My first foray into lipstick was a rocky one. As a typical child of the nineties I had a death-like grip on my lip-gloss and the only lipstick I owned was a concealer-like nude that blanked out my lips entirely. But as I got older, I couldn’t deny the pull of something more daring.
There’s those girls; those girls who can pull-off a scarlet pout while wearing nothing more sophisticated than a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. For some, lipstick is the ultimate in groomed elegance, but what I love is its ability to perk-up a casual get-up, turning a grey sweatshirt from slouchy to sleek. Basically, there's never an occasion when wearing lipstick isn't OK.
Think of Rihanna, Lily Collins or Taylor Swift – they pull-off a bold lippy with aplomb. Ri Ri was papped only this week with a bright fuchsia lipstick in the same shade as her dress (our money is on MAC’s Candy Yum Yum) and boy did it look good. And Lily and Taylor expertly demonstrate that you can never be tool pale for a punchy lip.
I always wanted to be that girl, the kind of girl who wouldn’t let lipstick get the better of her. So I came up with a plan to ease myself in gently. My first steps into colour went a little like this:
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First I began wearing it indoors, in the privacy of my own home. I would get home from work, put on a red, and wear it for the evening. This is also a good test to see what actually stays-put through cups of tea/glasses of wine/plates of pasta. Personally, I think the biggest obstacle to wearing lipstick is getting used to your own reflection so this gives you the opportunity to get accustomed to looking different before you present yourself to the world.
Then it was time to take my lipstick out into the world. Like any population test I went for a small group to begin with, and so it was that my lipstick came with me to the library. I felt like everyone was looking at me – I’m sure they actually couldn’t give a shit - but seeing as there was a grand total of four people in there, it was no bother. Stage two, complete.
The next step was to sample it on my friends for Sunday lunch. I wore it with jeans and a tee and received nothing but compliments and it didn’t slip all over my face - only ever a good thing.
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It was only then that I felt like I could finally make lipstick a part of my everyday make-up. Red – my preference for a bold lip – has now become my fail safe make-up: it immediately perks-up my complexion and completes my look.
If you’re new to lippie there are naturally a few tricks to make the transition easier:
Lipsticks to try
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Picture: Molly Cranna
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.