Powerful, timeless, and oh-so-glamourous, the impact of a red lip is undeniable. As Coco Chanel once said, “If you’re sad, add more lipstick and attack.” The allure of confidence in a tube is intoxicating, but the quest to find your perfect shade can be tricky, for sure. After trying on maybe 10 different brands and shades at a Sephora several years ago, I happened upon my soulmate shade at a department store instead: Chanel’s Rouge Allure in Palpitante. I love it so much that I even wore it when I married my soulmate.
Reds are cool, bright, romantic, optimistic. But a little dark romanticism can be pretty magnetic, as well, and that’s exactly what you’ll find in a burgundy lip color. Wearing a bold red or burgundy can turn a bad day good, but its the deeper, darker shade that can also turn a good girl bad. There is something so rebellious, so sensual, so badass — and so on-trend — about a burgundy lip. Perhaps taking a hint from its close relative marsala, Pantone’s Color of the Year 2015, dark pouts were all over the fall runways. Like its red relatives, there is bound to be a perfect shade, consistency, and coverage for everyone; you just have to dig. To get you started, here are eight to try or choose from:
I have an olive complexion with yellow, warm undertones, so I went with a color that had a berry pigment (right). I chose Maybelline’s Burgundy Blush matte lipstick (pictured above: bottom row, right) for a cheap $8 at Target. (MAC’s Rebel is a great shade, too, for just about every skin color.)
The Burgundy Blush It was quite easy to apply with a lip brush, but you’re definitely going to want a matching lipliner to apply underneath. Bobbi Brown has an amazing line of every color lip pencil you can imagine.
Tracing your lips first, fill in your entire lip with the pencil and inside the lip as much as you can. If you mistrace, use some baby oil on a cotton swab to gently remove the liner and start again.
Don’t forget, especially when applying darker and matte colors, the key to getting a perfect lip is starting with a lipliner. Line the outside of your mouth and fill in with the pencil before applying your lipstick with a brush. This will help keep the color from bleeding.
