The number one accessory of the month: Lipstick

I have always wanted to be a lipstick woman. I'm not sure where this stems from, maybe from the fact that the only make up my mum always wears is lipstick and as a kid I admired her collection in all the shades of red. She used many designer lipsticks and already the package was magical to me. Or maybe it stems from the fact that when I see a woman nailing a bold lipstick, I immediately think of power and confidence. I think the right lipstick does the same to your face as good high heels do to your body: they lift the whole appearance immediately and as heels make your posture better, lipstick lights up the face. Both are also traditionally associated with femininity and when I wear these two, I have to admit that I do feel really feminine. Wearing a lipstick is a bit tricky though and where it can give you confidence, it can also take away some: if you're not used to wearing lipstick you often tend to think about it a lot; whether it's smudged or in your teeth or if there's any left. I don't really get it that when you're wearing lipstick, order a cocktail in a bar and they don't give you a straw with it. "Hello, I'm wearing lipstick, of course I need a straw in my drink not to smudge it!" The problems of a lipstick woman.

Then there's the shade issue. If you end up choosing a completely wrong shade, you might get an unwanted effect of looking like a cross between a clown and a zombie. It sucks all the colour from your face, making you look like you're having the worst stomach flu of the decade. Nobody wants that and yet probably anyone who has ever tried to be a lipstick woman has had at least one these moments. You all know what I'm talking about. You want to get compliments from your nice lips, not to get asked if you ate something inappropriate for lunch! How to find the right shade then? I just simply try on different shades and see which ones look good on me. Asking an opinion also helps, but make sure that who ever it is you are asking from is honest! It also helps if you know whether your skin tone has coolness or warmth in it as this determines what type of shades you can wear. Once you've found the right shade don't be afraid to rock it! You can gain confidence from wearing a lipstick but you also need confidence to wear it. The truth is that everyone wearing lipstick thinks about the smudging every now and then but the trick is not to show you care about it. It's the attitude that counts.

I found this Elizabeth Arden lipstick ad from 1948 really funny, what's with the awkward cactus on her back?!
Picture taken from myvintagevogue.com 

Lipstick is a fashion item that never goes out of fashion, it's like the LBD of make up. 

Tiina K