Article by Honor McWilliams

Jemima, First Year Mac, Ruby Woo

Alluring, empowering, sultry and sophisticated… no accessory, perfume or beauty product makes a statement quite like red lips.

Timeless and versatile, red lipstick evokes effortless, yet unpretentious, elegance. No matter the occasion, a smile with a simple swipe of red radiates strength and self-assurance. Red lips attract attention with quiet confidence. They reflect far more than just your appearance or aesthetic--red lipstick uniquely fosters fortitude and resolute femininity. Red lipstick is a state of mind.

Almost all of the women I look up to, from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to Coco Chanel to Taylor Swift, embody and embrace the power of red lipstick. My mum, the most inspiring woman in my life, is rarely seen without her staple red lips. She has always been the epitome of sophistication and grace to me. From no age at all, I used to sneak into her dressing table, slap on some of her best red lipstick, wrap myself in whatever jewelry she had lying about, and voilà, I became a ‘grown up’ like mummy.

This association of red lips with poise and conviction stayed with me growing up and came to full fruition when I started my first year of uni. Thrust into an entirely new setting with entirely new people, I was on my own for the first time. I no longer had the safety and predictability of school and a uniform to rely on. I had no idea what I was doing. I felt lost. I needed to create some semblance of control. So, I turned to red lipstick. At first this was subconscious, but with each passing week, whenever I felt doubtful or uneasy, I slipped on some red lipstick and I felt more ready to face the day. Just like when I used to put on my mum’s lipstick when I was little, even if I wasn’t actually a ‘grown up’, I felt like one.

Gradually, red lips became my new uniform. Before, I would only wear red lipstick on special occasions. Now, red lipstick is my source of strength--it’s practically part of my personality description at this point!

Yet a lot of people are intimidated by red lipstick: they think it’s too bold, impractical and impossible to find the right shade. I’ll admit, there is a certain challenge to pulling off a red lip. I like to think of it as akin to playing Russian Roulette. How long will my lipstick last today?! When will I need to whip out the concealer and reapply? What kind stranger or friend will tell me I have a bit of red on my teeth, cheek, chin or nose (I still have no idea how it manages to get there)?!

Your lipstick will smudge. Sometimes a little and, at other times, a lot. It’s important to learn to laugh at yourself along the way. How you carry yourself is what counts.

I hope that after reading this article and looking at our shoot, whether you are an avid red lip enthusiast or you have never worn a spot of red lipstick in your life, you will have a newfound appreciation for the history, versatility and potency of red lipstick. Be inspired to step out of your comfort zone. Try something new. Be bold. Feel confident. Wear some red lipstick!

Coco Chanel best encapsulates a red lipstick state of mind when she says:

« Si vous êtes triste, mettez du rouge à lèvres et attaquez ! »

“If you’re sad, put on some lipstick and attack!”

Caroline, Post Grad Student, Clinique High Impact SPF15 Red-y-to Wear

Edited by Olivia Beech

Jen, Fourth Year, Mac Russian Red

Taken and Edited by Olivia Beech

The Evolution of the Red Lip: A Lasting Legacy

Vanessa Silvera

Even though the red lip is prolific in today’s society, this beauty trend has been around a lot longer than one might think. In ancient civilizations, donning red lipstick was an indicator of class and status. While colored lips were the mark of the Egyptian aristocracy, in Greece, it was associated with prostitution. During the Middle Ages, make-up was prohibited by the Catholic Church, who decreed red lipstick as a sign of allegiance with the devil. Nonetheless, this did not stop some women from painting their faces, which in some cases cost them their lives. Queen Elizabeth I might have been Christian, but she was also a devout lipstick enthusiast. She was known to make her own lip colors, believing they possessed healing powers. Ironically, many lipsticks of the time contained white lead, which after prolonged and consistent usage would culminate in lead poisoning. Following the monarch’s death from a lipstick overdose, the Church clamped down on beauty products for being sinful and deceitful to men. Women caught wearing red lipstick risked accusations of engaging in witchcraft and burning at the stake. In the Victorian Era, while the image of red lipped devil worshippers no longer existed in the public consciousness, it continued to shock especially if applied in public.

This stigmatization began to change at the turn of the century with the American suffragette movement. Feminist icons Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Charlotte Perkins Gilman unapologeticalluy wore their red lipstick as an act of rebellion. As more women took to the streets, red lips quickly became synonymous with the modern, emancipated woman and quickly spread to womens’ rights movements flourishing overseas in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. The message was undeniably political; women were fed up with the patriarchy dictating what they can or cannot do, what they can or cannot wear. There is no denying that Pandora’s box had been opened and lipstick went from grassroots to a mainstream phenomenon. Popularized by the media and its adoption by silent film stars such as Clara Bow, sales for red lipstick soared.

