Are some people just not suited to deep red or fire engine red lippies?

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 The old fashion chestnut that "everyone looks faaaaaaabulous in red! " is a load of horsehockey! Remember, these are the same fashion-bots that claim Maybelline Great Lash (the horror, oh the horror) is wonderful.

    A lot of people wear red without it doing them any favors, and indeed, just looking bad in the color. Some folks don't care how it looks on them , it makes them happy, so what can you do?

   Before my haircolor both darkened and got white streaks with age I had naturally auburn hair, lot of red in that color. I had ruddy skin, (now it is roseacea) You could not force me to wear red, orange or pinks. Why? I looked like a cooked lobster or shrimp in those colors.

    About the only foolproof red (to me) is a deep, sheer, red. The sheerness is crucial. JMHO

  Any time I see a redhead on the red carpet wearing red or orange I just cringe for them.

 
I don't think that red lips are for EVERYONE. However, I don't think it's really that simple as "suitable/not-suitable". Reds come in all shades, from dark, maroony, warm shades to fire-engine (love your choice of words)  cold shades.

In my experience, the best thing to do would be to first find out what kind of skin-undertone you have - cool or warm?

There are various methods to do this, but for me, I prefer the wrist method (which I actually learnt from Michelle Phan and various other makeup artists a long time ago). Check the inside of your wrists and look at your veins. If your veins show up blue, then you're cool tone. If they show up in an olive shade, then you're warm tone. 

Match cool tone reds to cool tone skin, as this will brighten up the natural pinky hue of your skin. Match warm tone reds to warm undertoned skin. It can be that you have neutral undertoned-skin, meaning that you can pull off both cool and warm tone reds! How lucky are you!

I'm personally more of a warm tone red. it's less "out there" for my complexion. I am a neutral tone, but I personally prefer the warmer tones. I learnt this over time though, so you can adjust your clothing, hair, and make up to fit the colours you like more and are more comfortable with, but the wrist-testing method is always a good place to start! :) /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

Good luck, and if you have any questions, you know where to find us :D /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 
Red is an entire spectrum of colors. There are so many different kinds of reds it's pretty pointless to just flat out say "Red just doesn't look good on me." when in reality it's more like "The specific reds I've tried haven't looked good on me." I honestly do believe there is a red for everyone, although I don't really care for Maybelline great lash mascara. 

The most important factor (in my opinion) in choosing a red lipstick would be undertone. If you have a cool undertone, and red with a cool undertone will typically look better, and vice versa for warm undertones. A red can be as bright or as dark as you want it to be without the undertone changing. Typically reds with cool undertones will look more pink, and as they become darker will turn into more of a plum like shade. Reds with warm undertones will typically look more orange and become more brick like as they get darker. Of course, these are more general expectations and not set rules. Colors are strange and bend in a multitude of ways.

The depth of a red is the second most important factor in choosing a red. The other "supporting elements" can determine whether or not a more bright red or deeper red is better suited to your look. Supporting elements can range from skin tone (the shade, and depth of the shade, not undertone) (for example if you're very pale, or tanned that can change which reds look best on you), hair color, all other makeup you're wearing, you're clothing and jewelry choices, the lighting you're going to be in, it can all affect this. This is why having a good selection of reds in varying depths can be nice if you really enjoy wearing red lipstick. 

Also the finish of whatever lipstick you're wearing can be important to look at. The same shade of red may read as a party shade in a glossy finish, and more modest, and put together in a matte finish. This also plays into the supporting elements. 

I think red is one of those shades that you don't just throw on at the end of doing your makeup, without thought. I think it's a color that has to be well thought out. I personally have a lot more fun getting dressed when I plan all of my clothing and accessories around that day's lipstick. Luckily I have a pretty neutral wardrobe because I have a very strong love for colorful lipstick. 

