Have you been to Barnes and Noble and picked up a copy of Luca Magazine yet?
I have an article in this issue (just in time for all your holiday parties) that is all about how to apply the perfect red lip.

All images in this post were photographed by Kelly Cappelli,
Hair by Lisa Marie, Makeup by Corinna Cooke

HOW TO APPLY THE PERFECT RED LIP

Nothing says "hello, gorgeous," quite like a sensational, bold red lip!

Red lips are the perfect accessory for winter. They're fun and flirty! Once the new year arrives with its bleak, dull, gray days, and spring feels like it's never going to get here, a feisty red lip adds excitement to your look and your day.

Red lips make such a statement; you barely need anything else. They look fantastic with a pared down makeup look for day, then add a cat eye and structured brow for night. They dress up jeans and a white shirt, compliment an all black ensemble, and pair up perfectly with a party dress and faux fur.

Check out these 5 steps to perfect your pout and wow the world!

1. Exfoliate

Dry, flaky lips don't look good in red. To pull off a red lip, you need to have silky smooth lips, so the first step is to exfoliate. You can use a store bought lip exfoliator, or you can make one at home. A super soft baby toothbrush makes a perfect lip exfoliator,  as does a warm washcloth. Just remember to be very, very gentle. If you rough your lips up, they'll still look dry and flaky.

2. Hydrate

After exfoliating, and ideally, a couple of hours before you get ready to go out, apply liberal amounts of lip balm, and let your kisser soak it in. Your lips need to be nicely hydrated so that your red lipstick looks smooth and luscious. Before applying your lip liner, you'll gently blot the lip balm away.

3. Line Your Lip

Red lipstick needs to know its boundaries, and you want to color inside the lines. Use either the lip liner that matches your lipstick or one that's a shade or two darker, (for a little extra dimension), to give your lip a perfect, crisp outline.

4. Stain and Apply

The perfect red lip has more than one layer. Apply your red lipstick, then blot with a folded tissue to help set the first coat into a stain. This step is super important because it stops your lips from looking patchy as the top coat wears off! Now apply a second coat, making sure to stay inside the lines.

5. Get Precise

Run the edge of a lip brush through your lip liner, making it disappear into your lipstick while giving your lip a crisp, fresh edge.

My Favorite Red Lipsticks

In this story I use Infared Matte from Smashbox

I'm all kinds of crazy for Charlotte Tilbury Red Carpet Red

One of the greatest blue based reds ever made is MAC Ruby Woo

Chanel Le Rouge Collection No. 1

Color me obsessed.



The brand new collection from Chanel's brand new Global Creative  Makeup and Color Director, Lucia Pica is now available online.




Pica, who is known for her signature red lipstick, has infused the collection with red, red, red!

There is, of course, a red lipstick. But there are also other red products. Dynamic, exciting, sensational red products.

My favorite is the Illusion D'Ombre Eye Shadow in Rouge Brule.

I love red eye shadow - in fact I just taught a pro makeup artistry class on how to do red eye shadow. On top of that I just finished shooting 2 separate fashion editorials with red eye shadow. It's just the greatest thing ever! Red eye shadow brings out the color in green eyes, hazel eyes, blue eyes, brown eyes. It is just stunning. I normally balance it with gold or bronze, but this Chanel shadow has that balance already built in.
In case you a freaking out at the thought of red eye shadow, just know that it wakes the eye up and adds vibrancy to the entire face. It is divine.

Need a little more excitement? 
How about the Stylo Yeux Waterproof in Eros?


Pica has created a red based eyeliner that is just crazy gorgeous and super, super flattering on everyone. (In the same way as their Rouge Noir Vamp mascara is the greatest thing to ever happen to lashes)

The thought of red blush may feel a little extreme, but it is just beautiful. Refreshingly, tantalizingly beautiful.




Joues Contrast Powder Blush in 320 Rouge Profond is going to be your favorite new blush.

Le Vernis Nail Gloss in Rouge Radical


This redefines the sexy yet elegant manicure. It's a see through glossy red polish with just a hint of red. The new way of wearing red polish. It's everything!

