Tips on How to Wear a Berry Lip this Fall!

Berry Colored Lips for the Fall

Now that it's Fall, it's time to pull out your darker lipstick shades from hibernation. Wearing a dark lipstick could be very intimidating. I know it took me a long time to feel comfortable with wearing darker colored lipsticks, but now I can't get enough of them!  In this post, I've written out some tips to keep in mind when wearing a berry lip. I've included a slideshow at the end of this post for inspiration.

Your Lips should be the Focal Point

Simplicity is key whenever you're wearing a bold lip because you want your lips to be the star of the show. When wearing a bold lip, keep the eyes clean by adding a matte nude shade to the lids (I like using MAC Brule eyeshadow) to even out the color of the lids and hide any redness or veins. Apply a black liquid liner the upper lash line and wing it out if you'd like sort of the pin-up look. For something a little more natural, line your lid with a soft black pencil eyeliner and use a small brush to smudge/soften the line. If you're fair skinned, you might want to use a dark brown instead of black as sometimes black can look too harsh with this look. I love voluminous lashes with this look, so apply lots of mascara to the upper and lower lash line. To add a glamorous girly touch, apply false lashes snipped in half to the outer end of your eyes. Anything more might look too dramatic.

Pick Neutral Eyeshadows

I you want a little something extra on your eyes, opt for neutral shades. Neutral shadows pair great with plum, wine and cranberry lipstick shades. Think ivory, champagne, silver, taupe, ashy browns, charcoal, plum, etc. If your lipstick has red tones to it, gold and warm brown work great.

Here's a little example of shades I'd pair with a berry lip. I'd pick two colors at the most - one shade all over my lid in a sheer layer and a second shade in the crease, or as a highlight.

Swatches from left to right: Urban Decay Half Baked, MAC Electra, Highlight from Dior 5 Golds Quint, MAC Retrospeck, Urban Decay Sidecar, MAC Jardin Aires Pigment, MAC Patina Eyeshadow, MAC Gold Stroke Pigment, L'Oreal Bronzed Taupe Infallible Eyeshadow, MAC Soba Eyeshadow, MAC Satin Taupe, MAC Maroon Pigment, Nars Galapagos, Urban Decay Gunmetal, MAC Silver Ring, Generic Purple Eyeshadow.

A Radiant Complexion

I would also choose a foundation with a little bit of natural glow, maybe something with a satin finish to it to keep the look very fresh and chic. I also wouldn't over-powder the face. Try using a powder puff and press the powder into your skin in your-zone or wherever you typically get oily. Make sure to use concealer on any blemishes or areas of redness. Typically when wearing a berry toned lip, redness on your face could look a little more obvious.

Don't forget to add highlighter on your cheeks!

Blush is a Must

A darker lip can pale your complexion, so make sure to bring some radiance back into your face. Applying blush is a must. Pick a shade that compliments your lip and eye makeup. You might want to skip the neutral blush and go for something that will add a little color to your face, but keeping it natural so the attention will only be drawn to the lips. If your lipstick has a hint of red in it, or if it's warm try a natural peach or bronze. Nars Madly Blush is one of my favorites. If the lipstick is very purple-plummy, a similar shade of blush would look fantastic.

Some Extra Tips

• Apply your lipstick after you've applied your foundation so you can better evaluate what your skin needs in terms of color on the eyes and cheeks. This will help you not over or under-do the rest of your face.

• Instead of applying the lipstick straight from the tube, use a lip brush for precise application that will never look messy. Jordana makes some really great wine shades for $2 at Walgreens (See swatches here.)

• To clean up any mistakes, apply makeup remover or baby oil on the end of a q-tip and clean up any mistakes. Certain reds can temporarily stain your skin, so try to remove it as soon as it happens.

• To make your lips look really clean, take a concealer that is the same shade as your face, and with a small concealer or eyeshadow brush, outline your lips with your concealer. Then blend out the edges.

• If you're topping your lips with a gloss, try using a thicker consistency gloss, as a runny gloss can cause the color to run/drip. Lightly pat your lips with a napkin to remove any excess gloss.

• If you've picked a shade that's too dark or purple, take your favorite red lipstick and mix the two. It will leave you with a shade that's much easier to wear.

• To darken your lip color, take a black kohl eyeliner and lightly pat it on your lips and blend with a lip brush.

• If you're feeling iffy about the whole berry look and want to try it, but don't want such a pronounced look, take your finger and dab the lipstick and then lightly pat the color on your lips as a stain.

• Wear it with confidence!

Hope this wasn't too lengthy and you found it a little helpful.

Let me know if you have any tips of your own!