Surrey Homes | SH109 | February 2024 | Education Supplement inside

S
Josephine
imply Red
Fairley explains how going for bold can be the key to lipcolour success
Maybe you’re scared of red lipstick. Maybe you’re devoted to it: the makeup
‘go to’ friends know you for. But as make-up statements go there is
nothing more classic – and nothing that oozes confidence – like rocking
a red lip. For some women, it becomes a signature, like their personal handwriting.
Others find it as terrifying as the Daleks, because unlike the judicious, understated
application of nudes and neutrals, red lipstick requires not just courage – but skill.
Personally, I am increasingly a fan. I find that wearing a red lipstick allows me
to dial down the rest of my make-up (in fact, a strong red lip with bold eyes and
blusher is terribly Joan Collins as Alexis Carrington), saving time and effort. And I
think red lipstick looks fantastic on older faces, actually, counterbalancing the natural
fading of features that tends to happen with time, and which is ageing in itself.
So, I’m delighted that red lipstick has been ‘having a moment’, lately – new
formulations and products, fab shades (and something for everyone). Which seems
like the perfect excuse to share everything I ever learned about red lips, from the
pros, about how a pop of scarlet, crimson or cherry can enhance your looks...
Figure out if you’re a ‘warm’ red or a ‘cool’ red. Rule of thumb: orange-reds, or those
heading towards coral, are kinder to olive complexions or anyone who tans easily. Paler
skins (i.e. cooler complexions), as well as black skins, are generally better with blue-toned
or pinky-reds. If you’re uncertain whether you’re warm or cool, you’ve two options:
visit a make-up counter (where consultants can usually tell at a glance), or do the
peach/rose test (um, you’ll need a peach and a mid-pink rose, to do this).
There’s a brilliant guide to determining ‘your’ red on the website of Loose Women
make-up artist Donna May (donnamaylondon.com), whose new red lip pencils I rave
about below. Previously, I’ve always shared this (still-excellent) advice from dynamo
Sharon Dowsett (at ‘Chanel Beauty School’): “Look into the mirror – then
hold up some fruit. If you’re a ‘warm’, you’ll look better with that peach next
to your cheek. If you’re a ‘cool’, the pink rose will ‘lift’ your face.” (Unless
you’re one of those rare and fortunate creatures – which, it turns out, I
happen to be – for whom both ‘warm’ and ‘cool’ colours are equally
complexion-perkifying.) Once you know your warms from your cools,
as Sharon demonstrated to me vividly in person, it’s easy to take a
short-cut to the right red… (N.B.: Do beware of orange-red lipsticks
if your teeth are stained, as orange emphasises the discolouration…)
Try reds on for size before you buy. Although there is nothing
quite like putting a red lipstick onto your very own pout to
see how well it will flatter you, in reality you’ll only be able to
try on a couple of shades before the pigments in the lipsticks
‘tint’ your own lips. After that, even when you remove one
of the lipsticks and start again, the colour you see in the
mirror is no longer ‘true’. So, how can you eliminate shades
that aren’t going to work, before you waste your money?
Two tips. “The skin on the body that is closest to the natural
shade of your lips is on the pads of your fingers,” explains my
make-up genius friend Mary Greenwell. “So, try lipsticks out
99
priceless-magazines.com