The Best Red Lipsticks by Kate McCormack

13 December

A couple of weeks ago Kim O’Sullivan contributed with a make up post, showing us how to achieve a smokey eye easily. See that post here.

We got lots of good feedback. It’s great to get some tips from the pros but it’s even better when they show us looks we can achieve ourselves.

So with that in mind I contacted another make up wizard!!

Welcome Kate McCormack. Kate is a young up and coming make up artist. I started to follow Kate on Instagram last summer- I loved her make up style and soon asked her would she work her magic on my own face! Follow Kate on Instagram here (@kate_mc_makeup).

Since then we’ve worked together loads. She’s extremely talented- she’s also very humble and shy, which makes me love her more.

Today Kate is showing us her favourite red lipsticks.

Tell us on Facebook which you like the best?

Much love

Affordable Red Lippies:

#1: Kate Moss for Rimmel #107

This is a gorgeous deep ‘blue toned’ red. A matte formula, which normally can be a bit drying on the lips but the Kate Moss lipsticks are actually quite creamy and glide on very easily.

Pro Tip:

Add a touch of your lip balm to the centre of your lips with your ring finger before applying and it will keep your lips hydrated yet still.

It’s the perfect shade for all skin tones and being that it is around the €6 mark, you really can’t go wrong. This collection is one of my most recommended to my clients, perfect for having in your handbag for topping up throughout the day.

#2: Revlon Colourburst Matte Balm #240 ‘Striking Spectaculaire’

This product is exactly what it claims to be, a highly pigmented lip product with a built in lip balm, designed to give you a full colour lip whilst keeping your lips hydrated at the same time. You definitely don’t need any lip balm under this product, it glides on so smoothly and stays extremely creamy on the lips.

A little bit more expensive at approx. €12 but it’s definitely worth the money. Another plus is, it’s a retractable lip pencil, no pencil sharpener needed here!

High End Red Lippies:

#3: MAC ‘Ruby Woo’

My first high end option is potentially my all-time favourite red lipstick. Even though it has its negative points, I am time after time drawn back to MAC’s Ruby Woo lipstick.

It’s a unique formula to MAC – the ‘Retro-matte’ formula. Extremely long lasting, like no other, but yes it has a reputation for being super dry.

Pro Tip:

For me, adding a little Labello (The Original- the blue one) as a base helps to glide this on perfectly. Paired with MAC’s lip liner in ‘Cherry’, it creates the perfect red lip.

MAC lipsticks retail for around the €19.50 mark but they are my addiction and well worth the money. Every girl need a ‘Ruby Woo’ in their lives.

#4: MAC ‘Viva Glam I’

I can’t help but add another MAC lippie into my Top 5 picks – the formulas are really my favourites. The first ever Viva Glam designed with Drag Queen Ru Paul is definitely my favourite Viva Glam collaboration.

(FYI: The Viva Glam formulas are just the same as the original collections for MAC with the only difference being that all the profits from the Viva Glam sales go to Aids research.)

This is a super deep, almost wine red lipstick with blue undertones is just a perfect shade for all skin tones. This particular shade is somewhat similar to the ‘Russian Red’ from MAC’s original collection with just a little bit more depth in the colour.

Pro Tip:

I pair it with ‘Vino’ lip liner from MAC to create the perfect deep red combo.

#5: NARS ‘Audacious Lipstick’ in ‘Annabella’

This is a relatively new formulation to the NARS counter but quickly becoming a favourite of mine. The package is sleek, which will always suck me in, it has a magnetic snap-on lid with cool steel packaging. The formula is very creamy and feels extremely buttery on the lips.

The colouring in this lipstick is definitely an ‘orange tone’, so not a shade that will suit everyone but truly looks stunning on olive skin tones.

I, myself, as a paler skin tone, like to wear this with a slightly richer lip liner to suit my skin but MAC’s ‘Redd’ lip liner would be perfect with this.

Pro Tips for Perfect Red Lipstick Application:

Exfoliate your lips using the Lush Lip Scrubs – it creates a great base to smooth out your lip texture.

Apply a lip liner first to create a definite lip shape and avoid ‘bleeding’ out of lipsticks throughout the day.

Use a lip brush to apply the first lipstick application, this pushes the product into the lips and makes the lipstick last longer, then top up using the bullet of the lipstick throughout the day.

Use concealer and a flat synthetic brush to clean off the lip shape and create that ‘perfect lip’.

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