Magic Of Makeups

If you're wondering where I'm going with this image of a blooming red rose, it's actually cos of this little association process going on in my mind:

Red rose ---> Rosebud mouth ---> Red lips

Lately it seems that there's been a wave of red lips rocking the runway and everywhere else, from Hollywood parties to award shows, to maybe even the supermarket! @.@ I must admit that red lips are damn sexy. When done the right way of course. And if you're already beautiful to start with. Which I'm not, obviously. But that's not stopping me from attempting bold red lips.

Though I must say that it's quite a challenge for me cos there are just so many other factors to consider.

Firstly, picking the right shade that'll flatter the skin tone and not make the teeth seem yellow is a major feat in itself. Blue-based? Orange-based? Yellow-based? Gah.

Also, what kind of finish wouldn't age me prematurely or make me look weird? A lip stain? Sheer? Matte? Glossy? Glittery? Frost? Eww.

And even if you did manage to find the perfect red lipstick, how are you gonna make sure that it stays where it's supposed to (on the lips) and does not migrate to somewhere else, like the teeth, the skin around your mouth or your crisp white shirt (!)?

Now, you must think that I'm blowing things out of proportion right? Well then, let's take a look at the following pictures shall we?

This is sexy. In the English rose way.

So is this. In the sultry siren way.

And this. In the I'm-so-hot-I'm-gonna-fry-your-brains way.

But this is not.

Neither is this.

See what I mean now?

So anyways I was inspired by Sophia's recent post featuring some awesome stuff from Illamasqua's Throb Collection for Valentine's Day and decided to do some swatches of all the red lip products that I currently have in my stash.

I also attempted the look with the L.A. Girl lipliner, Couleur Inc Lipstick and MAC Russian Red Lipglass.

However, instead of feeling smexy, I felt more like this:

Happy CNY everyone 8-P