Whether you’re just starting out with makeup (like me) or you’re a makeup veteran (like everyone else I know), lipstick can be a tricky beast. Here are some do’s and don’ts to keep in mind when wearing bold, bright lipstick. 

*Feature image via The Coveteur

A punch of bright color makes any woman look modern, confident and stylish. While we’re fans of bright lipstick, the trick is knowing how to wear them the right way. Since the colors are bold, even the smallest mistake can be spotted from miles away.

Follow these simple dos and don’ts if you’re planning on sporting bright red, purple or pink lipstick.

Watch the tutorial below then keep scrolling for the step-by-step guide to a perfect kisser.

Pick Your Favorite Shade

Pick a color that you love. | Image via StyleCaster

The most important bit of advice for pulling off bright lips is finding the right color. Contrary to popular belief, anyone can wear bright lips so don’t be shy and give one a try.

Then Find a Hue that Works for You

Always pick the right shade. Always. | Image via Fashion Lady

Now that you’ve decided to embrace the power of, say, pink lips, all you have to do next is find the right hue of pink for your skin/under tone. So how do you know which hue looks best on you?

First, consider the tone of the lipstick. Cool-toned lip colors have more blue in them and tend to look better on people with cool-toned complexions. Warm-toned lip colors have more yellow or orange in them and tend to work well on those with warm-toned skin. Confused about whether your skin’s undertone is warm or cool? Check the veins on the inside of your wrist: if they look blue, you have cool-toned skin; if they look green, you have warm-toned skin. If you can’t tell one way or another, congratulations, you have a neutral skin tone and can do whatever you like!

For more information on defining your skin/under tone, check out:

Beauty Basics: How to Define Your Skin’s Undertone

Next, consider the depth of your skin compared to the depth of the lip color. People with fair complexions may look washed out with lip colors that are too light, whereas very deep colors may not register on darker skin.

Finally, try everything. The best way to find your dream lipstick is by testing a range of different shades. Don’t feel brokenhearted if you don’t find your perfect red, orange or pink on the first try; pick another shade and try again!

In selecting the perfect bright lipstick shade for you, another thing to consider is the season. Yes, you read that right: Season. Sunny weather often calls for gloss or more natural tones, whereas winter is generally the time to bring out your vampy lipstick.

Practice!

Practice makes perfect. | Image via Style Craze

It sounds cliche, but practice really does make perfect. Going from minimal lip color to a bold, look-at-me shade can be jarring at first but you’ll get the hang of it with practice. Everyone has to start somewhere, right?

Tip: Trick your brain into getting used to bright lipstick by wearing it out in low-pressure situations like getting groceries or picking up your dry cleaning. This will help you get used to wearing bright colors so that way, when you sport it for a business meeting, you won’t feel so self-conscious. 

You can also start out sheer and gradually work your way up to full brightness. Simply dab your bright lip color on top on clear lip balm, then blend out with your finger or a brush. That intense color is now a gentle stain. Make it increasingly brighter as you gain confidence; you’ll be rocking intense color in no time!

Do Make Sure that Your Lips are Prepped & Primed

Get perfectly smooth, soft lips. | Image via Makeup & Beauty

Bright lip color draws attention to your lips so make sure your kisser is in perfect condition. Keep it well exfoliated by using a gentle scrub every other day to get smooth, soft lips or rub your lips with a cotton washcloth when you wash your face at night.

Do Make Sure Your Teeth are White

Pretty pearly white teeth look good with bright lippies. | Image via Bartz & Bartz Dental

If you love wearing bright lippies, it won’t hurt to whiten your teeth regularly. Bright lipsticks do not look good on yellow teeth.

Do Properly Prep Your Lips

Prep your lips properly. | Image via Jubilee Gardens

Glossy or matte? Regardless of which is your favorite finish, you’ll need to prep your lips first by applying foundation, which acts as a neutral primer, on your lips. Want it to be even better? Apply concealer on the borders of your lips to prevent the color from bleeding.

Do Embrace Lip Liner

Applying lip liner can go a long way when it comes to bright lippies. | Image via Makeup Tutorials

When applying bright lipstick, everything must look perfect–sloppy application is not an option since the tiniest mistake can be easily seen. To keep your lip color in place, you’re going to need  a lip liner. Liner is key to ensuring your lip color goes on evenly, stays on for hours, and is outlined perfectly.
If you know your way around a lip liner, use contrasting liners for a cool two-toned effect or to change the shape of your lips completely (aka lip contouring). Experiment and have fun with it!

Do Try Your Best to be Precise

Sometimes even the best quality can look bad if it is not applied carefully. | Image via Cloud Mind

Regardless of what you are using to apply the color, do try to be as precise as you can. Sometimes even the best quality can look bad if it is not applied carefully. We recommend using a lip brush for exact precision.

