If there's one thing makeup-wise which symbolises Christmas to me - it's the colour red. Of course, you can rock a rogue tone whatever the time of year, but once the festive season is upon us, I always tend to gravitate towards it that little bit more. Lacquering up your lips and nails are probably the two main ways to incorporate some red into your look and while it may seem scary, it's actually pretty customisable and adaptable to your own personal taste. Though I've touched on some of my favourite products and some tips on how to pull the colour off over various points in the past in #DitsyDecember, I'm yet to do a post on all of my favourites from both departments - lips and nails - as one entire round-up and so I figured that's exactly what I'd do for you lovely lot today. Let's get started...
LIPS: Lips-wise, I personally feel like matte is the way to go. I like the way it looks and most importantly - I love the way it lasts. especially at Christmas, when you're scoffing all the roast potatoes and gravy - if you're gonna paint your lips in the red stuff, you need it to stand the test of time and not smear all over your face. Unless that's the look you're after, of course. Then there's the matter of set-up. While I narrow it down somewhat by sticking to matte finishes exclusively, there's still a heck of a lot of choice. Nowadays, you've got lipsticks, lip crayons, liquid lipsticks and more and it can be a little overwhelming to pick what's best for you. For your classic lipstick bullet, I really like the Rimmel Kate Moss Matte Lipsticks. They're cheap and cheerful, but still are probably some of the best lipsticks you can find at the drugstore. I really like the shade '111', a classic, true red that just screams 'Christmas' and will look amazing on all types of complexions; and also the infamous '107' - a more burgundy-toned red. If you want colour which comes in the same lip bullet format, but perhaps with a less matte, matte finish - I really like the Tanya Burr Cosmetics 'Wild Safari' Lipstick. As I said, this has more of a 'traditional' lipstick finish that's creamy and slightly sheeny and so doesn't last the best, but is super comfortable to wear. This colour is the most orange-y toned red I have in my collection, and so it's great if you're into a red with a more yellow undertone and I find the colour of this really brightens up my skin and has a proper festive feel. Lip crayons are brilliant for quite literally scribbling the colour onto your pout and act as kind of a lipstick and pencil in one - super convenient. I've been a big fan of the Maybelline Color Drama Velvet Lip Pencils for a long time now. They go on super easily and have a creamy texture that's matte; but not matte, matte and so last well without drying out your lips so that they resemble that of a prune. I particularly love the shades 'Light It Up' and also 'Red Essential' - the former is a tad brighter, whilst the latter runs a little darker - but both are pretty true to the red colour family. Another product which I have found recent love for is the MUA Luxe Velvet Lip Lacquer in 'Reckless'. This is a matte liquid lipstick (a finish which has taken over the beauty world over the past year or so) and as you may know, I picked some of these up a month or so ago and have been thoroughly enjoying them ever since. They are probably the most budget-friendly option for getting on the whole 'liquid lipstick' bandwagon, but remain amazing quality considering the cheaper price you pay. This bright, true red shade in particular is one of my favourites - especially for this festive time of year - and the classic liquid lipstick matte finish holds up pretty darn well when you're chowing down on a big ol' Roast Dinner. Finally - you can't do a red lip without a good red lip liner to match - and personally, I've really been enjoying the Primark Beauty Lip Liner Pencils lately. For only £1 each (what a bargain, eh?), they're really creamy and easy to apply and are super pigmented too. In terms of red hues, I love the shades 'Red' - a bright true red and 'Vamp' - a deeper, more burgundy-toned red. With these two in your stash, you've got every basis covered - no matter what tone or shade of red you want to rock.
NAILS: Moving onto the nails and I have to say, out of all of my collection, Red is one colour which seems to have major prominence. I love red nails any time of year - they're so classic and chic - but during Christmas, I find it to be a shade I gravitate towards even more so. During the rest of the year I tend to stick to the traditional crème finish, but as soon as December hits I go all-out with the shimmers, glitters and metallics and so there's kind of a bit of everything here. Barry M's Speedy Quick Dry Nail Polish in 'Dead Heat' is a brilliant bright red, whereas Rimmel Salon Pro Nail Polish in 'Mars' remains one of my favourites for when I want a classic rogue which just looks gorgeous with everything (even though I believe Rimmel have now completely discontinued this entire collection now - boo!). Finally for the 'standard' textures, Maybelline's Super Stay Nail Polish in 'Deep Red' is exactly what it says on the tin - a deep, almost burgundy-toned red - and is probably the type of red which most people opt for this time of year when we fancy something a little deeper and darker. Moving onto the fun part - the fancy-shamancy finishes - and first up is a H&M Nail Polish in 'Russet Pearl'. This is a stunning bright metallic red and is rather unique hue to anything I've ever seen or used before. The bright red gives the whole thing a super-festive feel and the addition of the sheen-ey, metallic finish brings some sparkle but in a perhaps more 'subtle' way. On the much more 'obvious' end of the scale is this Seventeen Nail Effects Glitter in 'Red'. Again, this is pretty self-explanatory - a true red in a mixed glitter format - and works wonders when layered over any of the polishes I've mentioned, plus a variety of others too. I love how you can sheer the effect of this out or build it up with multiple layerings. Cause who doesn't love a touch of sparkle?
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