Red Lipstick - what's your lip shape, overall style, and can it really look good on most people...?

[JemimaPyjamas]

I got the At Night shade in my Space NK advent. I also don't have pouty lips, and generally wear quite subtle make up.

However! I want to try it out as I love the idea of it, but I am generally someone who wears sheer lip colour, and also just uses quite simple make up. More like concealer, blusher, and possibly something on my eyelids that's more like a primer than an actual colour. I also tint my lashes and brows rather than wear mascara.

It's quite 40's looking when it's on, which is no bad thing (excluding my wardrobe.)

Is it possible to get away with a red when red is not generally your thing...?! Or will I look like a clown, or if I have dipped into my mothers make up bag...

@pharmachameleon You might want to pay a little more than you're used to in order to get the type of red you're after, simply because more affordable lipstick brands don't really seem to do much of the sheerer style reds. With that said, you could take a look at some lip glosses or lip oils as these have come on leaps and bounds in recent years. These will give you the appearance of redder lips without the upkeep, and you can layer them over a lipliner to achieve a more pigmented colour if you want.

I'd recommend NYX Fat Oil Lip Drip in Newsfeed. Alternatively for a little more, but well worth it, the Fenty Gloss Bomb Heat in Hot Cherry (this one does have a very mild tingling sensation for the first 30 seconds of wear.)

If you CAN afford a bit more of a splurge, MAC Lustreglass lipstick in Flustered sounds like it would be perfect for you. A tip to get a decently priced MAC lipstick: John Lewis have a beauty recycle scheme where, if you have a John Lewis card, you can take in five empty beauty products (doesn't have to be brands sold in John Lewis, and they accept things like shower gel) and they'll give you £5 off the purchase.

@foxlover47 Ruby Woo is a classic for a reason! It's very dry and matte, but a beautiful shade that suits lots of skin tones. I love it at this time of year too.

Thanks so much @martinirossi!

I now wear Lisa Eldridge velvet ribbon (and also have it in the velveteen liquid lipstick as well) and I love how it looks.

however, I have a real problem with it smearing. I love wearing it, but am terrified of eating with it on! How on earth can I stop red lipstick smearing?? I do use a lip liner but yet it still does it

I've got thin , downturned lips , and yellowish teeth due to very thin tooth enamel . NO red would suit me.
Lol don't I sound a beaut !

@FrostyFlo a blue based red actually makes yellowish teeth look whiter, I promise. Colur theory in action!

I've always thought I look dreadful in red lipstick and have never found one to suit me. Maybe one day I will let the girls at Sephora or Mac find one for me.

So have very dry lips but conversely make up just slides off me.
i love bright lipsticks and red in particular but always seem to end up with a dry crusty outline and nothing in the middle so I always end up using tinted gloss or light neutrals which really don’t make me feel ‘special’
can anyone recommend a creamy non drying long lasting pigmented warm red?

@flagonfull Do you do anything in terms of lip care? I also have dry lips and the way I treat them is by using a lip mask at night (the LaNeige one is great), followed by a thick lip balm in the morning (I use the Lanolips 101 ointment.) However if my lips are still looking a bit crusty before I put on lipstick, I get a simple lip scrub (Barry M do good affordable ones, though I do like the MAC Lip Scrubtious and it lasts for ages), use that to scrub away any texture, then reapply my lip balm very thinly (a tip to press it in/thin it out is to use the handle end of a small makeup blush and just run this all over your lips) before putting on lipstick.

In terms of a red that will stay put but is non drying, the MAC Powder Kiss lipsticks are great - they do it in both traditional lipstick format and liquid lipstick, and I like both but lean towards the liquid. You will need to reapply either of them after eating etc, you'll never find a creamy lipstick that stays put all day, only ultra matte ones are capable of that, but with hydrated lips and a semi matte lipstick you'll definitely get a decent amount of wear and it shouldn't fade away in the middle. Looking at the MAC site, I'd say Devoted To Chili is a true warm red (I have the shade Chili in the regular lipstick format and it's one of my favourites for a warm red lip, and this shade looks very similar.)

https://www.maccosmetics.co.uk/product/13854/75919/products/makeup/lips/lipstick/powder-kiss-liquid-lipcolour?shade=Devoted_To_Chili

amazing! Thanks for your helpful reply, I will look at this one to try 💋

I’ve just started wearing it, having avoided it for ages due to fear of looking too much. Many thanks for the recommendations. My lips are one of my best features I’ve discovered!

I’ve pale olive skin, green eyes, thin lips. Hair now white grey, formally was dark brown. I love red lipstick, I wear minimal make up - bb cream, brown eye liner over neural shadow and mascara and a quick flick of bronzer so the lipstick is the main feature of my make up. Very matt doesn’t work for me as it looks too dry so I tend to add a gloss over the top.

'I get a simple lip scrub (Barry M do good affordable ones, though I do like the MAC Lip Scrubtious and it lasts for ages), use that to scrub away any texture, then reapply my lip balm very thinly'

Could not agree more about the lip scrub. I used to think it was a nonsense product but when I tried it, it was a revelation. I now use every other day, I have a Barry M one too! It's the most brilliant thing for dry flaky lips

I have naturally full lips, quite well defined and I used to go for blue red lipsticks, however as I’ve got older I’ve found I can suit more orangey reds. Red lipstick, the right shade, can look good n most people. Mac See Sheer is a red I sometimes use if I don’t want it to look
obvious.

For me to get a red lipstick to look right you need a good foundation base, lipliner, lip brush for it, you can touch up without it. But that’s my preference, I have some friends who don’t bother with all this!

Re lip scrubs. I often use sugar in say olive oil or rub my face scrub over my lips. A good lip balm on lips buffed slightly off before application is key though.

OP, you’ve reminded me to dig out my sheer whether red lipsticks, I got a lovely Dior one before lockdown and rarely wore it!

I'm another thin-lipped lipstick shirker .
My lips have always been thin, especially the top lip and I have a small mouth. When I was younger I could get away with a dark red . My favourite was an M&S Mulberry matte . (Apply /blot/apply what is left on the brush)

I ave no real lipline now so I need proper , careful application of lip liner .

I've put Barry M Scrub on my list , I;ll keep it by my toothbrush to use at night .

I tried the BarryM scrub last night after brushing my teeth , eurgh it is Sticky .
One to use in the shower only .

Sugar mixed with a little olive oil is a good alternative. Use it with the corner of a flannel, small circular movements.

Dry lips are often a sign of general dehydration. If I drink regularly in the day my lips are all plump and soft. If I don't it's prune city.