“Beauty to me is about being comfortable in your own skin, that or a kick-ass red lipstick.” Gwyneth Paltrow
Red lipstick signifies vintage glamour, confidence and va va voom. I wear it almost every day and love having a signature lip colour.
I believe in making the most of your assets and my lips are the only body part I’m happy with. As a show off, I like to draw as much attention to them as possible through a combination of daubing them scarlet and pouting at all times. Without my red lippy I feel plain but with it I feel ready to take on the world.
I’ve spent many an hour at the beauty counter in Boots and I have vanity cases overflowing with assorted red lipsticks to show for it. These are three of my favourites.
No. 22 by Kate Moss for Rimmel
I first bought this as an emergency replacement when I accidentally left my lippy at home. It was a panic buy and I was highly stressed about the fading vibrancy of my lips. Who would have thought this bargain purchase would become my go-to everyday shade?
Worn by Paloma Faith and Madonna, this is an essential item in any vintage girl’s make-up bag. It’s a seriously sexy, retro red. I wear it for a dramatic look and love it in winter.
Cherries In The Snow by Revlon
This deep pinky red has been popular for decades and is one of the colours used on Christina Hendricks on Mad Men. I reach for it when I want a girlier vintage vibe.
Top Tips For Red Hot Lips
Exactly which shade of red suits you best depends on your individual colouring. Harry Meret, the famous Hollywood make-up director in the 1950s, advised, “Never select your lipstick because the colour looked well on someone else.” Try before you buy and if it makes you look yellow of teeth or knackered of face, wipe it off before anyone sees and for god’s sake don’t get it.
To pull off a colour as eye-catching as red, your lips need to be in the best possible condition. Use your toothbrush to gently exfoliate them and keep Vaseline or stylishly packaged lip balm handy to cheer you up when you’re chafing.
If you want a perfectly shaped pout, use lipliner before your lipstick. It will define the outline, prevent any colour bleeding and help your lipstick to last longer.
When applying red lipstick, build up colour and intensity gradually. Blot with a tissue after each layer for maximum staying power.
Stray lipstick on your teeth will shatter the glamourpuss effect instantly, so when you’ve finished applying try this saucy trick. Pop your finger in your mouth and pull it out slowly to collect any excess lippy. If you do this in front of people they may think you’re propositioning them. Use this information as you wish.
Don’t become so obsessed with your incredible lips that you forget the rest of your face. Red spots may match your lipstick but they also pull focus so cover the blighters up. Make your complexion as flawless as possible so your god-damn gorgeous pout can take centre stage.
Vintage Stars And Their Red Lipstick Secrets
Bette Davies was a lipstick lover and said, “Even when I’m at home alone, I wear my lipstick. I feel naked without it.” Bette, I relate. Her preferred shade was known as Whorehouse Red.
Joan Crawford’s trademark lipstick look was known as “the Smear” as it went outside her natural lip line to make her lips look massive. She was way ahead of the trout pout trend. Critics described the effect as “labial flamboyancy” and “like balloon tyres in wet weather”. As you can see, Joan often put her hands over her ears to block out these criticisms.
Keep on pouting! Mwah! xx
Roxy Vintage Style 