Choosing A Red Lipstick — Not As Easy As You Think

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Feeling a little sassy playing with my new red lipstick.

It’s late and I’m feeling tired, yet sassy as I play with my new red lipstick.

Can someone tell me why picking out a red lipstick is so frickin’ hard? I spent what seemed like an eternity at Sephora analyzing every single red lipstick in the store.

Before walking into the store, I did my homework. I’ve read tons of articles about orange-reds, blue-reds and true reds. And all the writers can’t seem to agree on a magic formula.

After spending nearly an hour checking out all of reds, I decided to throw myself at the mercy of the Sephora chicks to pick a color for me.

So began my odyssey of trying on one color after another. Focusing on the Sephora Collection, first up was Deep Brick Red, my first experience with a “blue-red” color. I absolutely loved the color, but it was so intense. Very much a Snow White look. But up against my pale skin, my lips were all that you saw.

Sigh…

Next my Sephora chick picked out a beautiful pink that I promptly shot down. I was there to conquer my fear of red lips. No pink today!

We then looked at two lovely colors that looked pretty – Classic Bright Red and Valentine. But yet again I felt washed out. The bright red was, well BRIGHT! But I absolutely loved the color, just not the pasty white skin on my face.

The Valentine? It didn’t just pop against my skin color, it supernovaed on me.

I ended up leaving the store empty-handed and dejected.

I decided to start from the beginning, refining my search for some solid advice.

Enter Makeup Geek.

Finally someone who knows how hard it is picking the right red.

Makeup Geek’s post on red lipstick struck a chord with me. She suggest it’s more about how bright the color is against your skin and not the lipstick color. But you also need to consider your eye and hair color as well as your eye makeup too.

When I walked into Sephora, I wasn’t wearing makeup. So any red lipstick would make me pasty white.

So I put on my makeup, choosing Laura Mercier’s Crystal Beige and Morning Dew eye shadow and headed back to Sephora.

Wow what a difference. Both the Classic Bright Red and Deep Brick Red looked amazing. The Valentine…no so much. The colors popped but didn’t overwhelm my face. But I only had enough cash for one. I chose the Classic Bright Red. I always go with darker colors, so I decided to pull a George Costanza and go the opposite of my instinct!

Makeup Geek recommends 5 possible reds that most people can pull off. I plan to check those out soon.

But I know in a couple of weeks, I’m going back for the Brick Red.

Weight Loss Makeover: Time For A Fun And Sassy Hairdo

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After losing 80 lbs., I was ready for a new hairstyle that mirrored how I felt on the inside – fun and sassy! I just didn’t know what to do.

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In my defense, I air dried it and just got back from a long walk in very humid weather.

My hair became unmanageable. Long and thick, my hair took over an hour to dry and style. It lacked volume, the color faded and it frizzed out every time I used a blow dryer.

I started keeping it in a ponytail. Everyday. It was the only way to contain it.

Worst of all, I looked older than my age.

Once again I called on the Glam Squad – my friends and makeover pros Julie and Claire – for much-needed help.

Medium Wavy Style
Julie recommended I go with look that took 4 inches off, added curls and bounce. Plus she wanted layers – a great way to add volume, soften the lines around my face, as well as feel lighter and cooler.

As for color, Julie and Claire urged me to go darker and add in highlights for contrast and create a shading effect.

Sold.

Julie recommended a stylist she worked with at a wedding and scheduled my appointment.

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Me with the fabulous Jenny just before applying my new dark, sexy color.

The Perfect Hair
I arrived at the salon a few minutes early. After checking in and putting a smock on, the receptionist promptly asked if I’d like a glass of wine.

This was my type of salon!

Just as my glass arrived I met Jenny, my hair makeover stylist.  She was great! Jenny walked me through the Glam Squad’s suggested cut and showed me how it would frame my face.

I told her my only concern was being able to duplicate the look once I left the salon. Let’s face it, Jenny isn’t doing my hair every morning. That’s my job and I’m terrible at it.

