How to Wear a Bright Lipstick & Why
Spring is in full swing and warm weather is finally here! Do you know what looks great in warm weather? Bright lips!
Bright lips are popular during Spring and Summer and for good reason. So today it’s all about this very popular lip trend. Let’s discuss “why” and “how-to” wear a bright lipstick.
I love answering these common questions and sharing some tips, and of course, share some amazing Red Apple Lipstick suggestions.
Why Should You Wear Bright Lipstick?
Done correctly, a bright lip color can take your look to another level. It can make a woman look modern, fresh, stylish, and confident.
Spring and Summer are also the best time to wear bright lips since brighter colors are suited best for warmer weather.
A bright lipstick may seem intimidating, especially if you are not used to wearing much color let alone brighter lip colors. But trust me, you can totally do it!
How to Wear Bright Lipstick Like You Know What You Are Doing.
When wearing bright lipstick your lips will be the main focus of your look. I like to keep the rest of my makeup simple. Clothing should be either Neutral colored clothing or match the lipstick in some way.
A light touch of bronzer, mascara, and lipstick would be sufficient. However, if you want a more put-together look you can apply a lightweight base (tinted moisturizer or a powder foundation are great choices for warmer weather) along with a light application of blush.
Go with a neutral color blush, one that is not too bright and doesn’t clash with your lip color. If you want to do eye makeup, it is best to keep it simple and stay with neutral colors.
One of my favorite ways to wear a bright lipstick is to simply just do a base color all over the lids (Porcelain and Hush Hush eyeshadows are perfect base colors), a bit of eyeliner, and mascara on the eyes, along with a light application of bronzer and blush. For an even simpler look, I just apply bronzer, mascara, and lipstick.
7 Useful Tips To Feeling Confident In A Bright Lipstick
Tip 1. Choose a Lipstick Color you love!
A fast way to evaluate lipstick colors is to look at the colors of your closet. Is there a particular color you love in your clothes over any other. Find a shade that matches or harmonizes with colors that make you feel good.
Tip 2. Prepare Your Lips
Exfoliate your lips. Bright lipstick brings the focus to your lips so make sure to remove any dry skin that could be noticeable. Then, before applying your lip color, apply lip balm to moisturize the lips giving you a smooth base. The Rallye Balm & Exfoliate Duo are perfect for prepping the lips! You can also purchase them separately.
Rallye Balm & Exfoliate Duo by Red Apple Lipstick
Tip 3. Line Your Lips
This makes application easier and less messy since it will help define the edge of the lips. A good liner to use would match your lip color, but that can be hard to find at times. The next best thing is to use a nude color pencil to line the outside of the lips, it’s less harsh looking and won’t alter the color of the lipstick. Natural lip liner is the perfect pinky-brown nude shade that coordinates with almost any lipstick.
Tip 4: Find a lipstick shade that works for you
As mentioned previously, choose a color range that you like. There are many color ranges to choose from- pinks, reds, purples, corals, oranges, to name a few. After choosing a color range, now you need to choose a shade in that color range.
Check a Lipstick Shade Finder. They go more in-depth on how to find the right color lipstick for your skin tone and undertone.
The Best Pink Lipstick for Your Skin Tone and The Best Red Lipstick for Your Skin Tone, for example, would be great to take a look at.
In general warm skin tones will look the best with bright colors that have warmer undertones, and cool skin tones will look best with bright lipstick colors that have cooler undertones.
Some great RAL lipstick color choices:
Brazilliant by Red Apple Lipstick
A beautiful light shimmery pink with tangerine undertones. Perfect for skin tones with warm undertones. Not overly bright – perfect for lighter skin tones or those that aren’t comfortable with something too bright.
· Coral Crush– a true, classic, coral color of pink and orange.
Coral Crush by Red Apple Lipstick
A true, classic, coral color of pink and orange.
Hibiscus by Red Apple Lipstick
A deep, berry pink with a hint of red to it, a true raspberry color. Wear it bold or simply as a stain. Looks great on any skin tone.
Noemi is wearing Hibiscus lipstick on the lips; Gotta Glow blush; and Porcelain eyeshadow & Sundrop Bronzer on the eyes.
Let’s Flamingle by Red Apple Lipstick
Tropical hot pink with a coral cast. Beautiful! While it is hot pink, it’s a softer shade which makes it not overly bright.
Love My Kiss by Red Apple Lipstick
A perfect middle ground between pink and red. This color works great with most skin tones.
Noemi is wearing Love My Kiss lipstick on the lips; Coy blush & Sundrop Bronzer on the complexion; Porcelain eyeshadow a bit of Sundrop Bronzer on the lids, and The Lash Project mascara.
