Winter is the perfect time to experiment with your beauty. Layers, outerwear and the lack of completely sweating your makeup off make for a better time for playing around and rocking some more daring looks.
One of my year-round favorites that makes more appearances in winter is dark lipsticks. Deep reds, berries, purples, even blacks, I can rock these puppies for days. Some say it can even make you live your best life. And while they have had a surge in popularity recently, many people stray away from wearing them outside of dark clubs or more fancy nighttime events. But, even if you’re a bit uncomfortable, given the right tools, you can be free to rock these looks day in and day out.
Napa by Cargo is my ultimate deep berry shade.Totally creamy formula and not too ridiculous color-wise as it goes on much lighter than in the photo. ($22)
Keep your hair simple
If your hair is totally done up or curled perfectly, you run the risk of looking a bit too dressed up or like you’re ready for a night on the town. By leaving your hair natural, or doing something simple like a soft wave or ponytail, you let the lipstick become the statement piece, not part of a larger, fancy look.
Go lighter on other makeup.
Just because you put on lipstick does not mean you can’t wear anything else on your face, but just like the philosophy with your hair, you should wear lighter makeup during the day so that you draw attention to your lips.
Complement with your outfit hues.
Dark lipsticks can be seriously heightened by your outfit tones. For a daytime look, try pairing them with mustards, neutrals, lilacs and florals. These will accent the intensity of your lipstick, but they will also work to soften your look for everyday.
All about that base.
Half of feeling comfortable with rocking a bold lip is literally in the comfort. Make sure you scrub your lips before doing your makeup if they’re feeling a bit flakey (brown sugar and olive oil will do!). It’s good to prime with lip balm as well, though I usually put it on right after getting out of the shower so it has some time to sink in before you apply a lip color. Also be sure to keep a compact and your lip color with you for touch ups and fixes post meals.
Melted Velvet by Too Faced is a liquid lipstick that applies like a dream and dries matte. ($21)
Clean up your eyebrows.
This may sound a little strange, but the base of your look is actually your eyebrows. I cannot tell you how many times I thought I’ve looked really good and then my brows are out of control. Whether you like them thick or thin, make sure they’re in check and your whole look will look more polished, including your lips.
Not all shades are created equal.
What shade you’re comfortable rocking depends on the day and what you feel looks best on you. I truly believe any shade can be rocked any day if you find the best one that works for you. Do your research, buy some drugstore lipsticks to experiment and find which type of color works best for you.
Black Cherry by Revlon is an amazing drugstore lipstick. This whole line is great, but this is a deep (almost black!) red that works so well on variety of skin tones. ($5)
Channel your inner queen.
The most important tool to have in your belt is confidence. It can be seriously daunting to wear these types of colors, but I promise that no one is judging you more than yourself. Whenever I feel a bit weird for wearing a deep purple to an uber casual workplace, or out to dinner with a friend rocking no makeup, I think of my queen of choice. It’s usually Nicki Minaj, but pretty much any queen who you know rocks ridiculous amazing looks regardless of how anyone else in the room looks will do.