Red Or Dead

Simple yet striking and a look that suits everybody that can be worn with a slicked back ponytail, soft waves or big hair. The bold lip is paired with a fresh, almost bare face and is a perfect winter look. Sexy crimson/plum tone lipsticks  are complimentary to most skin tones and has great depth and luminosity that instantly warms up the complexion. The lip is dramatic but feminine.

Steer clear of high shine products for this look and select semi matte finishes for day. While a glossy sheen is fine for lips, it can look over the top on eyes and cheeks in strong sunlight. Let colour be the focus so wear lipstick this season with a minimal face and  strong, tailored and elegantly groomed brows, to give the look balance.

Get the look
Skin: Keep skin fresh and clean. Hydrate the skin with an SPF moisturizer all over avoiding the eyelids. The eyelids are the oiliest part of the face. For an even and lasting look start by applying primer to your face. Primer provides an ideal base for any makeup look.

Get even: Foundation and concealer should be kept to a minimum. Lighten the under eye area to banish dark circles. Anything too heavy on the skin will look wrong with a strong lip.

Eyes: Balance a strong lip look with minimal eye makeup. Choose a flesh tone as a base and use a chocolate tone for definition along the socket line. Intensify the lashline and add a statement liner and draw a line along the upper and lower lashes, making it thicker at the outer corners and slightly winging it out at the edges.

Chiselled Cheeks: It's important to add some colour to your complexion so the strong lipstick doesn't wash you out. Rosewood tone dusted onto apples and blended upwards and swirled high to merge into the eyeshadow to give defined colour.

Lush lashes: Finally lashes are swept with volumizing mascara, emphasizing the top lashes to create a slight cats eye effect.

Perfect brow: Simply brush into place and use clear brow gel to hold in place. Define the arch with neutral toned brow powder or pencil.

Strong lip: Focus is on the lips so give your lipstick staying power by pressing on a layer of translucent powder before you apply any colour to lips. Fingertips are best for a stain ( a great way to introduce dark shades) or use a small lip brush for a more precise and polished finish. Apply a matching lip liner after your lipstick and use it to define the edges where needed, but use sparingly too stop it looking to obvious.

Red for any age
Teens: Pinky red lip stain, think cherry lip gloss
20's: Anything goes - Red lips and nude eyes for day. Red lips and smoky, black eyes for night.
30's: Return to the classics. A classic opaque red suits nearly all skin tones, a rich pigment for a solid, lush appearance.
40's: Sheer texture, high shine and bright shades freshen your look.
50's: Mattes and creams teamed with lip pencil to stop bleeding and define lip shape.