I have got bright red lipstick on. Whu do I feel (and probably look) like a complete dickhead?

[GetOrf]

I never normally wear lipstick (gloss or balm) but in a moment of madness bought a bright red lipstick and put in on.

I keep catching sight of myself in the window and think I look very strange.

My daughter is going to laugh at me, I know.

I wear Mac Lady Bug to the office. Not too matte, not too glossy either. I am pale, warm colours suit me and I have light brown hair and very dark brown eyes.

I am a lipstick-convert since middle of last year. I bought a red, but it seemed like a 'come-to-bed' colour on me, not at all appropriate for the school-run! So I took it back, and now have a hot pink with a blueish tone (sounds horrid but I love it), it's YSL Rouge Pur Couture number 19, and a bright coral YSL RPC in number 52 (makes me look a little more tanned even though it's middle of winter!).

I definitely think that with lipstick, if you 'pay peanuts you get monkeys' so whilst it pains me to spend silly ££ just on a tiddly little lipstick, I do think it makes a massive difference.

I used to always think I had to have mascara on (at a minimum) to look 'groomed', but in a real rush if I don't have time for mascara, I slick on some lipstick and hope that I've achieved the same effect

My BIG recommendation is MAC prep & prime for lips. It is superb. It's a moisturising base coat for lipstick, leave it about 60 seconds to 'mattify', and then put your lippie on over the top. I can't live without it.

Persevere to find the right shade, and you won't regret it. Good luck

I never go over the doorstep without red lipstick. I've been wearing it for years

Oh heck, don't blush Monty! Ruby Woo Red lippy is my permanent friend too, it's a good thing

I'm attempting to branch out with a good strong fuchsia and maybe a (bright) coral-pink but they'll need to do that kick ass red lipstick thing, whatever that is. I think it'll be a long search.

Getorf - sounds like you're wearing a blue-based red which is clashing with your skintone. I can't wear blue-red lipsticks either - they look nice in the tube, nice on the hand of the SA, and instantly look garish and cheap and just awful when they go on to my lips. Even by applying to the inside of the wrist will make the colour look garish and awful. People who haven't experienced this themselves won't understand what you mean. After much experimentation and expense, I have found some really good orange based reds which look very flattering. Try Bobbi Brown's Burnt Red, or Dior No. 006 - which goes by the hideous name of Brown Bungee. Both are very good quality and will last ages but aren't drying.

Beware of SA who say 'but this red suits EVERYONE" for other shades - I got sucked into buying some of those so-called 'universal' reds, and I always end up giving them away as they are still too garish. If you don't want a red that is too orangy, try NARS Fire Down Below, or Chanel's Rouge Allure Velvet No. 39 'La Somputuse' - they should also work for you.

Good luck and remember to trust your eyes when testing, not what the SA is pushing at you. Sorry I can't recommend mid-priced items as all the cheaper lippies in reds will look horrid on me personally.

Red lippy works only on those with full, largish lips and mouths AND perfect white, teeth. Without all of the above redis best avoided I thnk. I've never once worn red lipstick in my whole life!

thats how i feel when i wear it :(

yet i see so many people looking fab wearing it....

Marlene I've tried, believe me, corals, pinks, etc. No it's red for me I feel naked without it.

I feel like this about pretty much all lipstick - and I've tried reds, pinks, nudes... I feel really self conscious and clownish. And I think that makes me subconsciously wipe at it with my hand which then smears it so it looks worse

Mascara, on the other hand, I cannot live without. Or nail varnish on the toes!

I've always worn intense coloured lipstick, and really love it. Somehow it brightens my whole face up, and makes me look more alive. Whereas eye makeup I've never really got. Mascara always gets smeared (I have to use the most smudgeproof very, very discreetly) and eye shadow looks weird. My sister is a make-up artist and even when she does me she never does much with the eyes. So maybe you're either a mascara/eye shadow girl or a lipstick girl, and it's one of those things.

Anyway, for what it's worth, I reckon the rimmel Kate Moss ones are fantastic value for the price, and have as much pigment as lipsticks many times the price. I wear 07 which is more blue-toned than 01. However, if you want to choose exactly the right shade of red from a spectrum then you will have to go upmarket. Chanel have a wonderful range of reds, so does Mac. But at a price.

you probably look fantastic.

