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How to pull off dark red lips

By Meg | September 6, 2007

Summer’s almost over. The changing of seasons brings not just changing trends in clothes, but also changing trends in makeup. Fall makeup trends tend to be bolder than those of the warmer months and this year is no exception. Expect to see plenty of deep red lips, especially considering how popular ‘old Hollywood’ glamor is this season. Unfortunately, the result can be more scary than sultry. So, how can you keep from looking like a vampire or that other ‘lady of the night’?


Finding the right red

First of all, which red is for you? I wish I had a magic formula to give you, but to be honest it took me what seemed like forever to find the right red for me. Therefore, my best advice is to try on many, many colors until you find the one that works for you. I will share some tips with you, though.

First off, be careful about going too dark. It can be very aging. Also, pay attention to what kind of reds look best on you - cool reds or warm reds. Red is generally thought of as a warm color, however cool reds have more blue in them while warm reds have more orange. For example, Burgundy is a cool red and Scarlet is a warm red. Figuring out which red looks best can narrow down your search quite a bit.

Don’t overdo it

I am a definite believer in the ‘rule’ that you either play up your eyes or your lips, but not both. Otherwise, you risk looking like… well… either a clown or a hooker. If you are wearing red lips, keep your eye makeup more natural looking. Note that I didn’t say that you had to skip eye makeup altogether. In fact, you may find that you need eye makeup to balance out the red lips. However, keep the colors natural. Most importantly, use skin tone colors to shadow your eyes like beiges and browns instead of blues and bright purples. Use mascara that matches your eyelash color instead of funky colors like blue. You can even use eye liner provided that you don’t overdo it by using wild colors or making it too heavy.

Also, don’t forget to wear a bit of blush and/or bronzer to keep yourself from looking too washed out. You may need to change the color of blush you wear, though. In general, look for warm colors if you’re wearing a warm red lipstick, or cool colors if you’re wearing a cool red lipstick.

Don’t Forget to Update the Rest of Your Look

Dark red lips is a statement. They can be sexy and glamorous. However, it’s only one piece of the look. Some people can seemingly pull of red lips no matter what they wear. For the rest of us, dark red lips can look out of place if our style is too casual or drab. In my opinion, dark red lips tend to look best when balanced out with rich colors and dressier styles. It’s not that they can’t look great with gray or white or even beige, but if you’re having a hard time pulling dark red lips, try pairing them with this season’s great jewel tones.


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