Beauty Tip: Perfect Red Lip from Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics

I've always wanted to rock a red lip, but never thought the bold shade complemented my skin tone. So I recently consulted with Johanna Sanchez, a makeup artist for Youngblood Cosmetics at Henri Bendel department store in New York City. She gave me my first red lip, which was initially shocking to my untrained eye.  But in the photo the red lipstick looks kinda hot, so I'll try it again during the holidays.

Me with my Youngblood Vixen red lip.

And I love Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics, which are free of chemicals, won't clog your pores and have a flawless finish.

Here are Johanna's tips on how to achieve the perfect red lip:

If you've never worn a red lip, what's the best way to transition to wearing red lipstick?

Wearing a red lipstick definitely takes a minute for your eyes to adjust to, so I always like to recommend that my clients start by wearing a bright-colored gloss. A great season to do this in is the summer when fashion trends seem to encourage you to go brighter. Guava Lipgloss ($23) from Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics is the perfect go-to color for my clients. It's a gorgeous, exotic tropical hint of red that looks fab on any skin tone. 

When you do a red lip, you say it has to be perfect.  How do you achieve a perfect red lip?

Yes, a red lip has to be perfection! For me this can only be achieved by sketching out the shape of your lips -- making sure that you are tracing and accentuating one of the most alluring facial features on a woman's face. As a bonus you will also prevent the lip color from bleeding. By using Truly Red Lip Liner Pencil ($14) from Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics you can frame your lips and make sure that your lips look perfect!

What are your tips for creating a dramatic makeup look for the holidays?

A dramatic makeup look for the holidays is to play up the lips. By now, [if you started wearing a color gloss like Guava in the summer], you're comfortable wearing reddish hues on your lips.  So it's time for the siren in you to come out, and what better way then by working those lips! Go with Vixen Lipstick ($19) from Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics. There's not a sexier or more luxurious red lipstick [on the market] than this one.

Youngblood's Party Mix ($75), which includes Guava Lipgloss, is also a great deal for the holidays. You can find that and all of my recommended items at Henri Bendel.