Red Lip Tips

We are somewhat nervous to post this video, our first tutorial, so please bare with us.  Let's just say that filming a tutorial was WAY harder then we thought it would be, and we are still learning!!

We ran into a few isssues: background noise, a crying baby, Courtney talking while I was trying to apply the lipstick and smearing it all over her face, lipstick malfunctions, my pregnant butter fingers dropping everything, and much more.

Please ignore some of our funny faces, and Courtney's stoned look.  But, the good news is we finished it, and we will hopefully learn from this one, and there will be better tutorials to come!  Let us know what you want to see in the future and we will work on it!

Let's talk about the classic red lip!

Now, if you are going to wear a red, or any dark lipstick for that matter, you need to do it right.

Some steps I insist on before applying a red lipstick

1. Start with perfect skin.  Chose a "good skin" day to wear a red lipstick.  And if it's not a great skin day, use a concealer to hide redness before you put more red on the face.

If you are already battling redness around the nose or mouth, a giant blemish friend, or patchy areas of flakiness, then a red lip just won't look great.

2.  Smooth lips are a must.

I like to use a lip scrub to polish off any dead skin.  Or my quick method is to use a warm washcloth and massage it in circular motions to wipe away any dead skin.  Then apply a thick lip balm and let it soak into the lips for a few minutes.  Blot off the excess lip balm before you apply the lipstick.  This is important because you don't want the lips too slick when you swipe on that red.  It will bleed if you have too much balm on the lips.

3.  Decide what kind of red you would like to wear.

 For starters, let's say you have been searching for that perfect red lipstick shade for years, and you have been to every makeup counter and tried every bullet of lipstick and haven't found "The One" yet.  Let me give you a wake up call, it's not out there.  There isn't just one shade of red that will work on every skin tone, and if you have tried them all on and don't like any, it's probably because you are not a red lipstick gal.  That's okay, it's not for everyone.  If you don't feel confident rocking it, then maybe try something a little bolder then what you normally wear, and gradually work your way up to a red.

A "blue" based red will look good on most skin tones.  I find an "orange" based red is a little harder to pull off, but can be beautiful. I used Nars "Heat Wave" on Courtney, which is more orange based.

4.  It needs to look perfect.

This may be the trickiest part of pulling off a red.  Do not apply it when you are in a rush.  Or while you're in a moving vehicle.  Also, use a neutral lip toned lip liner, or a clear lip liner.  A red lip liner has to match the lipstick perfectly and we don't want to see the outline, it looks tacky.  Not cute.  Many people find it easier to apply it with a lip brush, but that is up to you.

If you get a little outside the natural lip line, then dab a cotton swab in some makeup remover and "erase" the mistake.  Then you can apply a dab of concealer to the area to cover any staining.  A good way to make the lips look fuller and to perfect the look is to blend concealer around the lips, almost as a "reverse" lip liner.  I used the YSL Touche Eclat (shade 1) around Courtney's lips in this video.

5.  Keep the rest of your makeup simple.

No blue eyeshadow please.  Unless you are walking the runway, stick to neutral taupes and creams for eyeshadow, and a black mascara.

*Pro tip* Apply a highlight right above the cupids bow to highlight the lips.  I used Benefit Watts Up! Highlighter stick in this tutorial.

We will be posting more tutorials that will include more basic techniques in the upcoming months.  Let us know what you want to see!