By Julie Jorgensen
Happy New Year y’all! Hopefully everyone has closed out the holiday season and is starting off 2019 on the right foot; whatever that means to you. Don’t worry, I’m not here to lecture you about keeping those New Year’s resolutions. Instead, I’m here to make you see red! Regardless of how you may feel about Valentine’s Day, February is the perfect time to make red your signature color, particularly on your lips! Don’t let the idea of rocking a sharp red lip scare you — red actually comes in many different shades. Take the time at your favorite makeup counter to find a red that compliments your skin tone and play around with different formulas. A muted berry stain is just as pretty as an all-out, glossy brick hue.
That being said, first things first: A bold color will only bring attention to dry, chapped lips. To fix that, have a gentle lip scrub on hand, use a soothing lip balm or mask every single night and don’t let your lips get dry. Ilia and e.l.f. both make fabulous lip scrubs in a stick format and a DIY scrub is easy as pie (well, maybe easier). I like to mix brown sugar and honey for gentle, hydrating exfoliation. It works great as a face scrub too! Beautycounter lip conditioner works like a dream to keep lips soft while you sleep.
The clay beauty craze extends to our pouts too. Sara Happ Sweet Clay Lip Mask goes on like pink cake frosting and leaves behind soft, pretty lips after just a few minutes - but I’ve been known to sleep in it.
Our options when it comes to picking a “power pucker” are virtually limitless. Us fair-skinned gals generally look best in blue-based tones like raspberry, brightening up our skin and making teeth look whiter. Those of y’all lucky enough to have red hair are the exception, as a coral red works beautifully for you. Medium skin has fewer limitations, depending on your skin’s undertone. Shades found in flowers and fruit come to mind as poppy, cherry, berry and raisin could all potentially work. Darker skin tones have even more fun as merlot, ruby, candy-apple and even chocolate-cherry all bring your pretty skin to life. The ideal product for you will depend on how dramatic you want to get.
Start by patting on your chosen shade of lipstick with your ring finger or opt for a sheer formula. Then “graduate” to layering a matching gloss to punch it up a little. Should you choose the dramatic route, make sure to layer your look for staying power. Line your lips and fill in with liner, apply your lipstick, blot lightly and then top with a matching or clear, shimmery gloss. Beauty hack: after applying your product of choice, pucker up around your finger and then remove it to make sure you aren’t sporting any color on your teeth. The more products involved, the higher the maintenance, so consider yourself warned. I like to keep it simple with a sheer, berry- plum shade during the week and then get a little more fancy on the weekends with a more opaque lipstick and gloss.
See? That wasn’t that hard. Now when February rolls around, not only will you be ready to “Go Red for Women” since it’s American Heart Month, but you can wear your red any day and pucker up and “see red” as well! Cheers!
