Beauty

Beauty how-to: Prada’s poppy red lips

This modern take on hot red lips works on virtually everyone.

by : Karen Kwan- Aug 9th, 2010

“This orangey poppy red is so summery and it works on pretty much everyone,” says MAC senior artist Caitlin Callahan. “The majority of people can wear a warm red like this one because in the summer, even if you wear sunscreen every day, almost everyone’s skin tone has a peachy warmth to it.”

Here are Caitlin’s tips on how to easily recreate this Prada Spring/Summer 2010 look:

• “The key to this lip is that is not pointy at the cupid’s bow of the lips. It’s softer, which makes it younger and sexier,” says Callahan. To get this curvy lip, use a lip pencil in warm red, such as MAC Lip Pencil in Redd, and angle the pencil down so that you are using the side pencil lead rather than the pointed tip.

• Fill in the entire lip with the pencil to get the opaqueness of the look.

• Top with a warm, poppy red lipstick and—this is important—don’t blot your lips. “You’ll have to be more conscious of your lip colour with this look, and you will have to fill in it throughout the day,” says Caitlin. “It may be a more high-maintenance look, but look at how gorgeous it is—it’s worth it.”

• “The rest of the face is soft and playing back-up to the red lip,” she says, “You just have to make sure the rest of your face is perfected.” Apply concealer—and foundation if you need it—and some blot powder to your T-zone.

• For your eyes, “if you have darker brows, you can use a tinted brow set to minimize the brow, and sweep a tiny bit of waterproof mascara on.” Caitlin recommends waterproof mascara in the summer because it’s hot and sweaty outside and it’ll help it last longer.

Product recommendations: For a warm, orangey red shade like this one, Caitlin suggests MAC Lipstick in Lady Danger (a creamy matte shade) or CB96 (which has a slight shimmer). Technique tip: Use a lip brush when applying a bold lip such as this one. “When you use a lip brush, you press the lip colour into the grooves of the lips so it lasts a little bit longer—there’s less chance of bleeding and feathering. When you apply lipstick directly from the tube, it just sits on top,” says Caitlin.

Fear not going red hot: “This is the easiest way to try a red lip, when you don’t have a lot on the rest of your face,” says Caitlin. “It’s easier to get used to plus it takes less time to apply this overall look.” If you don’t usually wear bright lipsticks and you apply it and it seems way too bright to you, she suggests leaving it on for 15 minutes. Next time you look in the mirror, you’ll probably find that the look has grown on you.

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