RED HOT – Look Hot with Red!

Makeup Artist TROY SURRATT, who has puckered up the lips of celebrities like Martha Stewart and Anjelica Huston, says red lipstick is “the little black dress in your makeup bag.”

Get started with RED with his 10 tips for ‘getting it right’:

Match Your Skin Tone
True reds work best on a pale face, while olive skin calls for brown-reds or mahogany shades. Also, if your teeth are yellow, a red lipstick with blue undertones will make them look whiter.

Test on Your Lips
Most women try out lipstick on their hands, but that’s often a different shade than your face. Head to a makeup counter to test directly on your lips, scraping a bit of color off with a Q-tip.

Trust Your Instincts
If you’re not sure where to start when choosing red, trust the shades you are first attracted to. We are often instinctively drawn towards the colors that look best on us.

Keep Other Makeup Subtle
While smoky eyes and crimson lips look great for a fancy, nighttime occasion, everyday lips should be accompanied by a subtle, natural-looking face. Apply mascara, curl lashes and keep brows well-shaped.

Give Yourself Time
Give yourself time to get used to it. If red lipstick is a huge departure from your normal look, make an effort to glance at yourself in the mirror as often as you can on the first day of your new look. This will help your eyes adjust to seeing yourself that way.

Ease Into it
Too timid to go for all-out red? Try a more subtle gloss or stain.

Decide on Your Shine Level
Glossy or Matte? A moister lip looks more modern, but a matte formula stays on your lips longer and won’t feather. Experiment to find the right one for you.

Neutral Liner
Use a neutral liner. Although using a lip liner in a different shade than your lipstick sounds counter intuitive it gives you the freedom to fill out thin lips. Choose a shade that matches your your natural lip color.

Correct Application
Apply correctly. Line and fill in lips with liner. Apply lipstick from the tube or using a lip brush (which eases color into tiny lip lines) over the liner. Blot once with a tissue, and lightly dust with face powder. Apply one more coat of lipstick, and you’re set.

More Red
Although it may be too bold a look for some, Surratt loves the ‘eternally chic’ look of red lips matched with red nails. If you do not prefer it, a golden-orange or other such colors that set off red, will also look good. A dash of red in your scarf or handbag also enhances the look.