Wearing Red Lipstick

Red lips!

Scary for some and a thrill for others...here's some tips about picking out and wearing a red lipstick (and Christmas is a perfect time to do it!)

Generally when considering wearing a red you have 3 kinds - berry or wine red, true red or a orange red (some may say coral).

Here are examples,

Berry:





Berry can work on just about anyone, it looks great on dark, medium and fair skinned women. It is a very popular look this fall and winter. When considering a bold berry lip, go neutral on the eyes but soft like you see Emma Stone doing above. Such a dark lip can look severe so the eyes can soften the look. Go try it!

True Red:





Always classic. This has been beautiful since the 1920's and it still is. True red is an eye catcher for sure. The true red lip is beautifully coupled by a simple black eye liner "cat eye" as a nice retro throw-back. When wearing true red I would suggest a subtle eye without a lot of dark shadow but a strong eyeliner is great. If you do too much eye makeup you will look like a clown. This is also a great opportunity for fake eye lashes!

Finally, the Orange or Coral Red:

















This is a softer look so it is possible to do a little more on the eyes. Because orange is a warm tone, this isn't as much of a winter look as it is spring and summer but it can be done well in winter. Orange does not do well on everyone but there probably is a shade out there for you that you could find with some trial and error - it just is not as full proof as I feel a berry red is. This one will take more research and more trying if you want it.

Some tips on wearing bright lips. First, they will be bright and if you are not accustomed to red lips, it may shock you but that's the point. There is nothing subtle about red lips so if you are scared or want subtle, this is not the look for you. Second, when doing your makeup spread your foundation across your lips before you apply lipstick (and for red lips I do recommend lipstick, not gloss). Using a lip liner is also helpful to keep lipstick on and to give you a guide when you are filling it in. I suggest using a liner slightly darker than your lipstick shade for some good contouring. You can use a lip pencil the same color but don't go lighter.

Go for it some time this holiday season! Red is always striking, try it for a holiday party or Christmas Eve!

~Lindsay

Holiday Eye Makeup Looks

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas! (Finally!)

As the holidays are upon us many of us are attending Christmas Parties! I actually just recently attended my husband's corporate Christmas party for the first time and it went off without a hitch.

Holiday parties are a perfect place to wear color eye makeup when you normally don't wear color. Today, I will share a few ways to wear color on your eyes - and believe me you can pull off way more than you think!

First, we will move from most subtle to most bold. Here's the first two looks in two variations with the same idea: a single stroke of color on the top or bottom lid:








You can use a color eye liner pencil or eye shadow with a skinny brush or the point of a sponge applicator. This is the perfect gateway use of color on the eyes. Its subtle, easy and looks beautiful. I would suggest you try first before you head out for the big night. I personally like using color on my bottom lid because I feel like my eye stands out a little bit more when I do my normal eye makeup up top but that is totally your call. I actually wear this look to work :)

Second, a little more adventurous is color all over the eye but blended well:



For this look integrate a color on your top lid and blend with your normal neutrals. I love this look as well - its a great color pop with the comfort of a bit of normalcy.

Here's a simple one, color eye liner on top and bottom:

This isn't my favorite because I like darker colors right next to my eye, so for me this is too subtle but for many of you this is perfect for your beautiful eyes:



Finally, shadow all over the top lid- simple and gets the job done. Its for a few braver souls but as this beautiful actress shows, you can pull it off and it can be perfect:



Lastly are "Stage 3" color uses. These are for the bold girls who like color and like to stand out. I love these. They are not for the faint of heart thought but if you like color a holiday party is an appropriate place to wear this:





Go big or go home with these looks. Try it on yourself first before the big night and then shine your brightest at the party!

Now, the next logical question is: "How do I pick which color?" Oh man, for someone who loves color this is a huge question but here are my suggestions:

1. Google search or Pinterest search actresses that look like you (skin color, hair color, eye color) and see what looks they do and try them out yourself. Also, google search "makeup for brown eyes" or "makeup for blue eyes" and see what pops up.

2. Go to the makeup section of Target or CVS or wherever you get makeup and take a look at the sets that are especially made for your eye color. It's only half a gimmick. There really is science and thought behind those color combinations so study them, take some notes or just buy one and take it home.

3. Know some color theory - ok, we're getting cerebral and ART 101 here. There are generally two reasons why colors look good together - one they complement each other or they contrast each other.

For the explanation we need a color wheel:



Colors that "complement" are colors that are close to each other on the color wheel. So if you are a blue eyed person then blues, greens and purples will do well on you. If you have green eyes, then golds and greens would do well on you and so on and so forth. Brown eye girls you are considered a dark orange but because browns are considered a "neutral" you could do more colors than you think you can!!

Colors that "contrast" are colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel. So, blue eyed people believe it or not when you wear brown and bronze your blue eyes pop. Green eye people if you wear red, wine or something pink, your green pops. Brown girls - blues and especially purples are your friends! Play around with different colors and see what happens!

You can really play with color to emphasize a certain tone in your eye. For example, my eyes are brown but if I wear wine, red, burgundy or something like that on my eye, the green in my eyes comes out. If I wear blue they look a little more golden. If I wear green then they seem a little more red-brown. So you can do the same thing with your eyes.

A special note though - don't feel like you must match the color of your makeup to your outfit. It's not 1982- you don't have to wear blue eye shadow with a blue dress. It's better to match your face if you are going to err on one side :)

Have fun, do experiments and ask me questions if you have them! You can do it, have fun!