Achieving the Perfect Red Lip
Image via The Nollywood Reporter
For a long time, red lip looks seemed like something that I could never achieve. I could never make them last, they seemed far too bold, but more than anything else, I was convinced that they simply didn’t look good on me. For years, I held this assumption based on one red lipstick that I had in high school that made me look like a rodeo clown.
I have light to medium skin with a very olive undertone, and this particular lipstick was very bright red with orange undertones. If you know anything about color theory, or are simply experienced with makeup, you will know that that is an absolute no-no.
The funny thing is that I have studied art for many years, but it didn’t cross my mind until just a year or two ago that I needed to apply aspects of color theory to my lip and face makeup.
Image via Marie Claire
Here are some of the basic rules. Colors that are opposite of each other on the color wheel are complimentary, which means that they go well together and bring each other out. The opposite of green is red or berry pink, the opposite of yellow is purple, and the opposite of blue is orange. Analogous colors are ones that are next to each other on the color chart (i.e. violet and red, red and orange, orange and yellow), and these also look good together.
When choosing lip colors (and for that matter, blush, eyeshadow, and other makeup hues) it is important to take your skin tone into account. If your skin has a green or olive undertone, like mine, it is important to reach for pure reds and red with a more violet or purple undertone. If your skin has bluish undertones, opt for more orange hues. If your skin has a reddish undertone, you are pretty safe with anything in the orange/yellow/pink sphere.
Image via Marie Claire
As for how to achieve the perfect, lasting red lip, my best advice is to line, apply, blot, and reapply. Lipliner is a girls’ best friend, especially if you choose a tone that will add depth to your look. When I apply a red lip, for example, I line my lips (and fill in most of my lips, save for the most fleshy areas) with a deep wine colored pencil that is very purple in hue. Then when I apply my red lipstick over the top, my lips look brighter in the middle and have a very nice berry tone throughout. If you are opting for a more orangey red, I would apply the same method with a rusty orange liner that is a bit darker than your lip color. Finally, women who blot their lipstick with a napkin in the movies weren’t just doing it to be fancy- it actually works, and it makes your lip last much longer.