Marilyn, Clara Bow, Rita. These beauties, spanning the generations, prove that red lips are iconic, stunning and timeless. The act of painting our mouths a different colour has been popular since as early as 3500 BC, when lip lacquers contained a number of harmful ingredients, which subsequently led to many premature deaths. Now less deadly, but still powerfully intoxicating, red lipstick is a grown-up’s game. Because while pink lips might signify fun, and orange may be the colour of the summer, our old friend red makes a girl feel like a woman. Slick on a bit of scarlet and you’ll see. A simple white shirt, teamed with a flash of crimson becomes an outfit; a LBD plus RED is a statement. You feel your head held that little bit higher, you walk into a room with a sense of purpose and control our bare-lipped friends just don’t possess. Because, to me, red means confidence. And we all want to feel that, don’t we?
Red lips are the buzzword to polished beauty, but that’s the wonderful thing about them. You can be feeling run down and spotty, but with a slick of colour on your face, your (imagined) flaws are no longer visible. You instantly look refined; your messy up do, an elegant chignon. If you only have five minutes to get ready, with a touch of red on your lips, no one will be any the wiser.
I
haven’t found a better red lipstick for me than Daniel Sandler’s Red Micro Bubble. The bubbled spheres on the column continuously release moisture, meaning we can kiss chapped, dry lips goodbye forever. I tend to wear a lip balm underneath to allow for an easier glide on, but the amazing natural ingredients, which include aloe, rose hip and safflower oils, means application and removal is simpler than ever.
The reddish blue works perfectly for those of us with pale skin and blonde hair- if you’re lucky enough to have a tan, or luscious brunette locks, try red with a hint of yellow or orange. But Marilyn, Clara and Dita classic red, luckily, works on us all, so get pouting ladies, I think it’s time to paint the town red!
So am I a grown-up now? 