I sometimes wear a coral-red or a brick-red. Both are matte and I blot them with tissue once. I feel I look healthier with a pop of colour, but I do feel self-conscious because not many women in the UK wear lipstick as it is. I am a bit of a lipstick fiend and have about 20 different colours in my make-up bag.

I disagree about the need for white teeth and perfect lips before you can wear red TBH. My teeth are far from pearly and they look much whiter with the right red.

I tried my friends red not so long ago (because it looks so fab on her) but that made my teeth awful and my skin like something I'd borrowed from a zombie. If a lipstick makes your teeth look yellow then it's 'cause it's the wrong shade rather than because you can't wear any shades of that colour, IME even if you think a lippy seems to look fine against your skin if it's not flattering your teeth then it's almost certainly not optimal against your skin either.

Bright / red lippy does take a bit of getting used to but I think it's well worth a crack if you fancy it. Apart from anything else the feeling of wearing lipstick takes a while to get used to, let alone the look.

And yeah, thin lips aren't going to look good in dark shades but that doesn't preclude all reds or bright colours.

nude (a pet hate of mine) looking crap on thin lips. here too
red (not even so pale) looks great on thin lips and here looking shit 'cause it's too dark]]
bright pink

I'd still bet my best pants on ruby woo specifically and (too a lesser extent) most true reds suiting a very high percentage of women.

here. Clicking on the images where the lippy looks not so good tends to reveal that it's not actually Ms Woo in the photo.

Fuck, what an essay!

Just wanted to add that IME glossyness is a stronger contributing factor to bright / deep colours being unflattering on thinner lips / smaller mouths than the colour it's self.

And GetOrf did you ever come to terms with your new lippy?

I had a gorgeous red from Avon, it was a free gift with a dorethy Perkins order (just about the only thing I kept!) I looked and felt great in it, it got me through a crappy pregnancy and when i wore it it made me feel better 2yo dd got hold of it and dug at it, drew over the walls with it and ruined it :(

Id never considered red before and missed it. So after 6 months without it I was in boots and decided to treat myself. I bought what i thought was the same shade, but its really not. i look and feel like a clown. When I get round to it I'll visit the Avon website and rebuy as I really did feel great in it.

ooh i want to try this ruby woo

'snot cheap but it's SO worth it Instant glam.

As with all mac products (I've ever tried) really you get high end quality for a middle market price. It's stuffed full of pigment.

The pack prep & prime lip stuff someone else mentioned is also excellent but it's imperative to let it dry as she said - doesn't do much otherwise.

sounds fantastic

might treat myself, going in town tomorrow

am pale, blue eyed and dyed red hair....reckon it will look good on me?

I do, but if you can get to a counter then you'll know for sure

But, beware! Mac dip their tester lipsticks in alcohol every time they're tested (hygiene, natch) which dries them out terribly - as RW is already matte and reasonably dry the samples can be awfully dried out. This is not how it really is and is never going to happen to a lippy used normally.

If you don't usually wear colour on your lips it'd be best to try a few random strong shades first, just so you get over the shock of seeing yourself in a colour. That way you'll get a much better idea of if you actually like it and if it suits you.

Oh, and if you find it too matte / dry(ing) there's always russian red which is very similar (or one of the other dozens of reds they do).

thanks notmarlene....can't wait to try one out

I used to think I looked twatty in lipstick, but decided to try it out for my wedding day and never looked back. I got advice from Mac (of course) and initially tried a VERY solid bright pink and red, but being used to either lipgloss or nada or I felt like a muppet, so she then advised something more sheer (for red, it's called cockney).

Now I'm over my fear of twattishness and am ready to move on to the next level of lipstick wearing

My favourite red a fuchsia-red.
Flaming Dust from Nars.
It really brightens up my face.

I love red, but it took me ages to get used to seeing myself in it, especially after I hadn't worn lipstick for a long time beforehand because of allergies. I've made up for it now though, my favourites are Ruby Woo, Dior Le Grand Bal and Tom Ford Cherry Lush.