5 Basic Shades of Red Lipstick to Own

The lips are one of the most outstanding features of the face and lipsticks accentuate them. Whether in nudes or colours, it’s only natural that the lips, like the skin, possess undertones of red.

Some basic shades of this colour ought to be in the lipstick lovers’ collection because from these, one can create a variety of other tones. The five colours include:

• red,
• dark purple,
• orange,
• pale pink,
• deep chocolate (chocolate is a shade of red).

With these, you don’t have to buy every single shade or try to keep up with your favourite brand’s codes.

Lipstick Loving…

Dark shades of purple and chocolate create a very mature look and the contrast makes the teeth appear whiter when one smiles. Personally, I prefer to put on these bold colours for evening gatherings during which time the lights are softer. Bold red lipsticks are welcome, anytime. Except for individual preferences, there’s hardly a skin colour red doesn’t match.

While most brown skin types might not agree with the chalky colour of pale pink or flashy orange lipsticks, it serves a great deal in blending to create other tones. Pale pink, especially, breaks down darker shades like purple and chocolate and reduces the intensity of bright reds. So while I never use it alone (makes my lips look like I’ve licked a lump of chalk – nzu), it’s my perfect tinting tool.

By combining pale pink and chocolate lipstick colours, one can get a variety of browns (nudes). These shades are a must-have for lovers of nude lips. For varying tones of lilac, blend pale pink with dark purple lipstick. Start with applying the pale pink on your lips, then the move on to little bits of the darker colours. To get burgundy or plum tones, add some red after the purple and pink, especially if your purple lipstick has more blue in it. You can achieve a nice blend by using your finger or the base end of your eye pencil.

Still on blending, mix more colours like maroon and oxblood from red and chocolate lipsticks; rose pink from red and pale pink; and peach from orange and pink. Lilacs, rose pinks and peach are one cool way of keeping up with pink without looking too girly.

And that’s how to have over 12 dashes of red with just 5 lipstick colors.