The best way to go about figuring out what lipsticks look good on you personally, I've found, is to go to the drugstore, get a few different shades of red in various shades and undertones from super cheap brands (think Wet N Wild, NYC Color, etc.,) and try those on. They're about a dollar a piece, so you can buy more than one without feeling like you're making a huge commitment even if you never plan on wearing them again, they can be a good place to start figuring out what reds look best on you, and what reds you prefer. Not to mention, Wet N Wild's cheapo lipsticks are actually half way decent, and their Fergie Lipsticks are pretty nice (my favorites actually). You may even fall in love with some of them. 

Of course this is all just personal opinion, and my personal experience, and there's a lot that I don't know.  

 
 The old fashion chestnut that "everyone looks faaaaaaabulous in red! " is a load of horsehockey! Remember, these are the same fashion-bots that claim Maybelline Great Lash (the horror, oh the horror) is wonderful.
Ha! I love this reference! I hate Great Lash with a passion. I think I was reading some "Beauty Cult Favorites" article a few years ago and repurchased it because I thought maybe it wasn't as bad as I remembered. It was. (And yet there are other drugstore mascaras in a similar price range that are great!)

I think red lips can look good on anyone but you have to pick the right red! But more importantly, depending on your skin tone it could be that a completely different strong hued lipstick would look even better on you than red. Yet we're so conditioned to think red is the mark of a beauty maven that we ignore those colors. 

Personally I have trouble wearing reds. Not because of color matching. I'm fair, cool-toned, have dark hair and a lot of red lippies that look good on me. My problem is purely that I'm lazy about the really vibrant colors and red in particular is a color that requires regular maintenance throughout the day or it will start to look worn and obviously unkempt. This depends on the formula of course, there are the rare stains that go on and stay on or the build-to-intensity lip products (like Medieval) that fade really nicely but the garden variety lipstick, no matter how much I try to line, blot, and set, I manage to wear down bizarrely and it requires very regular checks in a compact to make sure it stays in place. I'm not an ideal lipstick candidate, really, I tend to bite my lips and I always forget to check my makeup. In that sense reds do not look good on me, at least not after the first half hour. As such it's a color that requires some bravery because it is so bright and it also requires upkeep. 

I agree with what everyone else says - if you really want to wear a red then start swatching and sampling! You'll find it!

 
I think finding the right red is the same as finding any other lip color; you need to do some trial and error.  I'm pale, with dark hair, and pigmented lips and I feel I look best in berry or plum colored reds.  Orange reds don't look right on me, although I can generally make a coral lip gloss work. 

One thing I've noticed over time is that, if I'm wearing a deep red lip, I need to up the intensity of the rest of my makeup.  It's been drilled into my head forever that you emphasize either the eyes or the lips and it's taken me quite awhile to realize I was interpreting that incorrectly.  My general makeup look tends to be natural colors and minimal makeup, but pairing that with a dark lip washes me out and looks odd.  So I might deepen up my eye shadow slightly, go a bit heavier with eye liner, or add an extra swipe of blush.  Of course, you have to walk a fine line in order to not go overboard.

All of that is to say that I do think that if a person doesn't think they can pull off a dark lip, because it looks strange to them, playing around with the rest of their makeup might make a difference.

 
I probably have about 100 shades of red lipstick, I wear all of them, depending on my mood, the time of year, what other clothes/make-up I'm wearing, whether I'm going for a more colourful or Goth look, what finish I want, etc. I don't really have a type, (other than trying to hunt down my 'perfect' deep blackened red shade, which is difficult, though I think I got close with Revlon's Blackberry.) I also love really neon red shades. :) /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> 

 
I'm NC15 and as I was starting out in my makeup journey people told me I was too pale for red lips so I stayed away for a bit. But as my style matured into what it was supposed to I realized I love red lips and started wearing different reds to experiment. Turns out people are wrong. My pale self can wear many many different reds. My personal favorites though are of a more darker nature, but that fits my punkish/ grunge whatever you want to label it style the best. But I can rock a true red like OCC NSFW.

