Black Girls Wear Red: The Best Brands and Shades of Red Lipcolor For You

1. Prime lips

Priming lips with foundation, lip pencil and/or lip primer will keep your red lipstick in check. If your lips are uneven in color, balance your lip tone by applying a thin layer of foundation, concealer, neutral (brown) lip pencil or lip primer.

2. Apply color

While many women apply lipstick directly from the bullet (the tube), instead, try using a lip brush to get the best saturation of color and exact placement on your lips.

Most black women pull off any color red lipstick with aplomb, however for ladies who are hesitant, using a color that falls within your skin tone is always a safe choice. Nonetheless, brown girls with golden and yellow skin tones look equally beautiful with a blue-red lipstick, while brown skins with red skin tones wear orange-tinged lipsticks amazingly well. It’s all in your sister swagger!

3. Touch up your edges.

A steady hand is the perfect tool for red lipstick application. But, if you draw outside of the lines, use a q-tip or makeup wedge tipped in foundation or concealer for precise lip lines.

4. Blot and reapply

No, blotting your lipstick is not cliché nor passé. Lipstick blotting is in fact a lost art; a step in lipstick application that enables your color to last longer.