
I don’t know exactly when it was, but at some point, I fell head-over-heels in love with red makeup. Red nails, red lips, red cheeks, there was something about the bright hue that made me want to drape my whole face in the colour.
It’s funny because if you had asked teenage Alice about her thoughts on red makeup, she would have squirmed and recoiled in (mild) disgust, trying to make sense of why someone – especially someone of her complexion – would ever want to wear such a colour. (I’ll be the first to admit that I didn’t get it, if you know what I mean.) But like I said, somewhere along the way, slowly, very slowly, I fell in love with the colour and wanted to incorporate it into my everyday.
I say every day, because as a girl who doesn’t really go out or do much, I don’t have many opportunities to wear makeup, let alone red makeup, so I make it a point to wear it most times I’m leaving the house… which usually means going to work, hanging out with friends, or enjoying an art exhibition in the middle of the day. I wear my red makeup every day, no matter what I’m doing, I don’t think it should be relegated to only special occasions or big events. I think it should be worn all day, every day, whether you’re going to the bank, to work or even to Sainsbury’s. I think you should wear it when you’re happy or need a pick-me-up (and trust me when I say it’s a big mood lifter).



Favourite Red Makeup
So, where should you start if you want to start incorporating red makeup into your routine?
If you’re a red makeup beginner, the easiest (and probably least daunting) place to start is with a manicure. Your hands aren’t always so obviously on display like your face, so starting here is a great way to get comfortable with the colour discreetly. The tricky part, like with most makeup, is finding the right shade. Depending on your skin tone or colour preference, you might opt for a brighter or deeper hue. I think deeper hints of red suit my skin tone better, but every now and again, I’ll stumble across a bright red that quite literally stops me in my tracks. Remember when I mentioned the colour being a great mood-lifter? Well, back in 2023, I was on holiday and not feeling the best emotionally, but after applying a fresh coat of Essie Lady in Red [similar], all was right with the world again. Right now, I’m loving West End from Nails Inc, an orange-y brick red colour that I had originally thought wasn’t dark enough.

Now, I know I said nails are the perfect place to start experimenting with red, but one could argue that lips are a close second. Though it’s easy to apply and remove in seconds, this red makeup takes a bit more gumption to wear as it’s right smack bang in the middle of your face, and in a place where people are constantly looking. When I was starting my red lip journey, I started small with a pinky-red Fresh Rose Sugar lip balm, then graduated to the red NARS Afterglow lip balm in Turbo (that changed intensity depending on how I applied), before landing on the big apple: the red Hourglass Unlocked lipstick in Red 0. This slow transition made it easier for me to gain confidence wearing lipstick, as it helped me get used to wearing colour on my lips.

And then there’s blush. While I’ve always been a lover of blush, in the past, I’ve tended to stick to more “neutral” colours like orange or pinks that looked very mild on my skin tone. It wasn’t until I discovered the Westman Atelier Baby Cheeks Blush in Bichette that things kind of certainly shifted. Personally, I think wearing such a colour blush takes more courage and is reserved for the pros (unless you’re the type to dive headfirst into anything new) because unlike a manicure that you can easily hide in your sleeves or a lipstick you can wipe away in minutes, blush is such a part of the face, removing it often means redoing the whole face and is such a faff. Other favourites include the NYX Buttermelt Blush in Back and Butta and my new discovery, the Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin Island Lip and Cheek Tint in Pinched Cheek Glow.
Red Makeup Wishlist
What do I love so much about wearing red makeup? I couldn’t tell you. Honestly, most times after I’ve applied my makeup, I don’t look in the mirror until I’m taking it off, so I genuinely forget what I look like. It’s not that wearing red makes me feel particularly confident or fun or sexy or powerful. It’s not that wearing red makeup makes me feel more like a woman. I just like wearing it, and I like how I look when I’m scrolling through my camera roll. I don’t know, maybe it’s something that comes with age, because now, I get it.
alice
xo
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