Oh Snapdragon by Red Apple Lipstick
Soft blossom pink with cool undertones of lavender, a colorful yet soft full-coverage color. This one is great for those with cool and neutral undertones
Petal To The Metal by Red Apple Lipstick
Rosy/mauve medium pink has a warm overtone with a cool undertone, making this shade perfect for any undertone.
· Red Apple Red– a classic signature red, light and bright with a slight pink undertone. This glamorous red is super comfortable on the lips being a creamy and moisturizing formula, perfect for all-day wear. Wear it bold for an attention-grabbing red lip or you can apply it softer as a subtle stain.
Red Apple Red by Red Apple Lipstick
a signature red, light and bright with a slight pink undertone. This glamorous red is super comfortable on the lips being a creamy and moisturizing formula, perfect for all-day wear. Wear it bold for an attention-grabbing red lip or you can apply it softer as a subtle stain.
warm-toned red with orange undertones.
In the next three pictures Noemi is wearing Risqué lipstick on the lips; Sundrop Bronzer and Coy blush; Shimmer Palette for Brown Eyes on the eyes and The Lash Project mascara
Tip 5 – Tone Down A Too Bright Lipstick
You might have a lipstick color that you like but it’s TOO bright. Or you don’t want to wear your bright lipsticks so bright today.
I have good news is. There are 3 easy ways to tone down a lipstick color.
Method 1: Apply it lightly, apply one to two coats and then blot off any excess on a tissue paper.
Method 2: Applying some of the lipstick onto your finger first, and then dabbing that on the lips, this will help prevent applying too much.
Method 3: Apply a clear or nude lip gloss on top of the lipstick color, this will help tone down the brightness without altering too much of the color.
For cooler-toned lipstick colors, choose a nude gloss with cool undertones. For warm-tone lipstick colors, go with a nude gloss that has warm undertones. Avoid over-applying your gloss, you just need a light coat to do the trick. Here are some great RAL lip gloss options:
Diamond Sands by Red Apple Lipstick
a somewhat sheer nude/gold gloss that has a subtle peach undertone.
Honey Badger by Red Apple Lipstick
medium pigmented nude with pink and brown undertones.
Sun Sparkles by Red Apple Lipstick
Clear gloss with a touch of shimmer. Has a light peachy tone but blends nicely when applied.
Tiny Dancer by Red Apple Lipstick
A warm peachy-pink nude gloss. Works great over any lipstick.
Tip 6 – Remain Calm, and Use These Simple Application Tips
We know you may have a little anxiety trying something so new, or bold. But seriously, let’s play around some. You never know what you’ll discover that you love.
- Keep your lipstick symmetrical. I like to start at the cupids bow, and get that right first. I like to go all the way to real edge of my lip and make the cupids bow as symmetrical as I can pulling down and away towards the corners. Then I’ll come back from the corners to the bow.
- Creamy formulas like those made by Red Apple Lipstick are far more forgiving. They feel more comfortable, and so they won’t keep you thinking about your lips all day.
- Consider using a lip brush, especially at the outline of your lips.
- If you are concerned about the lipstick bleeding, try these helpful tips to stop lipstick bleeding
Tip 7 – Knock down a bright lipstick color for even wear.
You’ll want your lipstick to wear down evenly. The trick is to knock it down first. Don’t leave any slippery, slidey bits of of lipstick just barely hanging on on top of your lips.
Methods to knock down a lipstick.
Method 1: Work the color in with a lip brush that isn’t smothered in lipstick.
Method 2: Blot properly with a folded, flat tissue, pressing the lips together down onto the tissue – then roll the lips inward gently and back outward gently with just enough pressure to remove the slippery top layer and to press the bottom layers into the lip.
Method 3: Don’t overdo it. Too much lipstick won’t “stick”, it will slide off onto other things.
*Bonus Question: What Blush Should I Wear with Bright Lipstick?
While the lips are the main focus of your look when wearing a bright lipstick color, the highlights on your cheeks matter too.
Go with a blush that will not clash with your lip color but still will give a health glow. Apply lightly, you don’t want too much blush as this could take away the focus from the lips.
For example, pink lipstick looks great with pink-toned blushes while orange shades of lipstick look great with peach or coral-toned blushes. Red shades of lipstick will look best with a neutral blush as well as a reddish-toned blush, even a darker pink will work.
For purple shades, choose a blush color that has purple or mauve undertones. Check out Red Apple Lipstick’s blushes by clicking here and also, the Vegan Blush Brush to help apply your blush beautifully.
Whether you are a beginner or a pro at wearing bright lipstick, we know it can be intimidating so we hope you find these tips and suggestions very useful. We hope you find the perfect bright lipstick shade, if you have not already, to rock this spring and summer. How do you like to wear your favorite bright shades, do you like a bold or more subtle lip? Do you have a favorite RAL bright lipstick shade? Share with us in the comments, we always love to hear your thoughts.