VinMaquillage: Tutorial: Quick Red Lips

1. Start by prepping your lips because ladies, flaky dry red lips are not aesthetically pleasing, correct? Exfoliate your lips to rid them of any flakiness. Thereafter, MOISTURIZE. I moisturize using Primavera's Moisturizing Lip Balm. In order for the true color of the lipstick to show up on your lips, you should neutralize. I do this by using my foundation brush after I've applied foundation to my skin to run over my lips. It "erases" the color of my lips as well as my "lip line."

As you can see, I do not have even lips. Thus, "erasing" my "lip line" helps so that I can later draw in my lip line to make it even.

2. Draw in your lips! I used MAC lip liner in Cherry Red

3. Fill in your lips with the lip liner. This helps the lipstick color to stay longer.

Please ignore my blemishes - these are unfiltered photos taken off my phone. I'm such an amateur.

Optional step here: Since this is suppose to be a quick tutorial for red lips, I skipped using a lip stain in these photos. However, after you fill in your lips with a red lip liner, to make the color stay even longer, use a lip stain. I'd use Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetic's Lip Tar in True, Balanced Red (or whatever shade matches the lipstick you will use). Let the stain sit for a while. Then, use a kleenex and press your lips onto the kleenex being very careful not to smear or smudge your lip liner/color.

4. This next step is super important. Use a concealer to draw around the edge of your lips. Use a concealer that is closest in color to your foundation. Why do this? Well, you all know what Heath Ledger looks like in The Dark Knight Rises, right? "Bleeding" red lips is unsightly and not very Hollywood Glamour in my humble opinion.

Like I said, any concealer will do. You can use a liquid concealer and draw around the edge of your lips with a small brush. Since I like to be efficient, I skipped using a brush and went straight to using a pencil - Make Up For Ever Concealer Pencil. I literally drew around my lips. This makes your lips stand out against flawless glowy skin.

Remember ladies, the goal is to not look like the Joker!

5. Using a brush, blend the concealer out so there are no traces of the concealer. I used Real Technique's Pointed Foundation Brush

6. Apply your lipstick color. I'm not use to a bright red lip color so I went with MAC's Dubonnet lipstick. Follow up with a drop of lip gloss in the center of your bottom lip. I like Make Up Forever Aqua Rouge in Number 9 Burgundy.