The limited edition collection isn't available yet at Nordstrom.com
but you can get it at Chanel.com

Five French Girl Beauty Tips

Every time I'm in Paris I get so wowed by French Girl Beauty. Parisienne girls are so delectably chic, yet it never looks contrived, it always seems so effortless.

Clemence Poesy

I've never, ever run into Parisienne girls sporting the makeup overload that you see here. (which doesn't mean it doesn't happen, I've just never seen it).

street cred, Paris

Opaque, overthick foundation, Instagram styled contour, or clowning, or baking or whatever the idiocy du jour, just doesn't show up on the streets of Paris. (Apart from on the faces of the IG/YT enthusiasts visiting town.)

street style Paris

My Parisienne friend Emmanuelle told me that her hometown squad think Kardashian styled makeup is like a horror movie.
It's too big, too much, hides the girl and makes her look lacking in self confidence.

 I asked her for a list of beauty products that the average chic Parisienne girl uses to pull off that effortless, gorgeous, killer cool, French girl beauty.

Marion Cotillard

She told me that to a French girl looking too perfect feels too fake, but that they wholeheartedly believe in great skin. "Beautiful skin is everything,"

Tip One: With that in mind French girls take care of their skin, making sure it never looks stripped or dried out by always using a facial oil.

Personally I like dry finish oils so that my skin doesn't look liquefied or slimey. My favorites are Tatcha Camellia Oil which is a super luxe skin care product from Japan, and Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse, which is France's leading beauty oil. I am obsessed with the gold version of this incredible oil, which not only hydrates but also illuminates the skin.

Both of these have a dry finish, so makeup not only glides on after you apply it, but it also holds all day.

Audrey Tatou

Tip Two: Next, rather than a thick or heavy foundation, French girls prefer to give the illusion of perfect, bare skin by using a sheer and lightweight product like a BB or CC cream.

I use BB's over CC's, mostly because I haven't found a CC that I'm crazy about.

For a lighter cover try Ren BB Cream, if you want a little more coverage try MAC BB Cream.

Tip Three: French girls don't get crazy with concealer, many preferring to use none at all because a little shade under the eye makes you look real. (I'm looking a little too real these days. This is one step I can't get too French beauty with!)

Tip Four: Mascara is never thick or clumpy. A chic Parisienne prefers a defined and slightly elongated fringe of lashes. Try a mascara like Lancôme Definicils.

Marion Cotillard

Tip Five: The perfect way to pull the entire effortless chic look together? A red lip. Rather than a gooey, glossy red lip look for a soft, hydrating matte red lip. 
My personal favorites are Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Red Carpet Red, which is a true red. MAC Ruby Woo, which is a blue based red, and for my golden skinned girls MAC Lady Danger, which has an orange base.

Lea Seydoux

Keeping It Simple ~ Makeup For Spring 2016

 I just had a new editorial come out (a couple of weeks ago), and I think it's one of my favorites. So I'm showing it to you today. 

Keeping It Simple

French girls understand the key to beauty is keeping it simple.
Create a beautiful complexion opting for a sheer foundation instead of a heavy one, add a little accent to the brow and then complete the story with a lovely lip.
I wanted to evoke a little Parisian beauty for this fashion story, and keep it on trend for Spring 2016. 
You can read about the major makeup trends for Spring 2016 here
and find out about the red lips I'm loving for the new season.

The 6 Best Red Lipsticks For The Holidays

A red lip is the perfect accessory for the holidays!

It's bright, it's fun and with one quick swipe can turn your look from boring to bold.

photo by Kelly Cappelli
Makeup by Corinna Cooke

A well defined brow paired with a kick-ass red lip is classic. 
It's also a quick and easy look to pull off. 
A red lip makes such a statement on it's own that you can scale back the rest of your makeup, keeping the eye and cheek simple and letting the lip do all the work for you.

