Beauty 101: Smudge-Proof, Budge-Proof, Smooch-Proof Matte Red Lips

With the holiday season rolling around, nothing is more classic than a bright red lip and winged liner at a holiday party. I spent a long time trying to figure out how to, 1) prevent my lipstick from feathering, and 2) make it stay all night long. These are just a few tips and tricks that I have found work really well for me, and keep my lipstick looking great all night long!

The first thing I definitely suggest is exfoliating your lips, because the matte finish that this lip look will give you can bring out any flaws or dry skin on your lips. A great place to get a lip scrub is Lush, and all of their lip scrubs are edible! If you don't want to go out and purchase a lip scrub, though, there is an easy solution. All you need is one part olive oil, and one part sugar. Just mix the two ingredients together and rub it all over your lips! You can also add a little bit of honey to help bring out some extra moisture. Wipe your lips, then apply some lip balm.

My absolute favorite lip balm is the Jack Black Intense Therapy Lip Balm, but you can use whatever lip balm you like! After exfoliating, let the lip balm sit on your lips and absorb for a few minutes. You can just move on to the rest of your makeup while you allow the product to really sink in. If you want, you can also use a lip primer like MAC's Prep + Prime Lip, which helps to add moisture while priming your lips, but this isn't a completely necessary step.

Finally, moving onto the lip color itself. If you used lip balm, you will need to wipe your lips down to get off any excess product. Then, using a lip liner, I line the edges of my lips, and fill it in. The lip liner I have is by NYX, in the shade "Red," which is a gorgeous blue-based red which works really well on my skin tone. By filling in the lips with the lip liner, you help to stain the lips and prevent any feathering!

Next, the lipstick. My go-to matte lipstick is MAC's "Russian Red," but if you're looking for a drugstore option, I really recommend Wet n Wild's MegaLast Lipstick in "Stoplight Red" or "Red Velvet," any of the beautiful red Color Statement lipsticks by Milani, or Maybelline's Creamy Matte Lipstick in "Siren in Scarlet." Of course, it doesn't have to be a matte lipstick, because you're going to make your favorite lipstick into a matte formula! I like to apply the product straight from the bullet, then I take a tissue and blot the lipstick, to help get rid of any shine. Then, I take a lip brush and really go back and even out the product while refining the edges. 

To really help set the lipstick in place, I take a translucent powder on a fluffy brush, and pat this over the lipstick. This helps to get rid of any of the moisture that could cause the product to slip and slide. To brighten up any of the color lost from applying the powder, I go back in with a lip brush, loaded up with the lipstick, and apply that on top of the powder. 

Of course, to help everything look even more crisp and clean, I take my MAC Studio Finish Concealer with a small detail brush and clean up the edges of my lips. I also make sure to set the concealer with a translucent powder so that the creaminess of the lipstick doesn't bleed into the concealer!

What are your go-to tips for red lips? 

- D. 

A Kiss of Holly

If you're anything like me, you hate the combination of green and red. Of course, my school colors were green and black, and then for colorguard we wore bright red lipstick and it was just a big hot green and red mess. However, I do think there is a proper way to wear green and red together, and this glamorous look is perfect for any Christmas parties you may be attending this season!

Before doing anything, I took some scotch tape and pressed it on the back of my hand, to get some of the tackiness off. Then, I placed it along my eye, following the lower lash line upward, to help create a crisp, clean cat eye shape.

Next, I took the Maybelline Color Tattoo Metal in "Inked in Pink," and placed this all over my lid, stopping at the crease. On top of this, I took the Makeup Geek pigment in "Sweet Dreams" and patted this all over the lid, again staying below the crease. Then I used the "Fawn" shade in the Anastasia Contour Kit and buffed that into my crease to add depth and help the next colors transition. Using a fluffy blending brush, I took my Makeup Geek eyeshadow in "Envy" (which I totally forgot to take pictures of, but it's like a deep blackened green color) and blended that into the crease, avoiding going too far into the lid. Finally, I took "Corrupt," also by Makeup Geek, on a small pencil brush, and placed that in the outer V to really help give some extra depth.

