It’s a paradox, the auld red lippy: the rest of your face can be very low maintenance, but the the lip itself? Needy, needy, needy!

Maybe it’s just me, but all I think about when I am wearing red lipstick is the red lipstick. Is it still opaque? Has it started bleeding around the edges? Do I need to touch it up? Do I need to wipe it off and start all over?

{Yeesh, hope it’s not just me, that sound totally craaaaay.}

Below, a combination of Lush Liquid Lipstick in Decisive and Maybelline SuperStay 10H Tint Gloss in Endless Ruby.

Why the two, you ask? Well. The love I bear for Decisive, it can’t be expressed, except that it dries too dry, if you know what I mean? And as regards the touching-up issues, the bottle is grand for when you nip into the loo, but if you’re at an event and you’ve just munched on a few canapés, and you want to do surreptitious repair? Not great.

That’s one way in which the Maybelline helps. That funky applicator ensures great coverage, and since you’ve defined the lips properly with the Lush, you don’t have to worry about the edges so much.

Plus, the gloss is a real lift, as the Lush is a somewhat matte. Sure, if matte’s your thing, you will be in No-Gloss Nirvana, but me, I like a little bitta shine, in general.

Very little else on the face: foundation, illuminating powder, looks like maybe some blush {which comes and goes as I remember to bother to put some on}, mascara. My HD Brows, via Carter Beauty help loads as well.

These are not the only reds I’ve got on tap — oh, no. Don’t be ridic. I’m on a red lippy roll at the moment, and I’ll be back with more. Because some are more orange, some are more blue, some are matte like the Lush, some are sheer, like the Giorgio Armani I’m going to take to the theatre tonight… If you can bear the fuss, The Red Lipstick really is a glamour guarantee.

***
Lush: €17.95/£14.50/$22.95
Maybelline: €11.49/£6.99/$8.99