Best 5 reds lipsticks of the season!

I love a bright red lip over the holidays. There's something about black liner and red lips that just screams Christmas to me. And now that I only have one day left of work before an extended vacation, I can finally permit myself to feel a little more festive. Yay!

In the past few weeks, I've worn the most red lipstick I have than during the full year. I even wore red lips to Wal-Mart because, dude, if I'm not going to do it over the holidays, it's just not going to happen. And I need to use up every opportunity I can!

Here are some of my favorite picks that will definitely get some serious wear over the holidays.

Left to right: Bite Beauty Luminous Creme Lipstick in Tannin, Revlon Lip Butter in Red Velvet, Make Up For Ever Aqua Rouge in #9, MAC's Red Russian, L'Extrait Rouge G de Guerlain in Colere

I've already raved about Bite Beauty's lipstick formula, but I'll mention it again: it is amazing. Tannin is a gorgeous deep red that suits any skin tone. Tannin is so comfortable to wear, especially when lips can't handle a matte lipstick. Revlon's Lip Butter in Red Velvet falls under the same category. The formula is so smooth that it's really forgiving to any dry lip problems I have this season. So happy I found it last month in my search for the perfect bordeaux lipstick.

When I tried Make Up For Ever's Aqua Rouge on my sister for a wedding makeup trial I gave it a try after myself and totally loved the lipstick. If you need your red lip to stay on, this is the way to go. I still have the swatch of this on my arm hours later, having used makeup remover. It. does. not. budge. Fair warning with this shade - it does dry a bit darker than it initially applies. Nevertheless, the color is a stunning deep burgundy red.

MAC's Russian Red is a new acquisition of mine. I ordered it from MAC a few weeks ago and forgot about it until I chose to wear it to my office's Christmas party! This lipstick is amazing - I can't believe I didn't own it before now! As you can see from the swatch, it has a matte finish, but it doesn't have that dry feel most matte MAC lipsticks have. It's rich and creamy. I really have zero complaints about this beauty!

And finally, Guerlain's l'Extrait Rouge G in Colere is the boldest of them all! The formula of this baby is stunning. It has the same feel as the Make Up For Ever Aqua Rouge, but is much smoother and more lightweight. It is very long wearing as well, but I'd say Colere is more moisturizing than Make Up For Ever's #9. My lips do not feel dehydrated after application. I love wearing this for a night out with a gold eyeshadow and black liner.

That's it! Those are my favorite reds of the season! What are yours?

Wedding makeup with Make Up For Ever's Aqua Rouge in #9!

As some of you may know, my little sister is getting married this October. When I heard of Make Up For Ever's new Aqua Rouge makeup line, the first thing I thought of was "oooh, wedding lipstick!". Since it's a long wearing, waterproof, budge proof lipstick, it made sense to me to try it out for a wedding look! Make Up For Ever offered for me to pick out a color for my sister, and while they thought I would like a soft pink, which is standard for wedding makeup, I knew my sister would want a dark reddish color. She's quite vampy with her lips! I settled on color #9, a dark, rusty red.

The lipstick has a liquid lipstick end, and a gloss end. We used the liquid lipstick only as we thought the gloss wouldn't appropriate for a wedding. Plus, the lipstick is no longer transfer-proof if you use the gloss, which would be a disastrous thing on your new husband. The lipstick applies beautifully, and is truly waterproof, budge-proof and long lasting. My sister said that she only saw a bit of fading on the inside of her lips after eating. It did not cause any of the pesky flaking these types of lipsticks usually create.

Makeup breakdown:
Foundation: Make Up For Ever Mat Velvet + mixed with Bourgeois Healthy Mix Serum in 52 Vanille
Eyebrows: My sister's Gosh eyebrow pencil + MAC Omega
Eyes: Make Up For Ever Eye Prime, Dior Earth Tone Quint - we used the beige/taupe shade all over the lid, then we used the Dior Aurora Palette's dark brown in the crease, Maybelline Master Precise eyeliner pencil in black, Pixi nude eyeliner in the waterline, L'Oreal Million Lashes mascara, Ardell 308 lashes.
Cheeks: NARS Laguna Bronzer, Tarte Exposed blush, MAC Lightscapade as highlighter.
Lips: Make Up For Ever Aqua Rouge in #9*

I think this makeup look totally works for a wedding! I'm not sure that my sister will necessarily go for a look like this, but it's fun to get an idea before the big day!

What would your wedding make up look like? Or what did it look like? I don't know what I'd like but I'm not sure I'd go for red lips - my boy would probably make another Joker reference.

Hope your week has been going well! My sister's bachelorette is this weekend and preparations are under way!



* I have received this products for consideration but my opinions are always my own. I am not being compensated for this review and I always strive to review products with honesty.