Don’t Pile on the Lip Gloss

Over application of lip gloss actually leave the color prone to smearing. | Image via wieniawski.blogspot.com

There are girls who still believe that overly applying lip gloss on top of lipstick looks great, but let it be known that no, it’s not. It makes you look as if you’ve just eaten a whole plate of greasy food and makes your lipstick more susceptible to smearing. With that said…

Do Dab it on Where it Matters

Before you give gloss the kiss-off, hear this: a touch of gloss at the center of your bottom lip makes your pout look fuller.

Do Remove Excess Lipstick

Blot your lips with a tissue to remove excess and brush some powder over lips with tissue to make it last longer. | Image via gossipkatta.com

You can blot your lips with a tissue, or try the trick done by Johny in the video (above)–stick your index finger into your mouth and quickly pull out.

Do Make it Last Longer

Brush some loose powder over a tissue paper on your lips to set your lipstick.

Don’t Ignore the Inside Part of Your Lips

If you applied lip primer prior to using your lip color, the lipstick won’t budge and you’ll avoid uncolored patches on the inside of your lips (those hard-to-reach spots; you know what we’re talking about).

Do Tone Down the Rest of Your Makeup

It’s all about balance. | Image via stylecaster.com

This works for those days when you’re not in the mood to do a full face of makeup. All you need is a bright lippie and you’re set.

When it comes to bright lips, it’s all about balance. Bold lips plus bold eyes and full facial contouring? That’s a little bit overboard, right? Instead, keep the bright lipstick as the main feature and show off your skin. This combination compliments, rather than competes with, the bright lipstick; allowing your lips to remain the star of the show while giving you a polished, summer-ready makeup look. while also giving you a polished, summer-ready makeup look.

But if you want to take it to the next level…

Go for a smokey eye and bright light, being sure to go easy on the blush.

Pair red lipstick with light brown eyeshadows rather than dark black or purple eyeshadow.

Don’t wear red lipstick with red blush. Opt for a softer blush shade.

Make sure you don’t overstate your eyeliner and invest in a good mascara.

Don’t Be Afraid to Add Other Bright Touches

It’ll give you that extra pinch of style. | Image via Fashion MG-Style

Go all in! You can add other bright touches throughout your look, like your nail polish, a clutch, or even a dress.

Do Take Preventative Measures

Take preventive measures to keep your lipstick on. | Image via Marie Claire

You’re really rockin’ that bright lippie, so play it safe throughout the day by using a straw with your drinks and inverting your lips when putting on or taking off your top. You want to be memorable, but not for having red stains on your silk blouse.

Do Carry the Lipstick with You

Touch up for a long day. | Image via Alixe in Wonderland

Touch-ups are very important, especially when you have a long day ahead. Make it a point to carry the lipstick along with you all the time.

Don’t Overdo Animal Print with Bright Lippies

When wearing a bright lipstick, choose your outfit accordingly. Bright lipstick is bold, striking and brilliant when worn the right way. When it isn’t worn the right way, well, it kinda looks tacky and tragic. We don’t want that now, do we? Bright lippie is an attention catcher and your outfit should give way with that.
Don’t Wear Anything Pink with Red Lipstick

This is a serious fashion no-no. This is a terrible clash of colors and will take away the bold effects of a red lippie.
Go Out with Confidence!

“Can I pull this look off?” Truthfully, it boils down to whether you own it or not. You don’t need to look a particular way or buy a particular product to feel good about yourself–all you need is to love yourself and who you are, and be confident in your own skin.

The post Makeup DOs and DON’Ts: Bright Lipstick Makeup appeared first on 12thBLOG.

Bright colors stimulate the part of our brain that is responsible for creativity, for thinking up new ideas. Without a doubt the color schemes in our kitchens play a role in our lives. You will find brightly colored kitchens where the relationships are strong and warm, where all members of the household have a good sense of humor, express a positive attitude, and are active and friendly.

The combination of bright colors not only creates a special atmosphere in your kitchen, but also reveals the host’s character. Even though the use of intense colors demands not only stretching of one’s imagination but also exhibiting a prudent, cultured approach. But above all don’t be afraid to try bold experiments!

1. Rainbow colors
Enthusiastic eccentric and daring personalities will adore bold colors. Combining all colors of the rainbow into the kitchen cabinet veneers, accessories and even walls will come together so nicely. This design approach would suit perfectly well-lit rooms with less furniture/clutter; spaciousness is the key for this scheme to work perfectly. To finish the image it is best to use an area lighting scheme.

2. Make an accent
For those who are the “Type-A”, always-in-control person as regards major decisions but are not into flamboyant design, I would advice to make more subtle accents on just one or two of the walls. You may either paint or wallpaper. Still there are other possible ways for wall decorations. You can choose between posters, amazing wall decals, stickers for kitchen furniture and colorful wall murals. The open shelves on walls instead of traditional wall hung kitchen cabinets with doors, will highlight your ingenuity and imagination as well.

