Get the Look: Day-time Red Lips

When I think of classic, iconic makeup that NEVER goes out of style, I always think of the red lip. It's the epitome of sexy, feminine, strong, bold, and timeless all in one cute bundle. Many believe, though, that you can only rock a red lip at night or for a formal event because it's too sexy or too bold. But why should we as women think that way? I mean, shouldn't we embrace our femininity at all times?

Of course we should! Which is why you need not hide your red lipstick during the day, but rather learn how to wear it differently for a more office, school, or every-day appropriate look.
The trick, you see, is to use a coral lipstick instead of a true red. Coral, which was a huge hit this summer with blue eyeliner, is slightly more orange than red and therefore looks more neutral when worn. It's not just a summer trend, though! Because it has orange tones in it, I would argue it's very appropriate for fall and should be worn.

To keep your look more day-time appropriate and to draw as much attention to your red lips as possible. Keep the eyes mega neutral. For this look, I used a champagne shadow that had no shimmer or glitter in it all over the lid and no contour color. I did line my eyes and draw more attention to my ironic twist on the red lip, I added a small wing at the end, reminiscent of the 1950s pinups and starlets that made red lips popular.

The most important step of the whole process is to make any other colors on your face virtually disappear. You need to cover up any bags under your eyes, redness from acne, or general discoloration so that the most attention can be brought to your coral lips. I would recommend contouring your face, though, with a matte bronzer so that your face doesn't look flat and cartoony. You can also go in and add a highlighter if you have very dry skin.

Review: Sally Hanson French Manicure Kit

I realize I do a TON of nail polish reviews on this blog, but since I'm trying to grow out my nails and keep getting bored with whatever color I have on, I'm always changing polishes, and therefore need a growing collection (at least that's how I justify it. Hehe...).

Recently, I thought I'd take a break from the dark fall colors I had picked up and try a classic French manicure for a sophisticated, pretty look. But I can't afford to go to a salon every week right now, so I decided to do it myself. Normally, I'm terrible at doing my own French manicures because my hands are just not steady enough to control an awkwardly sized brush and draw a thin straight line at the end of each nail. I was prepared for the worst, ugliest French manicure ever.

However, Sally Hansen's French Manicure Kit is a fantastic product that makes French manicures WAY simpler than they ever were before. Each kit comes with two pens: a white 'tip' pen and a sheer color brush pen. There are a few different colors or shades available for he sheer pen, but I like pink, girly French manicures, so I chose to buy the set in Le Bon Bon (3471).

On sale for $6.29 at Walgreens

The kit is pretty self explanatory. First, you draw the white edges onto your nail with the white marker...
It dries pretty quickly, but I've found that I get better results if I let it sit for 5 minutes or so before applying the sheer coat. Once I'm sure it's fully dry, I apply the sheer pink polish to the whole nail. I'd recommend two coats, but let the first one dry before going back over each nail...
To be honest, the polish does come out a bit streaky -- probably because the brush isn't exactly high quality -- and it can chip really easily. I don't think this is an ideal replacement for an actual manicure at a salon that looks clean and neat for days on end. But because this process is so easy and takes very little time (and money), I really would recommend it for quick fixes in between salon sessions or as a classy manicure for a semi-important function. Here's what my final manicure looked like...
On camera and from about a foot away, it actually looks pretty good. I think for its functionality, this kit is really worth owning because it's perfect for a quick fix or temporary elegant look.