With the outbreak of World War II, wearing red lipstick carried political and psychological implications. For the working women of Allied nations, it was a symbol of patriotism and anti-fascist resistance. However, it also represented a sense of normalcy and self-identity. Recruiting posters of the early to mid 1940s often depicted women wearing workers clothing and cherry hued lipstick as seen in J. Howard Miller’s illustration of cultural icon Rosie the Riveter. Red lips remained popular for some time after the war, but soon women who came of age during the sexual revolution and second wave feminism ditched their mothers and grandmothers preferred shade in favor of more natural tones.

In discussions of red lipstick, it is important to acknowledge its ties to white feminism. Despite having positive connotations of empowerment and liberation, rather hypocritically, women of color have endured discrimination and exclusion. Even as cosmetic lines catering to darker-skinned women arrived onto the beauty scene, old stereotypes and double standards persist. A white woman with red lips is perceived as sensual yet sophisticated, but a non-white woman is deemed promiscuous. In recent times, BIPOC have reclaimed the shade for themselves, as a means of self-expression and protest just as their white counterparts did a century ago. The bottom line is no matter who you are or where you came from, red lipstick is not reserved for certain individuals, but for everyone.

Shona, Third Year, Clinique Cherry Pop

Sarah, Third Year, Nyx Suede Spicy

Edited by Olivia Beech

How to Wear a Red Lip Right

Gabriella Sotirou

Now that you know all about how the red lip came to be, it’s time you learnt how to achieve the iconic look for yourself. I know what you’re thinking - how difficult can it be to just pop on a bit of lippy? Well, there’s actually a lot to consider when creating any type of lipstick look but especially when you’re taking on the red lip. Its impactful legacy goes to show that not just anyone can take on a red lipstick state of mind - it must be strived for!

Firstly, application is key. Your lips are the star of the show here and that means they need the full Mariah Carey treatment. Okay maybe they aren’t demanding a large bowl of only red M&M’s or a dressing room bursting at the rafters with Pomeranian puppies but they will need a bit of extra TLC if you’re going for the red look.

Step 1. Exfoliate

You really don’t want to put a red lip product of any kind over dry lips - I cannot tell you how disgusting it will both feel and look. Give them a bit of a scrub by using a lip scrub (maybe look into making your own if you’re up for it) or use a toothbrush! Grab an old toothbrush, run it under some warm water and gently rub it in circular motions over your lips. The dead skin will be brushed away leaving your lips as smooth as a baby’s behind.

Step 2. Moisturise

Pass me the lip-balm! Do this step early in your makeup or skincare routine. You really don’t want to be putting a dark lip product on top of slippery balmy lips. Whack it on early and let it sink in whilst you do the rest of your makeup.

Step 3. Line the lips

Stick to a dark liner - it just makes the job easier. Opt for either a red, very dark nude/pink or a brown. Now I’m not going to make false promises - a red lip will not stay all day. But liner will stop it being quite so obvious when eventually there’s more lippy around the rim of your coffee cup than actually on your lips. Oh and try your best to get it symmetrical (though I appreciate this is harder than it sounds. On a makeup course I once spent 4 hours - yes, 4 - on achieving a perfectly symmetrical lip line).

Step 4. Get your lippy on!

Before we start applying red to our faces willy nilly we have one more important decision to make - the type of product we’re applying. Matte, satin, or gloss finish? Lipstick or liquid lipstick? To gloss or not to gloss, that is the question!

Once you’ve made these very tricky decisions it’s best to with your cupid's bow then press your lips lightly together to transfer some colour to your lower lip. Apply more over the lower lip and repeat that pressing motion. If you’ve overlined your lips, the corners must always meet the natural corners of your mouth. This will make the overlining appear seamless.

Grab a tissue and blot your lips to remove a little bit of product - you can leave it here if you prefer a stained lip effect - but reapplying a second coat will make the lipstick longer lasting.

Tidy up any dodgy edges with a small brush and a good coverage concealer/foundation. If you want to go for something more glamorous (albeit much harder to keep looking good for more than a few hours - twenty minutes if there’s eating or drinking involved) than add a dark brown, red, or clear gloss.

Your lips should resemble Snow White’s poisoned apple - smooth, not a flaking bit of skin in sight, perfectly even and beautifully shiny. And your confidence should be sky high because you’re looking absolutely fabulous.

Choosing your red

There’s always a lot of talk about getting red ‘right’. There’s endless Youtube videos, IG posts and articles about how to find the correct red to suit your skin tone, your eyes, your hair, the exact shade of your teeth. And frankly I think it’s all a load of balls. There is absolutely nothing natural about a red lip. Nothing. My fundamental belief when it comes to red lipstick is to go as bold as possible because in this instance, bold is beautiful. So choose the red that you like - cool or warm base, expensive, cheap, bright or dark - it doesn’t matter! Makeup should exclusively be about feeling good about looking good. There’s no pressure to pick certain products and especially no pressure from our own skin and hair colour.

Choose the lipstick you think is cool, that you find the most comfortable, that you think smells the best. Because the likelihood of someone you pass on your way to go and make a lipstick stain a coffee mug at your favourite cafe being able to tell the difference is incredibly slim.

Omodunni, Fourth Year, Glossier Vinylic Lip in Driver

Red Lipstick State of Mind