Red Lipstick: The Edit for Fair Complexions
I’ve avoided red lipstick for the last 20+ years. I’m not sure what started its fall from grace but I’m guessing it had something to do with how my face was aging. The rough texture on my chin and pucker lines around my mouth weren’t something I wanted to draw attention to so I opted for a paler lipstick with deeper eyeshadow.Ā 
I began experimenting with red lipstick again last month and I’m still at it. I stick to cruelty-free lipsticks and my goal is to find a red that doesn’t overpower my pale complexion or enter the room 5 minutes before I do š
General Rules About Red Lipstick
Be sure the lipstick undertone harmonizes with your skin tone. A warm basedĀ lipstick can look deathly on cool tone complexions.
Your own coloring and chemistry will alter how the color looks on you. It never looks the same in the tube as on your face.
Don’t expect that lipstick you test on the back of your hand to look the same on your lips.
Ā How I Wear Red Lipstick
I break the cardinal (pardon the pun) rule about wearing either a deep lip or eye color. I need to balance red lips with a deep eyeshadow or all you see are my lips.
I wear a lip liner to prevent the joker action of it wicking up my pucker lines. The pencil makes a crisp line the lipstick tends to not cross. The pencil needn’t be red for this to work.
I don’t add shine. Glossy red lips scream louder than I want and tend to cross that lip liner easier so I avoid them.
I wear more contrast in clothes when wearing red lipstick. With pale skin and increasingly paler hair, medium to pale lips is a better balance when I’m wearing soft colored clothes.
It’s easy to go very wrong with red lipstick. Many women say they just can’t wear it and I suspect the reasons are the same mistakes I’ve made.
Mistakes To Avoid with Red lipstick
Very deep red and burgundy’s with purple tones can look “goth” and make the lips look like an angry slash across your face. Not pretty with thinner, aging lips.
Matte lipstick tends to look more intense, dry, and absorbs the light which makes lips look thinner.
Glossy red makes lips look larger than they are and is more difficult to contain within the lip line.
My current favorite is to wear a berry shade lip liner with a raspberry red lipstick. I find deep red pencils draw too hard a line on my face and go beyond crisp to angry-looking…never my goal:)
There are seldom wishy-washy feelings about wearing red lipstick. Women either love themselves in it or hate it.
How do you feel about wearing red lipstick?
Thanks for reading and have a great day!
I am blondish, and I like light red or berry on me. I keep forgetting about the lip pencil first. Thank you for actually going into the different shades and formulations. Isnāt science wonderful?
Thank you, thank you, for reposting a link to this in your recent post in 2022 – I had not seen this and it is so informative. You look marvelous with your red lips!
Iām glad you enjoyed it. I need to retest some new reds and update this post too š
This is a very good post. Most of the reds you see advertised are on very young women. Older women are largely ignored . I thought that you looked very chic in your choice of shades. I don’t know if I will try it because darker shades always make me look too severe. I have always loved make up and what it can do for me. I am fair with blue eyes and brown hair. I always thought my skin tone was cool but my veins tend to blue green or purple. Depends on the day.
Your veins are not a very effective way of determining if your skin undertone is warm or cool. Itās more of a parlor game really. The jewelry and bright white test is more effective.
The Jane Iredale “Karen” looks really nice on you. I found that Maybelline “Red for Me” is perfect for me. My dark, golden blonde hair has a white/grey streak all in the front, eyes are medium blue. My skin is fair with a golden undertone. I used to wear peach shades for lipstick, but now that just washes me out. I never could wear nude colors.
I still have yet to find the right red for me. I use a lip pencil before applying any lipstick. What works for me is a pencil that is close to my natural lip color and after lining, I fill in the entire lip area which helps the lipstick stay on longer. I have seen too many women using a pencil that is dark with a lighter lipstick color. It looks odd.
Urban Decay has a great lip primer – a clear waxy pencil to use on or around lips (or both). Only thing I’ve ever found that makes a real difference in how long color will last on my lips.
Good to know. Thanks for the tip!