For my liner, I decided to do a double liner featuring this shimmery liquid liner by Prestige Cosmetics in the color "Envy." With the tape still on my eyes, I did a thick winged liner, not worrying too much about getting a little messy with the wing since the tape was there to help me out! Then, after letting this liner dry a bit, I went over it with my Maybelline Line Stiletto in "Blackest Black" and drew a line that was about half as thick as the first. After the black liner dried, I carefully peeled off the tape to reveal a perfectly crisp winged liner!

To add a bit more drama, I used my L'Oreal HiP Color Truth Eyeliner on my upper and lower waterline, as well as along my lower lashline, which I then smudged out with a cotton swab. To finish it all off, I applied generous coats of the Maybelline The Mega Plush Mascara, and topped it with one good coat of the Maybelline The Rocket Mascara. I definitely would have preferred to add some false lashes to this look, but go figure, I couldn't find my lash glue!

For my brow highlight and undereye concealer, I used my Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer, then set it with the "Banana" shade from the Anastasia Contour Kit. As a contour, I used "Fawn," which is the same color I used on my eyes earlier, then I finished of my skin with the Milani Baked Blush in "Luminoso," to add a beautiful glow to the skin.

And for the cherry on top (-buh dum tss-), the red lips! As a base color, I took MAC's "Russian Red" all over the lips, using a lip brush to keep it from getting everywhere. After I applied this lipstick, though, I felt like it was missing something, so I added the Rimmel Show Off Lip Lacquer in "Big Bang" on the center of the lips. To clean up any edges, I used my MAC Studio Finish Concealer and ran this with a small brush around the edges of my lips.

That's it for this look! I really loved doing this look, and felt it was a cute little twist on the classic holiday tutorials that are going around everywhere right now. What is your go-to holiday look? 

- D. 

Five Minutes to Fall

I was browsing the aisles of CVS the other day, and the display for the fall collection by Wet n Wild caught my eye. Of course, it was nearly empty! I decided that was a good sign that I should check it out. The entire collection is just what you would expect from a fall collection -- lots of deep colors with warm undertones. As I was playing with the palette I picked up, "Melrose at Night," I realized just how quick and easy these palettes are for an on-the-go smokey eye! It only took my five minutes to apply the shadows, and this palette is so easy to just throw in your makeup bag and head out there door.

To find this collection near you, Nouveau Cheap has this awesome Interactive Sightings Map that can help you out!

To start this look out, I used the Maybelline Color Tattoo Leather in "Creamy Beige" all over my lids as a base. From here, I moved onto the palette. I used the Wet n Wild Color Icon 5-Pan Eyeshadow Palette in "Melrose at Night," and obviously, completely ignored the labels that were embedded in the shadows. I used the pink "Crease" shade all over my lid, staying under the crease. Then, I mixed the brown "Eyelid" and taupe "Browbown" colors together, and rocked that into the crease lightly. I didn't want the crease to be overly defined, so I made sure to really blend these colors out.

For my liner, I used the blackened purple "Definer" shade (which reminds me so much of "Blackheart" from the Naked 3 palette, by the way) and smudged this along my upper lash line. I also winged it out slightly, pulling the color into the crease and feathering it out. I also used this shade on my lower lashline, then used the creamy "Base" shade to highlight my brow bone as well as the inner corner.

And that's it for the shadow! This palette makes everything so quick and easy. After I finished with the shadows, I tightlined my upper and lower waterline with the L'Oreal HiP Color Chrome Eyeliner in "Black Shock," which was actually my favorite black liner for the majority of high school. Of course, I curled my lashes, then applied one coat of my Maybelline Waterproof The Mega Plush Mascara, followed by my Maybelline The Rocket Mascara.

On my lips, I used the limited edition Mega Last Lipstick in "Sunset Siren." I was so shocked by this lipstick. While I usually love the original Mega Last Lipstick, it does tend to be incredibly drying. The formula of this is still matte, but so much more comfortable on the lips. The texture actually reminds me a lot of the Maybelline The Mattes Lipstick collection that just came out! Because the eye look is so neutral, you can definitely get away with a bold lip, and "Sunset Siren" is perfect for that classic vintage red lip that is always popular around the holidays.

- D.