Glossy Red Lips

Of course there are plenty of fun tutorials and lots of how-to's on the perfect red lips for the Holiday Season, but I thought I would share with you my perfect combo.  I think it's a great shade for light to medium toned skin with a sprinkle of freckles and maybe red hair... :)

A combination of these 3 products work well for a shade that not too deep and more of a natural flushed tone.  Revlon color is Really Red, Clinique gloss is Apricot and Origins lip pencil is Rosewood.

SIMPLE STEPS:

A little light exfoliation gives you the perfect canvas - I just used a bit of my St. Ives Apricot scrub and very gently worked in a circular motion to remove any dried or peeling skin.

Next add a thin layer of a rich lip balm to condition after the exfoliation.

Use a lip pencil that is close to and even a bit rosier than your natural lip color.  Line your lips to give some extra shape and then fill in to give a nice, matte base.

Rather than applying the lip color directly from the tube, it is better to use a lip brush and "paint" on the color to give you a bit more control on how deep you want the shade to be and it's also easier to give more definition to the shape of your pout.

Lastly, dab on your gloss for a glistening finishing touch!

Smokey Rose

I cannot walk into the drugstore without coming out with a new lipstick shade to try out and this past week I found a beautiful neutral shade by Revlon called Smokey Rose.  It's a matte pearl shade that works perfectly for a pared down look when you create more of a intense, darker palette with your eyes.  I know you've heard this before - the more you "do up" the eyes, the more subtle your lips should be, and this combo below helps you do just that.  It's just plain pretty!

After a nice application with Revlon's Smokey Rose I applied a soft swipe of a gloss I received in my October Birchbox samples, Chantecaille's Charm.

What you get is a soft color that is a perfect neutral for any skin type... And a rule I learned from a Smashbox Makeup Artist is that you should always try to match your lips to your cheeks... It's a snap to do that with this shade... Just add a bit of the lipstick to the apples of your cheeks with a little bronzer - perfect match!