True red. Red with orange, blue, pink undertones. Brown reds. Sheer reds. I could go on the list is endless. Depending on what your skin tone is you should wear a red that compliments you. I don't follow this rule. I find a red that I love, makes a statement and makes me feel good and confident. Bold lips are my way of expressing confidence that you may not normally see. Therefore a matte bold red lipstick is a must in my make up collection and I have to admit I think I may have an obsession.

When I first apply a red lipstick I find that it instantly evaluates the make up look you are rocking, whether its an edgy Cara D full on brows with smokey eyes or a simple natural Taylor Swift bronzed glow with a cute cat flick a red lip can make or break the entire look. (fortunately for these girls it works everytime!)

There are two crucial rules for creating the perfect red:
1. Nourished lips. Dry and cracked lips are the worst base for a red lip (or bold in general). The colour will just sit and accentuate the dry areas and the look just wont work. Use a thick balm throughout the day and a couple of days before the red lip day especially if its an event. My favourite of course Nuxe Reve de Miel.

2. Liner. A liner is a must for me with any bold/statement lip. It creates the first layer and prolongs the wear of your red lip. Without this step you might find your statement lip becomes not so much of a people pleaser but a deal breaker. The liner will be perfect when situations such as food or drink comes about.

So what are my favourites?

The Matte's.


Top: MUA LUXE LONDON in Reckless and Atomic. Middle: Rimmel London Lasting Finish matte by Kate Moss in 107 Topshop Lips in Rio Rio. Bottom: Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in 02

Matte is just the perfect texture for red lipstick for me. It gives the classic Audrey Hepburn look effortlessly. Naturally you would associate matte with drying. But I have found three that are far from that. (the other one ill talk about at the end).

Rimmel London Lasting Finish matte by Kate Moss in 107

I think that Rimmel do some of the best lipsticks the budget/highstreet shops have to offer and the Kate Moss formulations....Oh my!!! They're creamy and buttery and dry down to a matte finish that last really well with a liner underneath. 107 is a deeper red with blue and brown undertones which also help to make my teeth appear whiter than they are. Summary. This is probably my most worn red.EVER.

Topshop Lips in Rio Rio

The formulation of this again is very buttery and creamy drying down to a matte finish. The Topshop lipsticks are again great quality and an amazing price!! This red is slightly brighter with a more of an orange undertone, but still blue enough to give the effect of whiter teeth.

Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in 02

Top: Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in Bang Bottom: L'Oreal Color Riche Intense in 297 (Red Passion) and 461 (Scarlett Crème) (link not the same no longer available)

Although matte is probably my all time favourite formulation, these shine formulations create a different dimension to the lips. They tend to be of a more moisturizing formula meaning that its easier to remove, therefore the longevity isn't as long meaning these will be essential to take with you if your on the move. (also a mirror will definitely be needed!) Also these lipsticks have a habit of getting on your teeth. (Not a great look...I know...)

Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in Bang.

I love this colour of this lipstick, although im not a huge lover of the formulation im yet to find a way to make the formulation work for me. (if that made any sense??) The pigmentation of these lipsticks is amazing and should be for the not exactly budget price tag, (£15) not Chanel expensive but higher end never the less. This has a very strong orange undertone but it doesn't seem to make my teeth look too yellow.

L'Oreal Color Riche Intense in 297 (Red Passion)

L'Oreal Color Riche Intense in 461 (Scarlett Crème)

Rimmel London Apocalips lip lacquer in Big Bang

The final of the formulations. Some say this could be included in the shines but I think the Apocalips are a hybrid of Lipstick, shine and gloss, if those three had a baby this would be it! I guess hence the name lip lacquer....

Rimmel London Apocalips lip lacquer in Big Bang

One word. Wow. I absolutely love the Rimmel Apocalips, they're just fab. One they have such a silky smooth texture and they glide on so evenly over the lips. Two I love the applicator weird right....again its a doefoot applicator and it deposits the perfect amount of product due to indent where the product collects and then due to the applicator being more pointed compared to many other doefoot applicators it means that you can get a smooth line around the lips without the need for a lip liner. The longevity of these lacquers are also better than I ever expected as once the gloss has sort of faded they are a sort of stain formula and still leave a red tint to the lips once the gloss has gone. And finally it makes my teeth appear to be so white. I naturally have quite yellow and stained teeth and I love how this makes them look white!


Right remember at the beginning where I said there was one formula which I didn't like well don't think you got away without reading it because here it is. MUA is probably one of the most budget friendly make up brands there is out there and I do like some of their products for example their blushes and highlighters. I was expecting good things with these I suppose hybrids of the lip lacquer and a matte lipstick but oh no I couldn't of been more fooled.....just see...



MUA LUXE Velvet Lip Lacquer in Reckless.



MUA LUXE Velvet Lip Lacquer in Atomic.

Right. Lets just start with upon first appearance the first colour isn't the worst I've ever seen. Its the formulation that I just cant get my head around. It's so thick and gloopy making it impossible to glide smoothly over the lips just making the whole situation rather messy. Because it's so thick it sits in all the lines in your lips and accentuates them. It's also so sticky and dry at the same time that it flakes and breaks up but because its so sticky it doesn't fall off leaving just lumps of lipstick over your lips (not a good look). The colour Atomic is just truly awful and my favourite colour is orange and this seems to a lot thinner but it still holds the same problems as the colour Reckless. Summary these were not the best purchases I have made.


Otherwise these are my products to create,
'The Perfect Red Lip'

Bye for now x