Article: Francine Higham from women24
Image: Fairlady

1. Pick a colour.
Deep reds suit most complexions, while orange-tinged shades can sometimes look unattractive. Brown-reds or mahogany shades work best with olive skins. If your teeth are yellow, a red lipstick with blue undertones will make them look whiter.

2. Test it.
As with foundation, most women try out lipstick on their hands, but that's often a different shade than your face. Use an earbud to apply a little to your lips at the make-up counter and test until you find a colour you feel confident with.

3. Gloss or matte.
A moist lip looks more modern but a matte formula stays on your lips longer and won't feather.

4. Always wear a lip-liner.
Use a lip liner that is slightly deeper in tone as compared to your shade of red lipstick. This will give the lipstick a pronounced edge and prevent the lipstick from bleeding into any fine lines around your mouth.

Use a lip brush to fill in your lips with the lipstick. Blot once with a tissue, and lightly dust with face powder. Apply one more coat of lipstick to achieve a dramatic look. And remember to blend!

5. Simple is best
The great part about wearing red lipstick is that then you can keep the rest of your look subtle and natural-looking. Just a light bronzer on the cheeks and a little mascara and eyeliner should do the trick.

6. Keep it away from shirt collars!
Remember that your red lipstick must be maintained throughout the evening, or else you'll end up with washed-out pink lips. Also be sure to check your teeth every time you reapply as this is often the first place it leaves its mark.

7. And once you've got used to it…
Go for more red. Don't overdo it, but red lips can be matched with red nails, and with animal print making a comeback this season you can't go wrong.

Got any tips of your own to share? Let us know by posting a comment box below.