The Crimson Pout

Amanda Seyfried

Red lips are such a staple in fashion. Whether it's summer or winter there's nothing more beautiful than a plump, red pout. Red lips are bold. They absolutely scream femininity and high fashion. When a beautiful girl walks into a regular place wearing bright, perfectly applied red lipstick, it seems as though she is from another level of sophistication. My mother, who is one of my style icons, never went anywhere with out red lipstick on. My mother was always very cool and not at all fussy about hair and make-up, but red lipstick was a must. I remember, she always had red lipstick and black wayfarer sunglasses, maybe nothing else special, but those red lips made the outfit.

Queen Elizabeth I

Women have been adorning their lips in bold, red colors for thousands of years. Archeologist often refer to the red lips of women (and sometimes men) found in ancient Egyptian art as "The Kiss of Death" because of the highly toxic nature of the ingredients used to create such bold colors. Cleopatra was known to crush up beetles and ants and spread them across her lips in order to tint them red.

Marilyn Monroe

Queen Elizabeth I, who is famously known for her bright red lips and pale white face, was said to
have worn these cosmetics because
she believed it would ward off death.Which, is why her hand maids continued to apply her make up even days after she'd been dead, believing that the make up might bring her back to life.

Red lipstick, obviously, cannot bring a dead person back to life but with out a doubt it can certainly put some life into a dead outfit. Pour yourself in to that same, old, black dress and swipe on some gorgeous crimson and you're suddenly channeling Marilyn Monroe with devastating sex appeal and class. 

Rihanna

Okay, so red lips are good. They're sexy, they're sophisticated, classy and high fashion. They are all those things only if you wear them right! Here are a few tips to achieve a beautiful, crimson pout.

1. Choosing the correct shade for your skin tone is paramount to pulling off this look. First you need to decide if your undertones are warm based or cool based. To determine your undertones, look at the veins in your wrist. If the veins are more blue based you have a cool undertone and should choose a blue red. If your veins are green based you have a warm undertone and should steer more towards orange reds. If you're not sure what your undertone is, you can't go wrong with a true red. It typically flatters most skin tones.

2. You must line your lips. Red lipstick smears. Always line your lips prior to applying the lipstick to keep that red under control. Try lining your lips with a nude pencil, rather than

Kat Dennings "Queen of the Crimson Pout"

trying to match the reds. Matching reds is nearly impossible. To ensure one smooth color throughout your lips, line with nude instead.

3. Most women are familiar with the plight for long lasting lip color. For extra wear time try applying your liner and lipstick first. Next, blot with tissue paper and apply a light dusting of face powder. Seal in color by applying your lipstick one more time and you're done!

Hope this was helpful! Enjoy your beautiful, red lips! 



“Beauty, to me, is about being comfortable in your own skin. That, or a kick-ass red lipstick.”

― Gwyneth Paltrow