How To Wear Bold Lipstick Colors

“Lipstick brightens the face!” —from a very wise friend of mine

Last week we discussed how to wear bright eye shadow colors, and so now that you’ve become eye shadow experts, let’s discuss bold lip colors. I’m talking about those bright pinks, reds, and purples that you give the side-eye to when you’re walking down the aisle in Sephora. While I think that other lip colors—like blues, greens, and yellows—are fun, I find those to be a bit too “out there” for day-to-day wear. For whatever reason, the further you stray from your normal lip color, the more angsty your employers and parents will become, and so until they become more evolved, I’m afraid those will have to wait on the sidelines.

Let’s talk some practical tips that will lead you to strut those bold lips with confidence.

Balance: I mentioned this in the last post, but I’ll mention it again—balancing the distribution and intensity of your outfit’s colors (and makeup is a part of your outfit) is key to helping you look awesome. Extreme looks are for extreme situations. So wearing neon eye shadow plus bright purple lipstick might be great for going out on the town, but might not be the most appropriate for the workplace. Also, balance the sparkle—in the pictures below my eye makeup is neutral and matte so that the lips can have the spotlight.

Brain problem: I came across this term when I was watching a YouTube video and I think it’s an excellent factor to point out. It’s the phenomenon that when you wear something different from your normal makeup look—your brain kind of freaks out and is like “oh my gawd! What is on your face?” So don’t immediately take it off, give yourself some time, and you might just come to love it.

For example, I have kinda big lips and so I used to hate drawing attention to them—as in I didn’t even wear lip gloss because my brain reacted something like, “NOPE. Huge lips overpowering your face and that’s just weird—TAKE IT OFF.” So for many years I did. Then I finally pushed through it and discovered my love for lipstick and bright colors—and now here I am! Same thing for my lower eyelashes—when I first put mascara on them in eighth grade it looked SO weird to me, but eventually your brain adjusts. Give yourself some leeway to be a tad adventurous.

Carry a mirror: When you are out and about it’s always good to have a mirror so that you can double-check your smackers. Messed up bold colors are going to show up more than your standard gloss, so you need to be vigilant—plus, you will probably need a touch-up.

Color coordinate: Not only do you need to balance the colors and intensity of your makeup, accessories, and clothes—but you need to make sure you match your makeup as carefully as you do your shoes and dress. This is the finishing touch to your look, so if you’re not sure don’t be afraid to test out a couple. I sometimes put one color on the top lip and one on the bottom to see which I like best. There’s no harm in testing things out.

Know what you’re looking for in your lipstick: If you want bright, then you want to make sure that the color you see in the tube will be the color you want on your lips. Some lipsticks, like those from NYX, are relatively inexpensive ($4-$7 a pop) and they have good pigmentation and feel nice. But, the wear of this brand is pretty short and so you need to reapply it every hour or two, which might be fine with you but it’s good to know. I’m a fan of Revlon’s Colorburst Lacquer and Matte balms, because they feel fantastic, the color is divine, and they cost $8-$9 at the drugstore, but they also require reapplying every two hours or so. Maybelline has a lipstick line that is supposed to last for 16-24 hours and costs $8-$10, but I wouldn’t recommend it because it feels tacky on your lips, flakes, and is just not worth the money. If you want longer wearing lipstick that still feels good, then you’re going to have to pay more – so NARS, Smashbox, MAC, and the like are going to be your best bets.

Keep your head up: If you’re not used to wearing really bold lip colors, it’s easy to give in to that desire to hunch over a little and not make eye contact. But I’m a firm believer that if you walk confidently, you can pull off extreme looks. Onlookers will admire that confidence and think, “That’s so neat that you can pull off that look! But I could never…” Oh, if they had only read this post! This is what I channel when I’m entering uncertain or uncomfortable situations, and it has yet to fail me: “You have to come from your core really tight, shoulders down, neck long….”

See Also

Simple and Stylish Dressing with Matching Co-Ord Sets 

Here are some of my looks with bold and bright lipsticks—I hope you are inspired to begin a lipstick adventure!

What other tips help you wear bold lipstick colors? Let us know and send us your selfies @litdarling!