Perfect Red Lip

Red lips. A look that might possibly never go out of style. Bold, daring, fierce, classic, elegant - use what you'd like to describe it because whatever the word, it's a staple and it's here to stay. At some point in our makeup journeys we all will try a red lip. I honestly never thought I'd wear a red lip, but once it was on I went looking for more. I now currently have about 7 different tones of red in my personal beauty arsenal - actually I just bought another one, so make that 8. I'm hooked and obviously haven't turned back!

Because this color is so striking, clean lines are important. Any tiny smudge, smear or shaky line will stick out like a zebra in a pride of lions...but don't worry! I'll go over how to clean up the lines!

Let's get started!

Step 1: Priming Lips

**If you have a matching red lip liner, skip this step and go on to Step 3. Check out my previous instructable How to Use Lip Liner**

Since I don't have a red lip liner, I'm going to make do with what I have which is red lipstick. Using the lipstick directly or with a lip brush, apply a thin layer of lipstick. We're building the color so think of nail polishes. They go on in thin layers because the thicker the layer, the longer it takes to dry. We're trying to build up our red lip so that it won't slip and slide too much with wear.

After applying, let this layer marinate for a couple minutes.

OPTIONAL: smoosh your lips together. I like to think of this as pressing the pigment further into the lips for more staying power (not sure if this really works, but I like to think it does).

Step 2: Blot Lips

Using a tissue, blot your lips to remove extra moisture.

This is the main reason why I like to use a lip brush to apply the first layer of color. I can control how much lipstick I'm using and am much more precise in my application. You could use the lipstick directly and pat, but that doesn't guarantee a nice edge on your lips.

Step 3: Final Lipstick Layer

Go over your lips once more, but more liberally with the lipstick. I'm going straight from the lipstick as the application is thicker this time around. Be careful with this as you don't want to go too crazy and ruin your edges, but if you need to clean up the edges, no need to worry, that's the next step.

Step 4: Clean Up

If you see any uneven lines or imperfections, this can be easily fixed with some concealer. Using a concealer brush or a flat brush, take some concealer and feather it along the edges of your lips to clean up your lines. You may need to wipe off the red from your brush to ensure that the red doesn't travel around the lips creating a bigger mess. If you see any red on your brush, wipe on a paper towel and get some fresh concealer before moving on to the next spot to clean up.

Step 5: Red Lips Complete!

There you have it. Red lips. Simple yet so beautiful!

If the first time around is a little bit difficult, not to worry, as with anything else, practice makes perfect! Good luck!