We can thank Hollywood for making lipstick respectable.
Until World War II movies, lipstick was seen as witchcraft and a tool of seduction. History tells us that ancient Egyptians used henna to paint their lips. It was a reddish purple plant dye that was potentially poisonous–talk about the kiss of death! In 1770, the British Parliament passed a law condemning lipstick, stating that “women found guilty of seducing men into matrimony by a cosmetic means could be tried for witchcraft.”
In the 1800s Queen Victoria publicly declared makeup impolite. It was viewed as vulgar and something that was worn by actors and prostitutes. This public statement made the pale look popular for close to a century. But Hollywood saved the day by using makeup to put a “happy face” on the war time moves. This lead to makeup being a sign of patriotism, paving the way for makeup leaders like Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden to open their first beauty parlors, offering services that ranged from facial massages to hair dressing to makeup tips.
Tidbit: According to a 1996 survey by Shisedo Cosmetics, Tokyo, 87% of American women admit to having left traces of lipstick in unwanted places
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Tips from Make-up Artist Jon Hennessey:
Red lips are everywhere, every shade and every texture this season. Here are a few tips for achieving the perfect red lip. For wearability and longevity, my preference leans towards a more matte red lip such as MAC’s Viva Glam, Ruby Woo, Glam or Lady Danger lipsticks. Even if the end result that you’re after is a glossier or creamier texture, any of these make for a great base. A perfectly defined mouth can be difficult to achieve and the area that tends to give people the most trouble is the bow of the lip, often small lip brushes or lip pencils leave things looking a bit severe rather than sexy, unless you’re into the whole severe/sexy thing. The best tool that you have at your disposal for correcting, or perfecting that issue is your pinky. Run it over the lipstick and press into each side of the “bow”. This should give you a softly rounded shape. Repeat above for more intensity. Side note: As a make up artist, I carry about 5 different shades of Red and they are all Matte. Any look can be created with a Matte base. Try to create a perfectly defined Red lip with a glossy or creamy texture. How did it go? …exactly. Matte textures are less likely to migrate outside of the natural lip line.
Reds: Texture/Effect
The Stain: A matte base is a good start, this is best done with your finger tip rather than a lip brush. Run your finger over the top of the lipstick and work the product from the inside of the lip out. Typically, the colour that you end up with will be one which shows you the true undertone of the red that you chose i.e. if your lipstick is a blue based red, then the colour of the stain will be more Fucshia.
Vintage Red: Again start with a matte base. My advice would be to drop the lip brush and pick up a concealer brush, concealer brushes often tend to be about twice the width of a lip brush and cover the whole lip in one stroke. The rounded edge of a concealer brush will also help you to create the perfect bow to the lip. Use the tiniest bit of lip balm or lip conditioner through the centre of the lip to give it a sheen rather than glossy texture. Laura Mercier’s lip balm is perfect for that effect.
The Roxy Music, Glossy Red: A matte base…notice a recurring theme? Same as the above, but a very, very thin layer of gloss, starting from the centre of the lip out to the edge. Pretty straight forward. If it’s a long night, be prepared for several touch ups. Whenever creating a glossy lip look for Runway, gloss is the last thing to go on the lips, right before the girls prepare to walk.
Leave the gloss until you’re ready to walk out the door. It’s pretty rare to get the shape perfect the first time, so have a few Q-tips soaked in makeup remover on standby for perfecting corners. One trick that I’ll also use is in the form of Laura Mercier’s Secret Camouflage, an opaque concealer. If your overdrawing and correcting has left you with a Kool-Aid stain around the edge of your lip, pick up your Secret Camouflage compact and with a brush or sponge, conceal the evidence.
Get it right and prepare to turn some heads. Reds are everywhere for fall/winter, but be prepared to see them again for spring 08 as well. Lots of time to practice.
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