The perfect red lips

Evening all, today i wanted to talk about red lips and how to get the perfect one for you. I have been on the hunt for the perfect red lipstick for my skin tone for a while now and i think i have found the right one for me. In this post i will do two quick reviews on my favourite reds.

The first one i have  will talk about is the Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Ultra Lipstick in the colour Rouge. This for me was a very bright red and it has a slight blue undertone. This was the first red lipstick i bought and i fell in love with it right away. It is a very bright and pigmented colour with amazing moisture and depth. It is the kind of red that i think suits fancy occasions and certain looks because it is very much the iconic bright, in-your-face red lip that was worn in the good old days. It has Shea Butter and Vitamins A, C and E in it and you can definitely notice this because when you apply it to the lips it simply glides right on and keeps your lips nice and moist. One of the best things about this is that it doesn't have that drying effect that other lipsticks can have, i expect that this is due to the Shea butter in it and it really does make it all the better. There is nothing worse than having to layer your lips with lipstick, lip balm and lip gloss.

One of the very few cons to the Elizabeth Arden lipstick has to be its longevity. No sooner am i having to reapply it after i have just put it on. The moment you eat or drink anything you will find your lips have smeared either over the lip lines or have completely worn off. It's not a good look so i do recommend applying this lipstick right before you leave the house and after you have put your clothes on! It transfers like bitch.

Overall i love this lipstick. The texture and consistency is good, it's only downside is the length of time you can wear it before having to do touch ups. If you want a long lasting lip however i would recommend my first favourite lipstick and that would be the Cheryl Cole one.

I have been thinking alot about investing in a lip top coat. I think this particular lipstick would benefit with having one and i would probably wear it alot more if i knew i only had to touch up once or twice throughout the day. I bought this lipstick a while back and it cost me £19. If you are like me and think that this can be an expensive product to use for trial and error then i would recommend going in store and asking them to help you find the perfect red. I did this when i visited a Liverpool Debenhams and this is what the outcome was. I am thrilled with it but i think i reserve this for fancy dos rather than the everyday casual red lip.

You can purchase this lipstick online from Debenhams just now and it is on sale for £17.10. I would really consider buying this lipstick in a different colour as i really do love everything about it and i would love to compare it to see if it was just the Rouge that had trouble staying put. I should also note here before i move on how pretty the packaging is. It really is gorgeous and that is one of the best features i like in lipsticks, the packaging makes looking good all the better!

My all time favourite red (for the moment) has to be the L'Oreal Colour Riche 297 Red Passion Cheryl Cole limited edition lipstick. It is the perfect rich red colour and again has a blue undertone. I find the undertone is best suited for me because i find it makes my teeth slightly whiter rather than yellow looking like other brands i have tried in store.

As you can see from the below picture the lipstick looks a bright shocking red. These picture where taken in natural daylight and next to my white bedding. What you can't pick up from camera is the sparkles and chunks of glitter that it has. When you apply it it is noticeable however not in a very young girly unappealing sort of way. I am not usually a fan of glittery lip products but i think in this lipstick you need it to add depth and tone to your lips. The blue undertone really sets off my skin type/tone and the glitter adds to the look whether it's day or night. This is the type of lipstick that can be worn throughout the day and i don't feel like it is out of place.

I found it difficult to get my hands on this product because i jumped on the band waggon quite late. I ended up having to wait until i saw a seller on eBay selling it but the wait was worth it. I paid £5 including P+P which is a bargain!  The packaging on this is also nice. I like that it is gold and L'Oreal is a really good brand in itself so i find that this Cheryl lipstick has been the best lip product i have bought in a while and it wasn't even that expensive! Sometimes cheaper and drugstore products are better.

The colour on the left is Elizabeth Arden and the one on the right is the Cheryl Cole lipstick. Both look pretty similar and this is due to the undertones. Again i prefer a blue one due to my skin type. The one on the left is a brighter and more vivid red, like a letterbox whereas the one to the right is darker and more wearable. Unfortunately you cannot see the sparkles in this picture due to the lighting however they do add to the colour of Cheryl's one and give your lips a little something extra.

So all in all it depends how bright you like your everyday red lips to look. If you like them quieter throughout the day i would go for Cheryl's one but if you like loud and in your face red then Elizabeth is the way to go.

I'm sure you all now how to apply your red lipstick but if you don't here's a quick rundown of how i apply mines:

• First exfoliate my lips, i use Bubblegum flavour from Lush.
• Then i apply lip balm to my lips once i have done my foundation and set it with powder. I then apply the rest of my makeup before i do my lipstick.
• Next i rub in the remaining lip balm if it hasn't all soaked into my lips and then i apply a light layer of foundation and then set it with powder.
• I then apply my lip liner onto the lines of my lips and then lightly fill in the rest of my lips using it.
• Then using a lip brush i apply my chosen lipstick and then blot it off with a tissue.
• Reapply and do the same process again.
• Then for the last layer i apply and leave on my lips.
• Normally my lips will be moisturised enough however if it is winter or i have chapped lips i will apply a very light layer of lip balm or add gloss if i fancy it. Now you are good to go.

These are the basic rules to get a long lasting lipstick no matter what the colour. I hope this review and guide has been helpful and if you have found any better red lipsticks out there please leave a comment!