Surrey Homes | SH109 | February 2024 | Education Supplement inside

on those finger-pads, to get a good idea of
sheerness/matteness and texture.” (Do give
hands a good wipe with antibacterial cleansing
wipes first, or a spritz of hand sanitiser.)
Alternatively, try this brilliant trick from
Gillian Dempsey: “Before you try lipstick on
your lips, use it to draw a life-size, upside-down
pair of lips on the back of your hand, with
the cupid’s bow nearest the thumb. Stand two
foot back from a mirror and hold your hand
up to your face – and you can tell, instantly,
whether the colour ‘lifts’ your face or makes it
look drab. If it looks flattering then go ahead
and try it on your lips.” (You might need to
squint a bit, but it really does give a great clue.)
Adjust your eye to a new shade. Switching to
a new red lipstick can give you something akin
to a visual shock, if you’re unused to it. So, on
the first day, add a layer of your new shade over
your existing shade, using a lip brush to blend.
On the second day, add two layers of your new
shade, again, blending carefully. On the third
day, discontinue your original shade – and your
eye should have adjusted perfectly to the new
look. This really does work! Alternatively, my
trick with a new red lipstick is to mix it with
a little gloss or balm to sheer the texture out
and create a stain. (I do this ALL the time.)
Some of my favourite red lip tips, meanwhile,
come from Poppy King – a.k.a. The Lipstick
Queen – who first launched a signature red
lipstick range in Australia when she was 18.
1. When wearing red lipstick,
minimize your eye make up so that
the red lips are the statement.
2. To remove flaky, dry skin on the lips
exfoliate the lips with a spare toothbrush
by gently massaging over lips.
3. If you are worried about lipstick bleeding
apply some under eye concealer around the
edge of the lips before applying the lipstick.
4. To stop lipstick getting on your teeth,
pucker lips and pull your index finger
through. The excess lipstick that gets on
your teeth will come off on your finger.
5. Dab some of the same colour lipstick
on your cheeks after doing your lips: it
really brings the whole look together.
And – ta-dah! – here are my favourite new
reds… There’ve been some fantastic red
lipstick innovations lately, and I’m rotating
these (actually, having to give the handbag a
regular edit or I find I’m carting five around!)
Lisa Eldridge True Velvet Lip Colour, £27.
Make-up artist Lisa’s True Velvet lipstick range
has a range of highly pigmented warm and cool
reds, always stunning, always with this comfymatte
feel. This is as glam as make-up ever gets.
Kjaer Weis Lipstick (Adore), £40 (refills
£28). Kjaer Weis – one of the most luxe
natural brands on the planet – offers refills
for this sleek silver lipstick case. So, when
deep, cherry red Adore has swiped its last,
you could switch to KW Red, a timeless
‘pillarbox shade’. (Or one of the four more
neutral tones, if I still haven’t converted you.)
Donna May London Lip Pencils, £15.
These pencils make red lipstick just so, so
easy. It’s as easy as drawing with a crayon,
either creating an outline with the tip, or just
smooshing it into lip-balmed lips for a more
sheer look. (As I mention above, she steers
you to your perfect shade via a very clever
chart which you can find on her website.)
Dolce & Gabbana Devotion Liquid Lipstick,
£38. For something so very long-lasting and
transfer-proof, this is incredibly comfortable.
With a silky-matte finish that honestly lasts
through meals, never mind Martinis, it
goes on like a mousse and hydrates, sitting
weightlessly on lips till removed. I’ve been
rocking the deep crimson 400 Orgoglio.
Guerlain Rouge G Luxurious Velvet Lipstick.
These are ‘two-part’ lipsticks; Guerlain have
created THE most glamorous refillable lipstick
cases, in a huge range of designs (priced £21-
32, though they also bring out special editions).
These positively beg to be brought out at the
dinner table so you can reapply your lipstick.
510 Rouge Red is a stunning matte, but other
satiny and even balm-like textures are available,
for you to switch easily in and out of that
so-gorgeous case; the lipstick refill is priced £32.
So, if you’ve never tried a red lipstick and seen
what it can do for your look, how it can brighten
your face – or day…? My advice is to give it
a go. It’s not a tattoo. It’s not hang-gliding or
S&M or tightrope-walking: it’s only make-up –
and at the end of the day (or immediately, come
to that), you can wash it off and go back to your
tame nudes. Then at worst you can hold your
head up proudly and say that you’ve tried it.
And at best? Maybe your new red lipstick
will be the start of a whole new you…
Visit beautybible.com for more of Jo’s
product reviews and beauty tips.
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