Many women find the prospect of wearing red lips frightening.
And they have good reasons. Red shows up on the teeth a whole lot easier than a pale-pink gloss. As it wears off, red leaves an unsightly line around the lips, and, sometimes, fleshy pink flakes. And red often bleeds into the tiny valleys of the skin.
Why risk all that when you can just wear a safe taupe? There are ways to avoid those red-lip pitfalls, experts say.
– Choose a lipstick style that has a matte or semi-matte texture. The oilier the lipstick, the more likely it will stray.
– Line the lips first–in either a color that matches your natural lip tone or in the exact shade of the lipstick. But to enhance the tone and depth of the lipstick, use a deeper or contrasting tone of lip liner, said Giorgio Armani makeup artist Tim Quinn.
– Follow up the lip liner with a primer. You can get primers at makeup counters, but Blistex or Chapstick work just as well.
– Quinn recommended varying the stain by applying lipstick with the fingers or using a pencil.
– To mute the red for the office, Quinn said blot the lipstick and brush on some neutral gloss.
– To go Hollywood sexpot, a creme base will give you full and rich coverage, Quinn said.
– Blot the lipstick after application to prevent unintentional afternoon tooth-decorations.