Scarlet lips are a focal trend this season, but why are so many of us still so reluctant to embrace this striking look
Red lipstick on any skin tone has the power to mesmerize. Photograph: Flamingo Photography/Getty Images/Gallo Images/Roots
A crimson pout. It should be so simple – it's been a trend for centuries. Our primitive ancestors were smearing scarlet-hued berries on their mouths to capture the perfect red pout before they even discovered the loincloth. Which makes sense, evolutionally speaking. Recent research found the higher the contrast between the different parts of our facial features – ie the colour of our lips compared to our foreheads – the healthier–looking and more attractive we appear. But the simple red lip, for a good few of us, is fraught with conundrums. Ones that need to be settled, for good, before we digress on to skin tones.
First: "Is there an age limit on red lipstick?" To which the answer is always a resolute, unquestionable no. We're talking red lipstick here, it's timeless; a true beauty classic and all women deserve to wear it with abandon. The next quandary: "My partner/friend/husband/colleague/daughter says I don't suit it." I can't really help you if you let other people tell you what to do, sorry.
My final point is spurred by comments from rapper A$AP Rocky, who was quoted as saying that only fair-skinned women suit red lipstick. Untrue, deplorable and frankly, none of his concern. I know women, fair-skinned and dark, who feel positively reborn just by slicking on their favorite red. A red lip on any skin tone has the power to mesmerize and stop you dead in your tracks. That's why it has passed the test of time, and its transformative powers are second to none.
Left to right: Dolce & Gabbana, Mac and Tom Ford
Posted: Hina Ahmed
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