Beauty Spot: How to choose a red lipstick

Red lipstick is a lot of things: bold, sexy, timeless and enduring. But what it's not is easy to get to right. If you have had a less-than-ideal experience (or several) with this vibrant shade, don't let it put you off. The perfect red for your skin tone will be there somewhere. When you find it, it will make your skin look more luminous and your teeth whiter.
Work out what kind of tones your skin has. Cool, blue-based reds, like cranberry, plum or cherry colours flatter pink, rosy skin tones. Orange-based reds look better on warm skin that has gold or olive tones. If you have fair skin, opt for a true red.
Blue-tones in lipstick will make your teeth look whiter.
If you're going bright and bold on the lips, keep the rest of your make-up to a minimum.
Line inside your lips first to stop the colour bleeding.
When you are testing lipsticks, don't try them on your hands - it gives no real idea of what they'll look like on your lips. The only way to get a good idea is to actually try the shade on.
If you don't feel comfortable with a full red lipstick, consider a red gloss. A sheer colour is less dramatic.
Keep lips moisturised. A primer helps lipstick stay on.
My top red picks: L'Oreal Paris Infallible Immortal Red; Mac Russian Red.
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