Lipstick question

[AnnieC]

Hi ladies,

I'm getting married in two weeks and I would really like to have a vintage 40s look. I love the hair and makeup because it's very natural and pretty.

Eyes won't be a problem, but I am stumped about the lipstick. I have very fair skin with pink/blue undertones and medium brown hair. I don't think my mouth shape is good for red lipstick, if that makes sense. My mouth is very small (not thin lips, but the width of my mouth is small) and I have tried red lipstick in the past which just looks awkward. I don't see myself wearing a fuchsia pink either. I don't wear lipstick on a daily basis but I'd like to on my wedding day because I'm not wearing much in the way of eye makeup.

Can anyone recommend a good drugstore lipstick that is more pink than red but not fuchsia? I didn't want to break the bank with the lipstick because it's something I may not wear again for a while.

By the way, you ladies are gorgeous. I think it's really neat that you can pull off a vintage look on a daily basis. When I showed my grandma a picture of Rita Hayworth (for hair inspiration), she said "oh she was a hot chickie in those days." Followed by "why the hell do you want to do your hair that way...you'll look like an old lady." Ha!

Thanks in advance for your help!

Annie

 

[ZombieGirl]

It really could be that you're not used to seeing yourself in red lipstick, especially if you don't wear any on a regular basis. I always felt before that I looked like a little girl playing dress up but as I got used to wearing red lipstick it just started to look and feel more natural. I'd try wearing it out a couple times, especially if you take a little time with your hair to finish off the look and see if it grows on you! Best wishes on your wedding!

 

[AnnieC]

Thanks for your reply. I will admit, seeing myself in any lipstick is a shocker. I guess it's because I'm so plain Jane that it looks funny.

I was thinking of purchasing a red and trying it as a full application, then trying it just dabbed on (as in a stain) to see which would look better. My first hair "trial" at the salon was a nightmare. I had two really good pictures of both Rita Hayworth and Kate Beckinsale from Pearl Harbor as hair and makeup examples. I have been growing my hair out all year so that it can be cut to suit the style. But all she did was give it a trim. Ok. She's the stylist (i.e. I trust her). So she put me in rollers and I went under the dome dryer. We brushed it out and it was looking really pretty, but then she went all around it with a curling iron and started scrunching it. Then I went to the "make up artist" who started painting me up with all this purple shadow and eyeliner. At the end of the day, I looked like I had been punched in both of my eyes and then shot out of a cannon. Totally not the gorgeous 40s look I was going for.

So I went to the Clinique counter on Saturday and bought some stuff, and made a hair appointment at another salon on Wednesday. This time I will be more firm and tape the picture on the mirror. I have decided to DIY the makeup which I think I can handle. It's just the lipstick that's making me nervous.

Thanks again!

AC

 

[Julius8122]

This is what I suggest to you - over the next few weeks just use a red lipliner and chapstick. Line your lips and fill them in with the pencil. Top it with chapstick and you're set. Hit the cheap stuff (Wet and Wild/ NYC) and pick up a bunch of different colors. Then you can find a color you like. Once you do, then go back and find a lipstick that matches closely. It's not a big leap from liner to lipstick. I'd go with the Outlast line - once it's set, it doesn't move.

 

[AnnieC]

Thanks Julius!

Do you think that a blue red is better for people who have pink skin? I have rosacea and a lot of broken capillaries on my face. I don't think something with an orange/coral base would suit my skin tone.

I will go up to the Walgreens tomorrow and check it out!

Thanks again!

 

[Julius8122]

Thanks Julius!

Do you think that a blue red is better for people who have pink skin? I have rosacea and a lot of broken capillaries on my face. I don't think something with an orange/coral base would suit my skin tone.

I will go up to the Walgreens tomorrow and check it out!

Thanks again!

I have very pale skin with rosey undertones. I use the Jordana easyliner retractable pencil for lips in sedona red. I got it at walgreens for like 2 bucks. It seems a little orangish until I put chapstick over it, then its truely red and beautiful. Try it and let me know how it works for you. At my walgreens they keep the jordana line by the beauty counter register.

 

[AnnieC]

Thanks for the tip! I will try to run up there this evening after work.

 

[Puzzicato]

I don't wear lipstick on a daily basis but I'd like to on my wedding day because I'm not wearing much in the way of eye makeup.

Annie

If you don't normally wear a lot of lipstick, I wouldn't go over the top with it on your wedding day. Your fiance wants to see the woman he loves walk down the aisle, not some stranger!

It really could be that you're not used to seeing yourself in red lipstick, especially if you don't wear any on a regular basis. I always felt before that I looked like a little girl playing dress up but as I got used to wearing red lipstick it just started to look and feel more natural.

That's certainly true for me, too.

Thanks for your reply. I will admit, seeing myself in any lipstick is a shocker. I guess it's because I'm so plain Jane that it looks funny.

I was thinking of purchasing a red and trying it as a full application, then trying it just dabbed on (as in a stain) to see which would look better. My first hair "trial" at the salon was a nightmare. I had two really good pictures of both Rita Hayworth and Kate Beckinsale from Pearl Harbor as hair and makeup examples. I have been growing my hair out all year so that it can be cut to suit the style. But all she did was give it a trim. Ok. She's the stylist (i.e. I trust her). So she put me in rollers and I went under the dome dryer. We brushed it out and it was looking really pretty, but then she went all around it with a curling iron and started scrunching it. Then I went to the "make up artist" who started painting me up with all this purple shadow and eyeliner. At the end of the day, I looked like I had been punched in both of my eyes and then shot out of a cannon. Totally not the gorgeous 40s look I was going for.

AC

I think the stain idea is a good one. Give your lips a smudge of colour so they show up better in the photos, but not so much you don't recognise yourself. And keep in mind you are going to be kissing people all day, so maybe consider one of the long-lasting lipsticks or stains.

I've noticed that some salons think that women just want to look like drag queens on the big day. Good luck getting your point across!