5 reasons to wear red lipstick
I must confess that I am a lip balmaholic. I apply it every morning, and every night before I go to bed. And (several times) during the day if I feel the need. Sometimes, when I'm all made up on a night out, I get really lazy and instead of re-applying my gloss, I reach for the Burt's Bees instead.That is, until I discovered red lipstick. A red lip says, "I'm classic", "I'm glamorous" and perhaps most importantly, "I made an effort." For those who are shaking their heads right now thinking "red lipstick doesn't suit me", or "it's too messy", here are five reasons why you should give a rouge lip another chance.1. It says "I made an effort" but, really, you didn't.Red lipstick can look its most sophisticated with an almost-blank canvas - that is, a very natural face. A light foundation base (or just some concealer and loose powder if you have enviably great skin) and a flick of mascara is all that's needed to complement a bold, red pout.2. If you get it right the first time, you won't be chained to your hand mirror all night.Love wearing lipstick but hate having to reapply it constantly? If you find the right red lippy and apply it in the right manner, you might not need to reapply it at all*. It's all about the blot, blot and re-blot. First, dab some concealer over your lips so your lip line disappears completely. Next, with a steady hand, line the outside of your lips with a suitable shade of lip pencil, then colour in your lips entirely with said pencil. Using a lip brush (or just the lipstick if you're really careful), coat your lips with your chosen red. Once perfect, place a folded tissue between your lips and blot. Colour and blot twice more for maximum staying power.*And by right lipstick, I mean something with a strong, matte finish. This will greatly improve your chances of minimal repplying. My favourites are by MAC: Ruby Woo (a bright cherry red) and Diva (a deeper burgundy).3. It draws attention away from your not-so-favourite features.Pimple just presented itself ungraciously on your nose (which you're not such a fan of anyway)? Apply a dose of rouge to your lips and everyone will be too busy looking at your perfect pout to notice Vesuvius developing on your snout.4. It's stood the test of time.Red lipstick is a beauty bag staple - a classic that never goes out of style, as these glamorous gals prove. Greta Garbo was wearing it at the height of her fame in the 1920s and 30s, while sex goddess Marilyn Monroe and ever-elegant Grace Kelly were flaunting it in the 50s. Brat Pack starlet Molly Ringwald brought red lipstick to a new generation in the 80s, and today's cinematic heroines, led by 2013 Oscar winners Jennifer Lawrence and Anne Hathaway, sport their rouge à lèvres in a sleek, modern fashion.5. Everybody's doing it.Hopefully the ladies in the above collage will also convince you red lipstick suits everyone. There are hundreds of types of reds in the colour spectrum and it's all about finding the hue that suits you.Greta Garbo favoured deep reds, and proved that having thin lips doesn't mean you can't wear dark lipstick.Marilyn Monroe went for all-out glamour in the form of glossy, fire engine-red.Grace Kelly took the extraordinary step of wearing a subtle red lip on her wedding day, to mark her transition into Monaco's exclusive royal family.Flame-haired Molly Ringwald matched her lip colour to her hair when she made the cover of Time magazine in 1986.While she's famous for her easy-breezy attitude toward the celebrity lifestyle, Jennifer Lawrence stepped up the glamour in a style befitting her youth with a pinky-red lipgloss at a premiere of her hit franchise, The Hunger Games.And Anne Hathaway, the classic and polished beauty that she is, has shown everyone how to wear the perfect red lip on several occasions, favouring a true, matte red to complement her well-defined, dark features.By Lisa Tan