By Megan Miers
Every woman can find that perfect lipstick.
No cosmetic item has more power to change a woman's appearance than a tube of red lipstick.
Just one swipe of the scarlet stuff is enough to transform some into Hollywood screen goddesses, instantly brightening their smiles and drawing attention to their overall appearance.
Chosen incorrectly, the color can make wearers look washed out or garish, and can even make their teeth appear dingy.
But in a makeup world awash with pinks, peaches, nudes, berries and all lip color variations in between, finding a suitable red -- seemingly the most basic hue of all -- can be downright impossible for some women.
"A lot of women shy away from red, but anyone can wear it," said Jennifer Harris, skin and beauty buyer for Miss Jackson's in Tulsa, Okla. Red's bold, traffic-stopping nature can steer some users into sticking with "safer" colors, but all that's needed to find the most flattering shade is a bit of dermatological detective work.
Cosmetics experts typically divide reds into two basic categories, blue-based (cooler shades such as cranberry or wine) and orange-based (warmer tones such as brick red). Blue-based reds flatter women with pinker, rosier skin tones, while orange-based reds are more appropriate for women whose skin has golden, peach or tan tones.
Once you've determined the category in which your skin belongs, start shopping around for different lipstick formulas. Most cosmetics companies offer several, ranging from lightweight glosses to heavy, pigment-dense cream and semipermanent formulas.
Lighter, sheerer lipstick formulas are best for daytime wear, while evenings call for richer cream or matte lipsticks, Harris said. For less adventurous wearers, lip gloss is an excellent alternative to a full-on red lipstick.
"Gloss will give you more of a hint of color -- it won't be as bold as traditional lipstick," she said.
Properly conditioning your lips for a dose of ruby glamour requires much of the same prep work as for healthy skin.
"It's a good idea to exfoliate your lips just like you do the rest of your body, especially in the winter," Harris said.
To keep your lips lipstick-ready, Harris suggests using a lip smoother to get rid of flakiness and dry spots. Try products that gently scrub away flakes, such as Neutrogena's Lip Nutrition Berry Smooth Balm (about $7 at drugstores and mass-market retailers) or Smashbox's sugar-based Emulsion lip exfoliant ($18, www.sephora.com).
Moisturizing also is essential for smooth, shiny lips. Up your pucker's moisture content by giving it a pre-lipstick coating of lip balm, such as Nars' Lip Therapy ($22.50, Miss Jackson's), Kiehl's aloe and sweet almond-infused Lip Balm No. 1 ($5.50-$8.50, www.kiehls.com) or even good ol' Chapstick (about $2 at drugstores and mass-market retailers).
Lip plumpers, such as Fusion Beauty's LipFusion ($36, www.sephora.com) or Bliss' Poutrageous ($20, www.sephora.com) also help soften lips and temporarily fill out those fine lines and wrinkles that cause lip color to bleed or fade faster.
Because red is such a bold shade, wearers also should take care not to overdo the rest of their makeup, Harris added. Mixing purple eyeshadow and pink blush with red lipstick will create a heavily made-up look that detracts from the wearer's natural beauty.
Instead, wearers should keep the focus on one area of the face, such as the lips, and use a lighter touch on the rest of their features.
"Whenever you do a red lip, you want the rest of your makeup to be more subtle," Harris said.
Barely-there shades of blush -- no bright pinks or loud corals, please -- and soft, neutral eyeshadows are good partners for bold lipsticks, according to Harris.
"Anything in creams or with a slight sparkle is a good choice for eyes, or you can do a light color of shadow with just a little bit of black liner and it will give you that classic, Marilyn Monroe look," she said.
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