“A Cherry Pout? You’re So REaDy!”

I’ve been getting a lot of great feedback this week on the luscious red lips I gave my friend Lea for her recent photoshoot. But, almost every time, along with the “WOW, that looks amazing!” comes a “I could NEVER pull that off!” Well, DKBeauties, I’m here to tell you…“YES, you can!”

There’s no denying that a red lip makes a bold statement. So, the first rule of thumb when going for a scarlet pout is to tone down the rest of your makeup. Wear lighter, more neutral eyeshadows—or even simply line your eyes (for tips on doing a winged eyeliner, see 12/2/11’s posting—this is the perfect partner to a red lip!) and apply mascara.

Okay, so first, prep your lips with a liquid foundation or lightweight concealer that matches your skin tone. This will encourage the lip color to stick and prevent “bleeding” later on.

Next, carefully line your lips with a red pencil. I say carefully because this is the part that could make or break the look, in my opinion (be most cautious at the corners of your mouth—sometimes it’s easy to curve the line upwards there, which can result in a Jack-Nicholson-as-The-Joker look…haha). If your upper lip is a little thinner, like mine, try to draw on the outside edge of your lip for a fuller, plumper appearance. Once the line is done and you’re happy with it (if you’re not happy with it, just use a little makeup remover and start over), fill in your lips with the liner (remembering to color inside the lines). ;)

Then, apply your red lipstick—I suggest picking up a matte one, as it will be more versatile (and you can always add shine by layering lip gloss on top of it). Press your lips together a few times to make sure everything is well-blended and then blot gently on a tissue to remove any excess (you can also try sticking your index finger into your mouth and closing your lips around it as you pull it out—red lipstick has a tendency to get onto your teeth, so just double-check before flashing those pearly whites).

Finally—and this is an optional step—apply a touch of lip gloss with a lip brush for added brilliance and, VOILA, admire your fabulous sex-kitten-self in the mirror! (For me, this usually involves making my best kissy faces ala Marilyn Monroe!)

Enjoy the weekend, my dears, and have fun trying out this hot, hot, HOT look! :)

xo,
D

Image from https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQGxxiUsdijGfkT2H9dWavD9WerdI9AK5FxOioa6YpflUiY8g_DWfPGFaonRONoc65G3mpyMVoGZRfks7PWohyphenhyphen2DawY4pQ7L4_FxBMxa6DjY3Ju39YHuGYcDzhyphenhyphencaiYrcb83M7NDKW5xE/s1600/red+lipstick+Marilyn-Monroe.jpg