3. Bright Floor
In kitchens where light walls must dominate and you have more subdued furniture, try adding zest to the environment by installing a mosaic or solid color tile floor that will enhance the room ambiance and yet be a nice complement to the rest of the decor. Other options can be splashy linoleum or wood or imitation wood laminates that can offer amazing contrast to the subdued walls. There is a wide choice of floor materials nowadays. You will want to consultant with flooring professionals about the pros and cons, taking into account the general age of the building and the current condition of the kitchen floor. After choosing the material (tile, wood, linoleum, etc.), look through the different manufacturers. They offer wide range of colors, styles and grades of material. These days all of your wildest ideas can be brought to life.

4. It’s all about accessories!
Plates, cups, glasses, hot pads, vases, flowerpots, books, spoons, scales, clocks, figurines, bottles, napkins, etc., all can do amazing things to colorize a room. Bold details will help to change the mood of interior design especially if you are still not determined about the color. You can easily change them any time not wasting too much money and they will help you define appropriate color.

5. Go green!
The green color in your kitchen design will create a positive mood and atmosphere. It is a color of nature, harmony, relaxation and evenness – not humdrum but alive yet tranquil. And know that it always stays in style. If you are eager to make your kitchen more creative use different shades of green. If you are afraid it will be too much, just combine green with another color. But trust me, there cannot be too much or too little of this color. In addition, scientists believe that light green shades and colors in eating area allow you to eat right and you will be full after small portions.

6. Make a contrast
Using a combination of contrasting colors in the interior of the kitchen, you need to be extremely cautious. For in this case, you risk making the kitchen design too aggressive or not in the best taste, where it becomes garish and out of control due to “over-coloring” In this case the room is not bright and interesting but is causes visual overload for all who come into the room. So avoid the flashy over-colorizing.
As in relationships where opposites attract, the combination of opposite colors in the spectrum can be a great decorating idea. This kind of high-contrast kitchen decor looks stylish and fashionable. The point of reference when modeling the kitchen design should be furniture. It has to be darker than the walls and lighter than the floor.

7. Gadgets
Still not ready for bold decisions? Not a problem! Give zest to your kitchen with the help of stunning accessories (the toaster, the blender, the coffee maker or kettle) can be matched to achieve something amazing to the eye. Nowadays famous brands provide wide range of colorful appliances.

8. Enduring Designs
One of the most fashionable and tasteful designs over the years has been the French Country Kitchen and speaks to all the facets of designing a beautiful kitchen. It is all about color that will make your time spent in the kitchen among the happiest. This style of kitchen is all about open cupboards, high contrasting color and unbelievable style where your imagination can run wild as these two examples illustrate.

9.Coordinating/Matching Colors
White – combines the best with blue, red and black
Beige – Fits blue, brown and white
Gray – boring color that nevertheless, is the perfect base. It goes well with dark pink, red, purple and bright blue
Pink – this color suits brown, white, olive, gray, turquoise
Red – blends perfectly with the yellow, white, green, blue, gray and black
Brown – with bright blue, cream, pink, green, beige
Orange – with purple, blue, dark blue, violet
Yellow – blue, dark blue, purple, black, gray
Green – comes with a golden brown, yellow, black, light beige
Blue – with white, red, gray, yellow, orange, pink,
Dark blue – suits the purple, red , green, orange, yellow
Black – universal elegant color. Looks good with all the colors. Best combines with orange, pink, green, white, red and yellow.

The post Bright colors in kitchen design appeared first on 12thBLOG.

Coming soon to a music festival near you: bright, technicolor armpits!

If you’re too scared to try the rainbow color hair trend, then you’re not out of luck. You can test it out on . . . your armpits! Yes, dying your armpits is the latest beauty “trend.” Forget turning the hair on your head into a Pantone masterpiece — turns out, painting your oxters is having a moment.

OK, so it’s not a bona fide fad. But if you google “dyeing your armpits,” there are, surprisingly, many articles and vlogs about the service, plus tons of instructions on how to do it at home, dating as far back as 2007. (Many of them include using Manic Panic.) It might not be brand-spanking-new, but it’s starting to surface heavily on Tumblr and YouTube.

Roxie Hunt, a stylist at Vain salon in Seattle, colored her client’s underarms to match her gorgeous turquoise hair. Her post of the experience has almost 32,000 shares.

It’s unclear if you have to have actual hair for this to work. (Considering Manic Panic can stain your hands and forehead, I’d assume no, although it surely won’t last as long.) But many of the tutorials were a result of real women celebrating their au naturel pit hair with a bright pop of color — an effort to stop making hairy underarms taboo for women. Alternatively, some men are celebrating their shaven, hair-free pits (almost as taboo as women with hair) with bright pits as well.

We’re all about freedom of creative expression here at POPSUGAR Beauty, so while none of us on the team has tried this out yet, we support the adventurous look. Underarms are not the sexiest part of the body, per say, so if you want to pay homage to your pits, go for it.

Now who will be the first to create a vegan, FDA-approved deodorant that colors your pits at the same time?

The Finished Look

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