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FIVE WAYS . . . to wear red lipstick!

Vamp or die! Go bold and totally vampy with dark red lips with subtle shimmer and shine.

Add coral for less OTT red! So red is too bold or too much for you? Try getting a shade with a little bit of coral in it, or even topping your go-to red with a coral gloss. It’ll tone down the red a few notches.

No-regrets-red! Embrace the beauty that is red. Try out a completely unapologetic red like Russian Red!

Classic beauty! Try a retro red, like Viva Glam I, which is matte, not too bright, but still unmistakably red.

Brown down red! Tone down a red by adding more brown to it, which will help to neutralize the color, without overpowering the red itself.

(And if you need help with red lipstick application, here’s a tutorial.)

Do you have a way to wear red lipstick? Share it with us!

18 Comments

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Tanya from Oz Avatar

My fave red lippie right now is mac’s london life. Its a rosey berry lustre.

To get the ‘look’, I apply some lip balm. At the moment I love my burts bees stuff.

then I just dab it on straight from the tube. I blot the excess off with a tissue. voila!

I like this method because it leaves a berry/wine stain (that looks fairly natural :D)

Tanya from Oz Avatar

its a lipstick from the euristocrats collection earlier this year (only for europe)

I was really lucky cos my dad had to go to vienna for a conference and on his way back he had some time to kill at heathrow airport (waiting for his plane to aus), and guess where I told him to go…..to MAC!!! *he he* what a lovely daughter I am lol!

so yes, i am just lucky to scab a few of those colours, they ended up being my first black-tubed mac lippies!

Jennifer Avatar

If I’m going to wear red, it’s gotta be Russian Red – it has a distinctly Dita von Teese effect when I wear it, but it’s perfect!

Nepenthe Avatar

These looks are wonderful, I love how you show a number of different ways. Sometimes red can be so intimdating, but I think there is something for everyone here. 🙂

Lately the reds I’ve been wearing are New York Apple (berry-red) and Rose Go Round (sheer). I usually line with Half Red, smudge the line and then apply from the tube and then go over it with a lip brush to smooth it out. Neutral glosses can really tone down red too, to make it more wearable too.

Great article!

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