Rocking red lipstick: How to choose your perfect shade

Being the stiletto heel of beauty, nothing says sexy quite like the velvet red lip. From classic Hollywood and burlesque beauty to quirky cool and femme fatale, red lipstick is the ultimate signature of timeless style and chic. So why are so many of us girls convinced that we can’t pull off a satin smile, let alone begin choosing the right shade to make our pouts pop?

The real secret to rocking a red lip is confidence, oodles and oodles of confidence. The right shade of red will light up your complexion, brighten your teeth and have you feeling worthy of the red carpet in an instant. It’s true, finding the perfect red sometimes feels like looking for a needle in a haystack. Where on earth do you start?

It’s all in the undertones, baby.  Warm skin tones are a perfect match for sun kissed orange, cherry rose and tomato reds; while cool skin tones work best with very berry reds like plum or blackberry. For a fail-safe option that’s kind to all skin tones, say hello to brilliant brick red. Think Royal Mail red. We love the Kate Moss Collection from Rimmel. Get the London look with your choice of seven sexy shades.

Not sure whether you’re warm or cool? As a rule, warm skin tones tend to have olive or blue undertones (think Nicole Kidman, Anne Hathaway) while cool skin tones normally have a fairer complexion with pink or rosy undertones (think Penelope Cruz, Keira Knightley).

The beauty of rocking red lipstick, other than a pretty, powerful pout, is that you can keep the rest of your make-up clean, fresh and nude. Keep it simple with a subtle sweep of liquid liner and a stroke of mascara. You’re good to go!

If a full-on fiery pout still seems too powerful, give this liptastic trick a whirl:  simply smooth some clear lip balm onto your lips then apply lipstick by dabbing it on your lips. Lip tints are also a great way to break into intense lip colour as they give lips a subtle, rosy finish.

Marion Poerio