photo courtesy of: Maybelline New York

Choosing to sport red lips can be bold, daring, trendy, glamorous and classic or, e) all of the above. But really, any one can pull off a red lip.

Determine your own natural lip colour as well as your lips’ natural undertone; use this to inspire your red shades– ie if you naturally have a light lip shade with a slight berry undertone, for drama you can choose a dark lipstick with a berry undertone. 

Mysteriously Yours

Dark plums can be a rich, demure option, suiting everyone and especially those with yellow under-toned skin.  Try: Benefit’s Lipstick in Sassy-Frass, a lustrous texture with a magenta hue or M•A•C Lipstick in Dubbonet , a deepened claret with a creamy texture

Berry Pretty
Gentle berry toned reds, such as blackberry, cherry, raspberry are an easy way to add colour if you just can’t cross over to the true red side. Try: Maybelline New York lipsticks in Soft Azalea or Pink Bloom

Mellow Yellow Reds
Yellow reds, known to be softer reds, are best with blue under-toned skin; whether dark or light skin if you are generally ‘pasty’ or ‘ashy’, this is you. However, this red comes with caution, if you have yellow teeth, they will be exaggerated with orange or yellow red lipsticks. Try: M•A•C Lipsticks in Lady Bug with a lustre or Brave Red Lipstick with a creamy, wearable texture

GLAM-MORE

Bluish reds add more glamour and classic appeal.
Try:
M•A•C Lipstick in Russian Red - a matte red stays on really well

or M•A•C Lipstick in Ruby Woo, a vibrant bluish-red

Gloss Appeal

Modernize your lippy by adding clear gloss to your red of choice or try one of these red glossy laquers:
Chanel liquid lip lacquer in ROUGE ALLURE LAQUE DRAGON - intense rich colour with a shine that lasts for hours.
M•A•C Lipglass in Russian Red – glossy, intense bluish-red

Redding tips:

• Get longevity with your red lipstick by basing your lips with a red stain or even food colouring.
• A red lipstick must is to use a red lip liner, which helps to seal the edges to prevent bleeding of colour. Apply over your entire lip which helps with the longevity of your lipstick. Try M•A•C Redd lip pencil
• Still unsure how to pick a red that will suit your skin tone? Apply a strip of scotch tape on the back of your hand, mark with various red lip shades – pick your favourite. 
• Nice day for a Red Wedding? Get ‘Vow’ ready, close your mouth around your index finger and slowly slide it out – this is a trick to keep the lipstick off your teeth.  (Be aware of who’s watching you do this, it’s not very ladylike, but it does do the trick!)

Beauty, cupcakes and wine? Why, YES!! - I thought these all went well together too!

Mark your calendars as the evening of March 24th Andrea Claire will be speaking at an event at HouseWine in Austin Texas with The Cupcake Bar, Emotional Baggage Co, Soigne Boutique and more.

Andrea will be giving two great talks on hair & make up. Stay tuned for an update as to the topics and the times - you won't want to miss it!

Care to volunteer as the demo model? This could be you in Andrea's hot-seat:

 Andrea as seen on So Chic, Canada

Andrea as seen on Stylin' Gypsies, Canada.

So, come on out! Shout out your beauty questions (or leave them below), get a private consult, have a glass of wine and a cupcake!

I will post more details as I get them so check back!

Thanks for reading!

xo

Andrea Claire

Nail polish - can be frustrating; literally watching paint dry. If you are like me, you lose patience and never leave enough time to let them dry. I've done my nails before bed and woken up with 'sheet' marks on them; I've left the spa immediately to find them smudge from  the inside of my handbag trying to dig out my keys. Oh, the drama... of nails.

Well - recently I wrote a bridal beauty article for theeventfulplanner.ca and came across MINX nails, (via twitter, actually). MINX is essentially a very cool shrink wrap technology that heat seals onto your nails - stylish AND functional. 

 I've been taking on clients since I have perfected my technique. During my MINX 'training', I have discovered a couple of great things about them;

1) If you are a nail biter, it makes it impossible to bite through the nail armour therefore you get long nails! I have a client who is excited to get her second set, this time put on her newly grown out nails.

 2) If you have a nail split mid-way on your nail plate, no need to try to mend with glue or tissue and clear polish - the MINX nail armour seals the split from snagging as it is covered, you can easily grow it out. Plus, ZERO drying time, means you don't have to sit in the spa for 20 minutes reading the old fashion magazines over and over and over.

MINX nail armours come in a vast amount of styles - you get to be a kid in a candy store wanting them all. My favourites are tweed, snake skin, gold studs, lace - ok, my list can go on and on and on.

How long do they last? Well- I have had clients wear them from 1-2 weeks (pedicures a lot longer - up to 2 months). It really depends on you. One of my clients, a hairstylist as well, got 2 weeks out of them and she was shampooing and blow-drying every day. Another client, a real estate agent got 1 week - she was fussing with keys all the time admittedly using her nails as tools; oy, you can lead a horse... (**MINX states manis last 4-8 days, so any extra is gravy!** )

 How much does it cost? The going rates are$50- $75 US per mani, depending on technician and armour choice. Why so much? Well, if you think about it, it's quite reasonable. Most women find their nail polish chips within the first 24 hours of getting a manicure - unless you are a Princess and have handlers who do everything for you. The steps to a MINX manicure start with a clean manicure, cuticle work, filing etc - so you aren't losing but gaining more in longevity and cool factor.  

Want to get MINXED?  The Minx Salon Locator is a click away to find your nail tech in your city.

 Hand photographer, clearly I am not, but the nails are very cool! Pink, black with silver polkadot, tweed, snake skin and lace. Check them out:

  Skin Inc - www.skininc.biz

Get your very own bespoke Daily Dose skin supplement

 as well as Skin Inc's Pure Revival Peel. My skin has been vibrant ALL day!