The Red Lipstick Pout

I'm really into my red lips at the moment. There is something so timeless about red lipstick that creates a look that is both classic and bold enough to make a statement. I think you can pull of a red lip any time of the year, although I mostly enjoy rocking a red lip towards the festive months my hands have just been lingering towards my red lipsticks of late. Red lips are just gorgeous all day, every day in my opinion although I know that they aren't for the faint hearted. I had a really crappy week last week, I had a bit of a cry and mope around feeling sorry for myself but thankfully I managed to snap myself out of it. The next day I pulled out Mac's Russian Red, a fierce matte lipstick that is one of my all time favourites. Once applied I instantly felt a hundred times better, confident and ready to bounce back. Its taken me a little while to master the art of rocking a red lip, so I thought I'd share a few things that help me achieve that perfect red lipstick pout.

The perfect addition to one of my favourite reds, Russian Red is the lip pencil Cherry also by Mac, the colour is near enough identical but is also just a classic red shade that would go with a lot of reds I would imagine. You can use this lip pencil in a few different ways, the first and most obvious way is literally as a pencil to outline the shape of your lips - I actually prefer doing this after I've put the lipstick on my lips rather than before. Or you can use this like a lip crayon to fill in your entire lips, I don't often opt for this way of using it as I just find that it makes my lips a little too drying - the lip pencil is very matte. The beauty of the lip pencil is that the staying power is incredible so it will help you carry off those red lips for a lot longer. If you are looking for the most fuss-free way of wearing a red lip always opt for a matte option and avoid anything that is creamy unless you're prepared to be heading to the bathroom for touch ups every 30 minutes.

Handy tips and tools.

The Night Before:
The night before (or well in advance) it is preferable to prep your lips for that red lipstick by ensuring they are as smooth as can be. I have been loving The Body Shop's Solid Argan Oil for nourishing my lips and religiously pop this on before bed so when I wake up in the morning I don't have any dryness or cracks in my lips. Doing this will create a perfect base for your red lipstick to sit on and will aid for a better application and wear time.

The Morning Before:
The morning before scrub your lips to exfoliate the skin and further achieve those lusciously smooth lips. You could just gently use a tooth brush to do this but I like using my lip scrub from Lush which is awesome for scrubbing away those dead skin cells and making sure my natural lips are looking their best.

Prime and Highlight:
Priming your lips with either a concealer or highlighter like the Touche Eclat from YSL makes your lipstick last so much longer. It will also make a really neutral base for when you apply the lipstick which I find makes the redness appear even bolder. I like to use my Touche Eclat to highlight my cupids bow to make my lips appear fuller.

Tools:
I wouldn't ever even attempt to pull of a red lip without the help of a lipstick brush, my favourite is from Real Techniques which you may have seen pop up on my blog a few times before. I've written a review on this brush and the advantages of using a lipstick brush here if you fancy checking that one out. Make sure you have a pencil sharpener at hand to keep your lip pencil as precise as possible. And I also like to have a tissue nearby for any mistakes or to blot with.

Go Glossy:
And if you're feeling really brave and fancy why not pop a gloss over the top? This may be a little more high maintenance but red glossy lips are seriously gorgeous. But maybe best saved for a special occasion?

QOTD: Do you love a red lip?