{Wearing Red Lipstick For Work}

A question I often get is about wearing brighter and bolder lip colours (particularly red) for the office. Is it appropriate or not? I’m going to answer this plainly and simply with a resounding YES you CAN wear red lipstick for work.

But here are a few tips on wearing it well!

Tip 1: Choose the right colour red

Everyone out there has their PERFECT red lipstick. In general red lipsticks can be blue based or orange based. If you’ve got warm undertones lean towards lipsticks that are orange based while if you’ve got cool undertones go for reds that are blue based.

How do you know what undertone you have? While skin tones obviously vary greatly, my rule of thumb is that if you feel you look better in golds then you have a warm undertone; while if you look better in silvers then you have a cool undertone. If you look great in both then you can likely pull off any type of red!

I personally think I have a cool undertone so I lean towards blue based lipsticks. My favourite red of the moment is this Burberry Oxblood Lipstick. The name may seem super intimidating, but it’s actually a very wearable lipstick. It’s a matte finish lipstick but you can see how sheer it is from the swatch. This shade is often sold out, but check online at Sephora; or if you’re in the GTA you can shop IN STORE at Sephora Square One which has Canada’s first Burberry counter!

Tip 2: Exfoliate your lips

Reds, or any bold lipstick for that matter, are unforgiving to dry or chapped lips. Make sure your lips are in tip top condition. We should be caring for our lips year round anyway, but it’s especially important at this time of year. There is nothing more distracting (not to mention unprofessional looking) than a beautifully applied red lipstick on top of flaky lips!

Tip 3: Keep the rest of your makeup simple

The key to making a red lip office appropriate and polished, is keeping the rest of your makeup really simple. I think this is a good tip in general for workday makeup, but it’s especially important if you want to rock a red lip.

Choose a foundation with as light of a coverage as you’re comfortable with. BB creams or tinted moisturizers are a good option, but if you need a little more coverage like I do, I really like the feel and finish of the Amore Pacific CC Cushion Compact SPF 50. It has great buildable coverage, leaves skin looking very even and glowy, plus it has built-in sunscreen!

Along with keeping your foundation as light as possible, go easy with the eye makeup. Make sure your brows are groomed and apply a bit of mascara – it’s probably all you’ll need! If you feel like you need more definition, just use a bit of eye liner – but keep it neat!

Tip 4: Keep hair simple too

We often forget that our hair can have a significant impact on our looks. When your hair is “too done” it can look a little too glamourous for work with a red lip. On the other hand, for a night out it’s perfect! Try tying your hair back in a low pony tail or letting it fall loose naturally. Save the top knots and voluminous curls for another day.