Jenny promised to walk me through the style phase and show me just how easy it is to maintain.

Then we started talking color. She liked going darker than my original or boxed colors and recommended adding gold highlights on top – right where the patch of gray stood.

What Does It Look Like?

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My new do! I really love the highlights. It’s simple, fun and easy to style.

It took Jenny 3 hours to color, cut and style my hair.

It looked awesome. The color was perfect and my hair felt bouncy and silky.  And it’s incredibly easy to style. All I needed was a curling iron and fingers to tousle the curls for that natural look.

Easy peasy.

Day 2 of my makeover extravaganza down. Up next: From bare face Cover Girl time!

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Everyday Beauty Makeover: Creating A Stylish Weight Loss Wardrobe

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When I started my weight loss journey last year, my ensemble quickly evolved into sweats, Nikes and an oversized t-shirt. Well after losing 80 lbs., I decided I needed to look more stylish. In short, it was time for a full makeover — hair, makeup and clothes.

Enter my personal Glam Squad! Two friends — Julie & Claire — who are makeover pros. Their task: to help me become fashion forward while I’m still losing weight, without breaking the bank.  My transformation took 3 fun days. There’s a lot to cover, with great photos (compliments of my Glam Squad!), so I’m breaking it down into several posts over the next couple of days.

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Before hitting the stores, I reviewed great fashion looks with Claire, a member of my Glam Squad.

The Building Blocks Of A Stylish Wardrobe
We caught up over lunch last week and went over outfit ideas and hairstyles. Claire and Julie did a bang-up job. Since I’m still losing weight, they focused on the staples – jeans, dresses, blazers and sweaters.  Easy, low-cost items to rebuild my wardrobe, but stylish enough to add some spice.

Since my current wardrobe is 90% black, their recommendations added a much-needed splash of color. Plus, much of what they showed me included new cuts and shapes – things to try with my new figure.

From there, we went over the budget and then hit the stores.

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Working with Glam Squad member Julie in finding the right look at the right price!

Do They Carry My Size?
My only anxiety about the shopping excursion was the list of stores. My Glam Squad lined up trips to Old Navy, Macy’s and Lord & Taylor. In the past, I’d stayed away from those stores for one simple reason: my size.

Up until now, 85% of my clothes came from Lane Bryant. Other stores didn’t carry my size – and if they did, never in the store, only online.

Yes I lost weight and went from a size 28 to a 20. But that’s a Lane Bryant size 20. Stores and designers don’t share the same formula for their sizes. A size 20 in one store is different from a size 20 in another (how annoying).

Alone in the Old Navy dressing room, my fear intensified as I held up the size 20 jeans Claire handed me a few moments ago. “No way these are going to fit,” I thought.

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After getting over my fear of shopping at a new store, I had a blast mixing and matching clothes.

After losing all the weight, where the hell was this doubt coming from?

Well, not doubt, exactly. More like…weirdness. It felt overwhelmingly strange to shop at a “thin person’s store.”  I kept telling myself, “I don’t belong here…it’s a mistake.”

Taking a deep breath, I tried on the jeans. A perfect fit. The weirdness vanished. I belonged.

In that moment, I became an Old Navy customer!

But I needed to temper my excitement or I’d blow through my budget.

Claire to the rescue! She sent me an Old Navy 20% off coupon. Awesome!

She encouraged me to sign up for the store’s email blasts to get coupons and sales alerts.  Making my dollars go further, these two ladies found great deals, including cute tops for under $10. Amazing.

The next 4+ hours flew by. Clair and Julie picked out a ton of great outfits, many of which I never would have tried. I never felt so exhausted.

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Signs your makeover is off to a good start? Lots of bags filled with lovely clothes you got on sale!

The great thing about the day, it gave me more confidence to try new and different styles and to go into stores that were completely off-limits before due to my weight.

Day one down. On the horizon, part 2: a new hairdo.

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