Red Lipstick: How to Wear It

Usually when we need to get dressed in a hurry for a night out, we reach for the black eyeliner. Add enough smudgy liner, pair with a lowcut top and no one will notice how flat your hair looks or that your nail polish is chipped.

While this look has never failed us, sometimes it's nice to mix it up. All the fashion rags are saying vintage glamour is one of the looks that's in this season, so we thought we would give it a shot, one night during fashion week. That's Annie (right) wearing Bloodroses lipstick from Kevyn AuCoin (below) with Carolyn from The Daily Obsession, backstage at the Ports 1961 show. While we loved that it created instant drama to our otherwise simple look, it was a pain to touch up the color throughout the night.

We checked in with one of our favorite makeup artists, Emily Warren for tips on how to wear red lipstick. Emily worked on many of the shows during NYC fashion week, including Marc Jacobs. You can read about her experiences on Total Beauty.

Does red lipstick work for everyone?
Yes! People are just afraid to try it. But there are different intensities and formulas that allow all of us to give it a shot.

Do you have a few favorite shades of red?
I love Nars chubby lip pencils (Nars Velvet Matte Lip pencils) in Dragon Girl and Cruella.

How do you apply red lipstick so it stays on?
Go with a pencil formula or a really sticky gloss if you want staying power. If you are going matte, you have to exfoliate your lips before applying or your lips will appear very flaky.

Is it true you want to keep your eye makeup simple?
Hmmm..Depends on where you are going. I would say yes, though when I'm working on clients, I typically go for a cream/liquid black or brown sharp line along the upper eyelids and that's that. But if you have darker skin, you can get away with a more dramatic eye with red lips.

What color blush do you chose and where do you apply it? Without it, I look too severe.
Yeah it can be a little 90s China dollish with no blush. It depends on your color, but a sheer pink or pink with a light sheen (like gold flecks) is great.

We're headed to Emily's wedding this Saturday and will try out her tips then. But more importantly: CONGRATS, EMILY AND JASON!!!!