How To: Those Perfect Red Holiday Lips

Who loves a beautiful, glorious red lip during the holidays?!? I do! I do! The red lip is classic, iconic and is the perfect color to wear during Christmas / New Years, or any time really! When I think about wearing a red lip, it's all about drama and confidence. Here are some tips to help you perfect this lip color look, helping your lips look amazing and you feeling fierce and fabulous. Follow these steps to start:

Step 1: Apply lip primer to entire lip area, remembering to extend it just outside your natural lip line. This helps extend the wear time of your lip color and to prevent feathering or bleeding. Allow your primer to dry. In a pinch? You can also use your foundation for this step too!

Step 2: Apply clear lip liner to your natural lip line. (Note: You can fill in the entire lip to help lip color last even longer.) Clear lip liner is perfect for bold lip colors because it works with ANY lip color and helps to keep it from bleeding. Dark lip liners can end up making lip lines look overdrawn or overly obvious. Yikes!

Step 3: Apply your red lip color with a brush, starting in the middle of the lower lip and slowly working out toward the outer edges. Try using a brush with stout, synthetic bristles like a lip color or concealer brush.

Step 4: Gently blot with a tissue and repeat application of lip color as many times as necessary (usually 2-3 times) to get the color coverage and intensity you crave.

Step 5 (Optional): Finish with a clear lip gloss, just to the middle of lips. Applying gloss over entire lip can cause the color to bleed outside the corners of the lip… and nobody wants that!

Step 6: Correct any stray or crooked edges with a cotton swab and reapply your lip liner to double the barrier against bleeds.

If you have trouble finding your "perfect" shade of red, do not despair! Sometimes it takes time to find and fall in love with one that suits you best. Here are a couple of common problems you may find when you start your search:

1) Problem - "My lips turn every lip color I wear Pink"

Solution - Try starting with a red lip color that has an orange base to it. The orange cancels out the pink and leaves you with your red shade.

2) Problem - "My lips turn every lip color I wear Orange"

Solution - Try starting with a red lip color that has a pink base to it. The pink cancels out the orange and leaves you with your red shade.

Also, please remember that dark lip colors will AGE YOU faster than any other makeup product! And who wants to look old and tired? Definitely not this lady! Warmer, brighter, more colorful lip color choices will always make you appear younger, because they bring out the warm tones in your skin and add life to your face.

Lastly, the red lip is a definite classic that never goes away, but you can always make it more modern. Think about making the rest of your face (i.e. eyes & cheeks) less bold in color, so it doesn't compete with your lips. A nice, natural eye look (even with a cat eye!) with a light pop of color on your cheeks will really make your lip color be the star of the show!

Have Fun, Be Fabulous, and Happy Holidays!