Lipstick On Your Collar - Part Two

Glamour in a Stick


Lipstick, and red lipstick in particular, has so many connotations. It has panache, attitude and style. It’s classic, daring, glamorous, risqué and provocative, theatrical, grown-up, sexy, feminine, strong, confident and fun. However, achieving the perfect pout in such a bright hue can also be a daunting prospect. No one wants to end up looking like Jack Nicholson à la Batman, 1989. Well, we’re told there’s a red lipstick for everyone so here are our top ten tips to getting an instant hit of lip smacking glamour.

One

For complete confidence it pays to do some prep so let’s take a look at the blank canvas. To match the perfect red lipstick to your own individual and unique features it’s a good idea to think about those features, particularly the colouring of your hair, eyes and complexion.

Skin Tone Palette

Two

Looking at your skin tone how would you describe it? It’s not simply to do with whether you are tanned, black or pale; it’s about the undertones. Would you describe yourself as having cool or warm tones? Cool tones have elements of pink, red or blue while warm tones have orange, yellow or gold. Red lipsticks with more of a hint of pink suit those with cool tones. Lipsticks with more orange or brown in them are a better match for those with warm tones. You may be neutral and are able to wear any colour.

                                                                                     

Three

Not sure how to identify your skin tone? Here’s some ways to work it out (do all of these tests in natural light):

Turn your arm over and look at your wrist and forearm. Do the veins look more green or more blue? If your veins look green this indicates warm tones and if blue you have a cool skin tone.

Take a piece of white paper and hold it up against your face. Does your skin look pink/blue/red or orange/yellow/gold?

Still not sure? What jewellery do you tend to wear? Do you feel most comfortable wearing silver or gold? Silver compliments cooler tones while gold takes to warmer tones.



Spin the Wheel

Finally, what make-up and clothes colours do you mainly wear? If you wear pale blues, purple, pinks, coral, pale green or silver your skin tone is in the cool range and if you gravitate towards brown, autumnal, gold, copper, bronze you have warmer tones.

Four

If you’re keen on a more spontaneous approach how about a mooch around a cosmetics department. With your lips bare of colour pick a lipstick tester and try it on one lip and compare it with your natural lip colour. Just as with hair dye it’s good to go only one or two shades darker if you're after a more natural look.

Five

This is where it becomes creative. If you have a favourite vintage look or era and want to re-create the perfect pout the shape of the lips, as well as the colour, is important. As we looked at in the last blog post red lips dominated most of the decades of the twentieth century, so you can have fun changing your look and matching it to your vintage style.



The Fabulous Josephine Baker

The 20’s adored a very feminine shape with all focus drawn into the pout. The lips took the shape of the famous Cupid’s bow. With rounded, raised and curved arches the shape was small, central, plump and flirtatious.

Into the 30’s the arches were more sharp and the colour came out wider into the corners for a squarer, more determined, strong and constructed look.

During the 40’s women were creating a fuller, softer pout with symmetrical and feminine curves.

The 50’s saw a more natural yet emphasised style that was voluptuous, sensual and seductive. Though the shape was natural the outline of the lips was brought out further for emphasis.

With the 70’s the shape of the lips were brought in more centrally again and with a clear outline the look was kept more contained with the disco extravagance of super shine to draw the eye in.

Through the 80’s the lip contour thinned out and widened, perhaps as part of a feminist challenge to the gender identity styling associated with a fuller pout.

Six

Ok, so this is the technical bit. You may not necessarily require a set of elbow length gloves, an exquisite mirror compact in mother of pearl or an expensive designer lipstick; these are nice to have. However, there is an art to application. Ideally the lips must be loved and cared for; free of roughness or dry areas. Using a lip liner creates the outline and shape as well as eliminating any fag-ash Lil style colour bleeding. Then using a brush apply the colour, and just as when we were children, it’s all about not going over the lines. Using a brush ensures a deep and even covering. Finally press your lips onto tissue paper to blot the colour to take the excess off and so the colour lasts longer. You can then use a transparent gloss to give your lips a traffic stopping shine.

Handbag Essentials

Seven

If you don’t fancy going solo on your first flight or just looking for an excuse to be pampered, why not skip on down to the counter at the Benefits concession in Boots. The word on the street is that they give great advice and do a pretty good full make-over for FREE. They are an obvious choice to go to for us vintage-istas because of their own appreciation for the retro look and love of pin-up glamour.

A Hint of This and a Smidge of That

Eight

While you’re experimenting with different rubies from the glorious reds why not get the look mirrored back to you for a more objective view on things. Either ask a friend you trust the opinion of to say yay or nay or ask your trusted camera to give you feedback. Extra tip for free – if you’re smiling in the shot you’re probably onto a winner and if it’s a grimace just say no.

Nine

This tip follows on from the last. It’s simple and very effective: if, when you try a red and you feel down right great that’s your clue.

Ten

If you don’t take up any of last nine tips maybe this one’s for you. It kindly comes care of a customer who came into Frock&Roll. She looked stunning in a very bright red lipstick that really had the power to pop! We got talking about the look and the lovely lass said she regularly mislaid her lipstick and when she shopped for a replacement she ran along the options and always went for the brightest red she could find. Perhaps this is a rule for life – when faced with a choice always go for the brightest option.

Kiss Me Quick

Love Frock&Roll

Picture credits: 1) (c) Dim@dim/StockFreeImages & Dreamstime Stock Photos, 2) Limelightco.com, 3) Tokaikko.com, 5) (c) Angel_a/StockFreeImages & Dreamstime Stock Photos, 6) (c) Vanloonmichel/StockFreeImages & Dreamstime Stock Photos, 7) (c) Dagfrida/StockFreeImages & Dreamstime Stock Photos.