Wear Fall's Hottest Lip Colour Without Spending A Dime!

Yes, you read that right!

Oxblood (oxygenated blood)/ maroon/ burgundy/vampy red is undoubtedly the hottest lip colour for fall.

I love… love.. LOVE dark lips! It’s one of the reasons why I love fall, actually (well that and the crisp weather, the pretty leaves and cuddling under the covers.)  I am always trying to encourage my friends (and sometimes strangers) that they have to try dark red lips. It looks good on all skin tones and adds instant glam!

But many lipsticks out there (especially the ones I find myself being obsessed over) are too darn expensive. (Like this one from NARS – a whopping $30.) Although I gladly spend money on them, I can understand why people who are just trying it out don’t want to spend that much money.

Well, I found a way to achieve the look without spending any! (My Mommy would be proud!) Okay, assuming you have a red lipstick and…

The secret ingredient…

BLACK EYELINER!

I don’t know why I didn’t think of this before. (Maybe I am late and everyone knows this?!) But this actually happened serendipitously (I might have just made up that word). After I took the photos for the “Wearable Black Lip” look, I reached for a red lipstick that I hadn’t used in ages. Since there was still eyeliner on my lips, it transformed the colour completely.

(That is also why my eyebrows are so dark. The only difference in these photos and the black lip is that I added some blush (NARS in Oasis)

(Click to embiggen)

Left: Original lip colour: MAC Sheen Supreme in New Temptation (which is a very vibrant and shiny poppy red)
Middle: Added a little bit of black liner and it turned into a wine-like shade
Right: More black liner and it turned into a  darker shade I’d prefer to wear

Quick tip! A shade of red that has more shine and moisture is best for this process. I would not recommend a matte red as it will dry out your lips (since the black liner will be drying already.)

This is a great way to customize your own lip colour and experiment on the shade you’d like for your skin tone. Just add as little or as much black liner as you’d like to achieve the shade you’re comfortable with. If you’re interested, I’ll be posting about my fave oxblood lippies sometime next month after IMATS (Nov 9 and 10).

Please let me know if you found this helpful! Pass it on to a friend or leave me a comment so I know 🙂 That way, I know post most content like this!