With winter well and truly here (boo!) and the promise of festive parties just around the corner (hurrah!), we’ve been all about the red lips here at B&U.
Instantly chic, we’ve been dying to try them out so a couple of our favourite staffers volunteered to try two different looks and report back on everything from how the products worked to how well they lasted.
At-the-Office Red
Without further ado, please meet Charlotte, our lovely assistant buyer. Blessed with beautiful pale skin, Charlotte usually favours warm pink lips so we asked her to change it up and work a daytime red lip instead.
Charlotte’s Kit:
Foundation – Dr. Hauschka Translucent Make-up in Porcelaine
Cheeks and eyelids – Rituals Cheek & Eye Glow in Pink
Mascara – Rituals Perfection Volume Mascara
The lips- DuWop Reverse Lipliner + Jane Iredale Puregloss for Lips in Red Currant
Applying it:
I don’t wear too much makeup during the daytime, so I wanted a red that wasn’t too bright or heavy. I opted for a gloss finish from Jane Iredale. Before applying it I used DuWop’s Reverse Lipliner around the outside of my lips to stop things getting too messy (this works well if you have quite a defined cupid’s bow). The gloss is quite an intense colour so I only needed a little dab applied at the centre of the lips and smoothed outwards.
The verdict:
I absolutely LOVE this colour. I might be converted from my usual pinks! It lasted better than I would have expected from a gloss and kept my lips quite hydrated. It’s also easy to reapply, not too time consuming. The Rituals palette gave me a warm blush of colour without making me look too ‘done’.
Hitting-the-Town Red
Our office glamazon (and analytics whizzo), Olivia volunteered to try an all-out evening rouge for us. With her warm skin tone, she can work a really intense red so we gave her one of the best little beauties out there.
Olivia’s Kit:
Foundation – Rituals Precious Foundation in Shade 4
Eyelids – Rituals Duo Baked Eyeshadow in Rose Amber
Mascara – Rituals Perfection Volume Mascara
Cheeks – Rituals Bronzing Powder in Sun Kissed
The lips- DuWop Private Lipstick in Private Red
Applying it:
This is actually already one of my favourite reds already! Usually I’ll just slick it on straight from the tube and it’s great for an instant pick-me-up but if I’m wearing it out then I want it to last a bit longer and look a bit more intense. For this look, I patted a little of the foundation over my lips before I started applying the colour – it really helps it adhere better and makes the red that bit brighter. Using a lip brush can be helpful when layering but I applied this straight from the tube and then blotted it. Once I’d done that, I applied another layer for an even brighter look and let it set. Even thought it has a creamy texture and goes on looking quite shiny, when it settles it’s actually much more matte.
The verdict:
I loved how striking this is, even though I did have a bit of a smoky eye going on, the lipstick still really stood out. And it withstood an entire evening out, with a few drinks thrown in. Thumbs up.