My favorite red lip look for the holiday season is a rich, matte lip paired with glowing, luminous skin. 
Check out 6 of my favorite matte reds for the holidays:

The 6  Best Red Lips For The Holidays

Tatcha Kyoto Red is a geisha inspired red that is universally flattering - it looks great on everyone. And it packs a serious punch.

It's a matte lip with a silk finish.

Tatcha Kyoto Red

Lipstick Queen Velvet Rope Matte Lipstick in Black Tie.

Lipstick Queen Velvet Rope lipstick in Black Tie

This gorgeous, lightweight matte lipstick

Tom Ford Lip Color in Cherry Lush

Tom Ford Lip Color in Cherry Lush

Tom Ford believes the lip is the focus of the face and has the power to define your whole look. No wonder his lipsticks are so luscious!

Nars Pure Matte Lipstick in Vesuvio

Nars Pure Matte Lips are super pigmented and very long wearing, which is ideal when you are going bold - you don't want to be wearing a lipstick formula that requires a lot of maintenance and upkeep.

MAC Lipstick in Ruby Woo

MAC Lipstick in Ruby Woo

Ruby Woo is a timeless, iconic red lipstick that will never go out of fashion. 

Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution in Red Carpet Red

Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Red Carpet Red

One of my all time favorite red lipsticks, Red Carpet Red hasn't been around very long, but will become another of the iconic red lips. It's wonderful.

10 Fantastic Lipsticks For Fall Weddings ~ Bridal beauty Tip #24

Is your fall wedding fast approaching, and you haven't figured out your lip game yet?

original image via bridalmakeovers.com

Check out these gorgeous options for luscious looking lips on your big day:

10 Fantastic Lipsticks For Fall Weddings

The Corals

Charlotte Tilbury K.I.S.S.I.N.G Lipstick in Coachella Coral.
Charlotte's K.I.S.S.I.N.G lipsticks come in 10 modern and chic shades, and make your lips look absolutely luscious. This shade is perfect when your wedding has autumnal orange accents, but you don't want a full orangey mouth. Corals are also wonderful against pinks when you don't want a blue based shade, giving you a little color pop without being overwhelming.

Another great coral lip choice for your wedding day is 
MAC Cremesheen Coral Bliss

The Nudes

One of the easiest lips to wear on your wedding day is a nude lip.

The rules are: don't go paler than your own lip color, and balance the nude lip with a bolder eye so that you don't look washed out.

My favorite nude lips for fall are

Christian Dior 'Nude Rouge' in Charnelle 459

Chanel Rouge Allure Luminous Lip Color in Pensive

Winter Pinks

Pink lips are lovely, but for a fall wedding you need to step away from the perky, summery pinks and choose instead a pink with more depth and resonance.

Try Lipstick Queen Sinner lipstick in Pink

Nars Satin Lip Pencil in Yu or in Hyde Park

The Reds

A red mouth can be incredibly alluring. Winter reds have extra depth and magic. They can make your complexion look like it is glowing, can make your eye color spark, and are incredibly beautiful and sexy.

For your wedding day avoid glossy reds, opting instead for matte reds and longwear reds that your groom isn't scared to kiss!

My favorite red lipstick at the moment is Charlotte Tilbury's

Matte Revolution in Red Carpet Red. 

Charlotte's matte lips aren't that heavy, flat, dull finish that you find in so many red lipsticks, instead they have a luminous vibrancy that makes the lip look alive and exciting.

Lipstick Queen Sinner Lipstick in Scarlet Red

MAC Matte Lipstick in Chili

Giorgio Armani Rouge Ecstasy Lipstick in 404 Spice

What are your favorite lipsticks for fall? Tell me about them in the comment section below.

xo

Kate B for Allure Russia

It's exciting to see so much red for spring!

Pastels are so predictable at this time of year, so a bold, in your face red wakes everything up and makes it new.

Other makeup trends include bold eyes and huge lashes.

Check out this fabulous makeup story in this month's issue of Allure Russia.

Model  Kate Bogucharskaia explores some of the new trends, courtesy of makeup artist Kaoru Okubo.

Photographed by Jason Kim