One of my favorite looks in beauty is a bold, red lip with a simple, lined eye. The trick is finding the perfect red in the perfect consistency and finish. I’ve found over the years, I need a couple, slightly different, shades of red to carry me from season to season however, I like a matte finish with staying power year round. If I feel like my lips are dried out, I’ll layer a bit of moisture with a Burt’s Bees lip balm over the lipstick, because I don’t want to add any shine. My absolute favorite right now is Bawse from Smashbox. It goes on with an applicator wand, like a gloss, but dries to a flexible matte finish that truly stays put. I have it in an everyday neutral too. I also still like to wear Ellis Faas for a classic blood-red shade that is rich and super flattering. I can make the color less intense with blotting or heavily satured with layering. I’ve also read great things about Charlotte Tiblury‘s Matte Revolution and want to try Walk of Shame for a softer red with a rose undertone.
photo: Myoungsoo Lee
Shelly
I thought I should tell you I really enjoy your blog. I look forward to it every day.
Karima
Thank you so much!
Kathy
I saw this post early this morning, and because of it stopped in Space NK and got a lipstick very close to the one in the photo, which is a sort of crimson red. Thanks for the inspiration.