How To Wear The New Season's Bold Lip Colors

Bright, bold, commanding lip colors can be overwhelming to wear.

Dior Rouge Lipstick via Harpers Bazaar.com

If you normally wear nudes/neutrals/soft hued lip colors

a bold lip can be downright scary.

But bold, bright colors can be super flattering.

They give you an instant "wow" factor,

turn a tired girl into a vibrant girl,

are youthful and fun,

they make you sparkle,

and are a super quick way to look totally pulled together.

If you're wearing a bright lip the rest of your makeup can be dialed down, so they also make getting ready a speedy assignment. 

Michelle Williams spectacular red lip in the new Louis Vuitton campaign

With a new breed of luscious saturated and not too shiny shades of red, fuchsia and pink hitting the market, now is a great time to venture out of your comfort zone and take a walk on the bright side.

There are a few tricks to nailing this look though,

so let's take a look at how to wear the new season's bold lip colors.

Beautiful, bold lip

1. Know Your Undertone

Try on some different shades at the cosmetic counter. See if you look better with a blue undertone or a more coral undertone.

Most of us look good in pink, so find your perfect pink and then look at other shades with that same undertone.

Smelling a good sale, the girls behind the counter will fall all over themselves to help you!

2.Condition Your Lips

Dry, chapped, flaky lips don't look particularly enticing at the best of times, and look especially bad with a bold lip color.

Gently exfoliate your lips and hydrate with a good lip balm a decent amount of time before doing your lips.

Immediately prior to applying your lipstick, gently blot your lips to remove any surface slipperiness.

3. Bounce The Light

If you have a smaller or thinner upper lip you can make it look more fleshy by popping a tiny amount of luminizer or highlighter just into the top of the cupid's bow, and then blending it in with your finger. Light will hit it and bounce off, making your lip look fuller and slightly bitten.

4. Line Your Lips

With a bold lip statement you need a defined lip shape. Either use a pencil that matches your lipstick, or use a nude pencil that matches your skin.

If you are going to build the lip by going outside the natural lip line, trace the liner back inside the lip prior to reaching the corners of your mouth - otherwise you look like you have food stuck there.

5. Use A Lipbrush

A lip brush presses the lipstick into your lip, and allows for precision when defining your lip shape.

Apply the first coat, blot, and apply a second coat.

6. Minimize The Rest Of Your Makeup

With a bold lip you generally want to soften the rest of your look.

Let the bright lip color make the statement for you. Keep your eye makeup neutral but defined, give the cheeks a soft bronzy glow and define the brow to keep your look balanced.

7. Whiten Your Teeth

A bright lip needs white teeth. Keep your teeth polished up and gleaming white to get the maximum out of your look.  

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