How to: Illamasqua Vamp Red Lips!

Hi everyone!

Hope you are all enjoying your bank holiday weekend in the UK, and having a great Monday elsewhere. I thought I'd share with you a make-up look today, and how to achieve it.

Illamasqua Vamp Red Lips

I have always steered away from red lips as I felt that with my lip shape I'd end up looking like a bit of a duck and too "in yo face" for my liking! I also thought that because I'm on the pale side that I could look a bit "Adam's Family", but I had recently discovered a red lipstick by Illamasqua that I had dared to wear, and kinda loved it! So at a recent photoshoot where I was doing the make-up, the photographer took a few snaps for me at the end, so I thought I'd try out the red.

The red is coming up brighter in the picture due to the lighting etc, but in reality its a bit of a darker deeper red. To achieve this look I used the following products:

                                                                  Illamaqua goodies: Skin Base Foundation, Eyebrow Brush, Lip Liner-torment, Lipstick-encounter, Eyebrow Cake-thunder, Loose Powder LP135

                               Bobbi Brown Hydrating Gel Cream, MAC 107 brush, MAC creamblush Something Special, Guerlain Terracotta-00 Bronzing Powder.

MAC Prep&Prime in Medium, Eylure lashes 100, Bobbi Brown Longwear eyeliner Black Ink, No7 Double Ended Eye Pencil in Dark Brown/Ivory, Bourjois Volumizer Mascara.

I first primed my skin with Bobbi Brown's Hydrating Gel Cream (this is a 2 in 1 product, moisturizes and primes), concealed the under eye area with Bobbi Brown corrector and concealer (sorry I forgot to photograph these, but you can contact me for any details!), and then applied Illamasqua's Skin Base Foundation in colour 11 with my MAC 107 brush, in circular strokes. I find that using this brush works so much better on my skin to apply foundation rather than using conventional foundation brushes. I then lightly dusted Illamasqua's Loose Powder in LP135 over my face to set the base.

I then applied MAC prep&prime in medium over the lid of the eyes- I usually use this as a base for eyeshadow but for this look I actually left the eyes naked without any eyeshadow ontop. You can apply a natural colour ontop if you wish, like a beige or sand. As long as you keep your eyes neutral so that your lips stand out, it will work. If you don't want the focus to be completely on the lips then I think a red lip could also work with light gold eyes for a more daring look. Anyway, back to this look! I then applied Bobbi Brown Long Wear Gel Eyeliner in Black Ink to the top of the lids, creating a slight flick on the ends. Taking the No7 Double Ended Eye Pencil in Dark Brown/Ivory, I applied the ivory to the inner lower lids to brighten the eye, and the dark brown to the outer lower lids and lash line. I then coated the lashes with Bourjois Volumizer Mascara, and applied Eylure lashes 100. See below for more product details.

Using Illamasqua's Eyebrow Cake in Thunder, I shaped the eyebrows to creat a fuller brow using the Illamasqua eyebrow brush. I really like this brush as it's hard and keeps its shape without bending or becoming fluffy.

I then lined my lips with Illamasqua Lip Liner in torment - this can be a little tricky with bright colours, just make sure you follow the outer line of your lips, and fill in your top lip with the lip pencil before applying the lipstick. This creates a deeper colour, and unsures your lipstick stays on for longer. It was finally time for the lipstick! I applied a generous amount of Illamasqua's Encounter lipstick, it's actually quite a matt colour so you might want to apply some clear gloss ontop for some shine (I used a l'oreal one).

Your look is now almost complete! I added Guerlain Terracotta Bronzing powder in 00 for contouring on the cheek bones, nose, and temples. Most people do this step earlier, but I prefer to see the almost finished look first so that I don't over do it. I then very lightly applied MAC Creamblush in Something Special to the apples of my cheeks.

Tada! You are now ready to rock the red!!

What are your tips for a perfect red lip? What other looks would you like to see? Do leave your comments below!

Love

Miss Christina C ~