The short answer to ‘How do I wear red lipstick on my wedding day’ is – just put it on. But that would make for a very boring blog post, so I’ll go into a little more detail than that.
As you know by now, I am big into natural-looking makeup. So much so, in fact, that I am going to write a blog post on why that’s my style, a little later. But, saying that, I am also a big fan of statement lipstick. If you don’t usually wear bright lipstick, I will be blunt – this blog post is not for you at this time. Your wedding day is not a day to experiment. There are lots of other occasions to try it out, even in the lead-up to your wedding but your wedding day should not be the first day that you wear red lipstick.
For me, I love wearing a red lipstick, but, I’m also incredibly lazy when it comes to my own makeup. I do not want to spend my wedding day constantly checking that my lipstick is still in place or hasn’t faded or become patchy. The longwear lipsticks don’t work for me. I mean, they do, they stay, but they feel awful. I think I perhaps don’t lick my lips enough and so the lipstick becomes a bit cracked and flaky and I end up scrubbing it off. If you are prepared to keep topping up your lipstick then read on to find out how to find your perfect red lip.
Choosing Your Perfect Shade
Understanding your undertones
It’s important (but sometimes difficult) to know what your undertone is. There are quite a few ways to tell what your undertone is but I’ll be honest, I don’t always feel they are completely accurate. The easiest way to tell is to look at the veins in your wrists. If your veins appear blue or purple, then you are generally considered to have cool undertones. If your veins are green then you can consider yourself to have warmer undertones.
The same can be said for lipsticks. Some lipsticks are a bit cooler in their undertones, some with have a blue tinge to them and warmer lipsticks will have more of an orangey base. If you are cool toned, opt for a blue based lipstick and vice versa.
For Deep Skin Tones
If you have a deeper skintone, you can opt for reds that have a deeper look to them, think of shades such as deep wine colours and berry. These colours tend to have a blue base and are very complimentary.
For Olive Skin Tones
If you have olive skin, orangey based lipsticks are perfect for you. Coral colours are great and add such a beautiful pop of colour to any look.
For Medium Skin Tones
You guys are lucky – pretty much every red lipstick will suit you. I secretly hate you guys 😉
For Light Skin Tones
Skin tones that are on the paler side look much better in lipsticks that are more blue based so a little deeper than anything too bright, but, you can also pull off a pop of bright colour – just make sure to not overdo it on the eye makeup.
Fair Skin Tones – C’est Moi!
We’re naturally pink based and some having a lipstick that has a little bit of blue in it is very complimentary for us.
The Finish
Next, you need to decide on what sort of finish you would like to the lipstick. Do you want something matte? sheer? glossy? You decide 🙂
For longevity, add a lipliner before you apply the lipstick and make sure to apply it over the entire lip. This way, once the lipstick fades, the lipliner will still be there.
Above all, if you want to wear a red lipstick, go ahead and try a few in a shop and purchase the one you’d like for your wedding day. This way, you aren’t relying on your makeup artist to have the perfect shade and also running the risk of the shade they are using being discontinued – this ALWAYS HAPPENS – I’m looking at you Charlotte Tilbury!
Evie x
