‘Tis the season to wear bold red lips and leave red lipstick prints on your date’s cheeks under the mistletoe. Yes, it’s that time a year again; the Peppermint Mochas from Starbucks are back and so is the red lipstick trend. This trend is already popping up everywhere, and I am so excited to see it brought back. But, with red lips comes a hard question: How does one keep it pigmented AND smudge-proof? It’s also the season to drink a lot of wine, coffee and Baileys, and to eat sugar cookies. I am going to break downmy tips and tricks to master the perfect red lip to make sure your look is SLEIGHING all night long.
Prep the night before:
Lips tend to get chapped during the winter, which leads to dryness and dead skin. This step is likely the most vital part, because with dry, cracked lips your lipstick will look clumpy. You must exfoliate the night before to get rid of your dead skin. You can use any lip scrub, but I use Jeffree Star’s because it’s a lot more grainy and takes off a lot of excess dead skin. Then, add a little bit of lip balm and head to bed. By morning your lips are going to be softer than ever.
The day of:
On the day of, before you apply your face makeup, put on some lip balm to hydrate your lips in the meantime.
The next step might seem weird, but I like using a white pencil to lightly trace my lip line, so lightly that it’s almost invisible. For me personally, I find that this is a good way to stay within the lines and no go overboard. And, for some reason, when I add a white pencil liner on the lip line, my lipstick doesn’t smudge outside of the lines.
Contour the lips:
Using a darker red pencil than your lipstick shade of choice will make your look more defined. Dark lip pencils give your lips a darker look, which can be really cute in the colder months.
The main event:
Finally, the lipstick. I recommend liquid lipstick, as it is extremely long-lasting, and it sets nicely on your lips without moving around. Liquid lipsticks are a fast dry formula so by the time your server comes out with your second drink, it will have already dried.