I think it just comes down to experimenting. IF you want to rock a red lip than rock it. I think a big factor is confidence. Something could look fabulous, but if you lack confidence it will show. Red lips should be worn with confidence. Like you could rip a mans heart out kind of confidence. So yea. I personally believe everyone can rock a red lip. Just have to find the right red.

 
I'm NC15 and as I was starting out in my makeup journey people told me I was too pale for red lips so I stayed away for a bit. But as my style matured into what it was supposed to I realized I love red lips and started wearing different reds to experiment. Turns out people are wrong. My pale self can wear many many different reds. My personal favorites though are of a more darker nature, but that fits my punkish/ grunge whatever you want to label it style the best. But I can rock a true red like OCC NSFW.

I think it just comes down to experimenting. IF you want to rock a red lip than rock it. I think a big factor is confidence. Something could look fabulous, but if you lack confidence it will show. Red lips should be worn with confidence. Like you could rip a mans heart out kind of confidence. So yea. I personally believe everyone can rock a red lip. Just have to find the right red.

I agree.  Wear red lipstick if you like it and if it makes you feel good.   :) /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 
I wear whatever shade makes me feel awesome. I could not care less about what other people have to say anymore.

I do however think that red lipstick is a really bold lipstick and looks best when all of your makeup is done well. I mean, I would never walk out wearing only red lipstick (but I would in a nude or pink shade, if that makes sense). As long as you wear some eyeliner and such, it looks good.

It took me ages to have the courage to walk out of my house in red lips, now I love it :) /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 
There are various methods to do this, but for me, I prefer the wrist method (which I actually learnt from Michelle Phan and various other makeup artists a long time ago). Check the inside of your wrists and look at your veins. If your veins show up blue, then you're cool tone. If they show up in an olive shade, then you're warm tone. 

Match cool tone reds to cool tone skin, as this will brighten up the natural pinky hue of your skin. Match warm tone reds to warm undertoned skin. It can be that you have neutral undertoned-skin, meaning that you can pull off both cool and warm tone reds! How lucky are you!
The problem with the wrist method is that it's not accurate for everyone due to discoloration of the arms to neck. I know in the summer my wrists and arms become very, very dark compared to my face and this is due to driving. In fact my left arm is always darker than my right. The BEST place for most people is the decolletage area as in most cases it is the least exposed to light (and closest to the face). I always match my foundations to my decolletage since it also allows for blending of the face and neck down to be more natural looking.

 
I think it depends on the red. A couple years ago Ipsy sent out one appropriately called Hot Mess and it was exactly that--a thick, orange-based red that walked into a room five minutes before the rest of your face. I really think that a good color-matching makes a world of difference, as does the finish of the lipstick. Someone intimidated by a full-coverage, in-your-face matte red might be right at home with a lighter glossy stain or a subtler finish like Lipstick Queen Medieval.

 
there are different shades of red. like the red that's really deep (nearly black) that's defiantly 

not for everyone. sometimes people who are really pale who wear a fire truck red lip, sometimes it

makes them look too washed out. but a red that isn't so "HAY look here!" maybe more of a gloss, generally looks good. most people can wear red, its the the shade. 

 
Sure not everyone can look good in red lipstick at any time of the day, but I think everyone can find an occasion, style, technique to rock it. I can hardly imagine what woman would look bad with red lipstick for a clubbing /night look. 

 
I think all of the replies to this topic are excellent!

One of the factors I did not see mentioned is TEETH.

Bear in mind if your teeth are less than pearly white, warm reds (reds with orange undertones) will make your less-than-white teeth more apparent, while blue reds will make less-than-white teeth look whiter.

So, it really is a balancing act (teeth, skin tone, haircolor, colors of garments worn close to the face, other cosmetics you've already applied, etc.) and one which, for some of us, requires MUCH trial and error.

But I agree with all of you who said there really is a red for everyone. Finding that perfect one for you can be a challenge (and the red that works for you in December may not be the same red that works for you in June).

If you'd really like to wear red, perseverance is key!

 

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