale as I am, I avoided wearing bright lipstick for years. To me I thought red made me look like a clown, and it wasn't until the last year or so that I became brave enough to try some bold colors. Since branching out, I have fallen in love with colored lip sticks :)

So for all of you out there who have been hesitant to try a bold lip color like RED, watch the video above, or read on for some of my tips on how to be more comfortable wearing a bold lip color - because I really do believe anyone can pull of a fun color, no excuses! 

1. Find a color that compliments your skin tone. I for example, still think I look a little clownish wearing a red, red lip color. So I found a red lipstick that has some orange undertones. To me the orange compliments my skin better, and helps me feel more comfortable wearing such a bright color. 

So play around with all the different types of reds there are and figure out which one makes you feel more comfortable. Go to Sephora, Macy's, Nordstrom or any beauty department store and use their samples to play with the different shades! The hardest part is getting started, so you might have to force yourself to just wear the bright color... but once people start complimenting you in your new shade, you won't feel so silly anymore, trust me!

As mentioned in the video above, my go to red currently is from Kat Von D's Painted Love Lipstick Line in Stiletto - the perfect orange red. I know, I know... I am team Sandra Bullock... but I couldn't help myself, the color was just too good. Sorry Sandra, can we still be friends?

2. Exfoliate and Moisturize. Living in such a dry area, I am constantly trying to make sure my lips are exfoliated and moisturized! Normally I just swipe my Clarisonic over my lips when I am needing a good exfoliate, but I have also recently fallen in love with Lush's lip exfoliate in Mint Julips. They have all kinds of "flavors" like chocolate mint and a bubble gum one. Honestly they are all great, and I don't even like mint or chocolate that much, and they don't bother me at all. Some people have to try not to eat this stuff apparently... haha.

Make sure to moisturize with your favorite chap stick, or Vaseline is always a classic and a favorite of mine. Just make sure your lips are very smooth and moisturized so the color lays well on your lips.

3. Conceal your lips so the red shows up true to color.  If I am being honest, I almost never do this step. But it is recommended if you want the color to truly POP! I normally skip this step, but I have found it helps your lip color last longer, so if you are going out for a long night it might be something you want to do. You can do this by applying a creamy concealer over top your lips and then lightly brush your face powder over your lips so the concealer sets.

4.  Line your lips. Red lipstick tends to bleed, so there are a couple different things you can do to help with this. You can fill in lips with lip liner first. So find a lip liner that matches the color of your lip stick. I recently met a make up artist who suggested to me Laura Mercier Anti Feather Lip Pencil. I like the idea of this pencil because it is clear, and you can use it for all your lipstick colors instead of having a bunch of different ones, and you just put it where you don't want the color to feather or bleed.

5. Put that color on! Put your lipstick on, duh! haha If you want to be very "professional" about it, most artists apply lipstick with an application brush specifically for putting on lipstick. I am not that fancy around these parts, so I just stick to the traditional, swipe it on!

6. Touch up. Last and final step, touch it up! Usually if you have used a lip liner, or the feathering pencil, you won't have any bleeding or smudges, but since I tend to break the rules, I usually have to swipe the edges to make sure everything is nice and clean. Tissue and fingers always work :)

Still not sure red bold lips are for you?

If you are still uncomfortable going for a big bold red lipstick, or you feel you are too young to wear such a strong lip right now, I would go with Revlon's amazing line of Color Burst Lip Butter. You guys, if you don't know about these by now, you need to wake up! I can't say enough good things about them!

These lips butters offer you a punch of color, but with a more chap-stick feel. Super comfortable to wear, and a little more sheer then a lipstick. So if you aren't ready to commit fully, start with the different shades of red they offer in this line, like Candy Apple.

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