red lips

While beauty gurus typically advise against highlighting both your eyes and lips at the same time when choosing the focus of your evening makeup look (or any occasion’s makeup look for that matter), I can’t help but notice that this season’s night-out looks are all about drama, drama, drama — both with the eye-catching eye makeup and look-at-me lips at once. However, while models on the catalogs seem to be able to pull off the heavily-emphasized look without looking like a clown, somehow I’m still a little skeptical about how it will translate on a real gal’s face… especially considering my darker features, the hours I’ll be spending dancing, and of course, lighting not fit for a glamourous photo shoot. Luckily you don’t have to necessarily “go big or go home” (or rather, risk looking like a drag queen) in order to cash in on the benefits of rocking both dramatic eyes and bold lips. Consider a red lip stain instead of a more highly-concentrated lipstick or gloss, which will give you rich color that still wears more naturally and won’t clash. The great thing about lip stains is that they work with your natural lip tint and have buildable color — in other words, you can experiment gradually with added coats of product to create the perfect balance of luscious lips and come-hither eyes that doesn’t look overdone!

Pictured above: MAC Pro Longwear Lipstain Marker in A Classic, NARS Lip Stain Gloss in Moonfleet/Indian Red, The Body Shop Lip & Cheek Stain, Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstain in Cranberry Crush, and Laura Mercier Lip Stain in Scarlet.

- Alex Gambardella

Guest post from my friends at The Find!

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