ISLAND STYLE
Looking good in red

• Tips to keep your lips in tip-top shape
• Makeup artist creates perfect red for actresses

By Paula Rath
Advertiser Staff Writer

From left: Sandy Young-Esperanza used a nude shade to tone down the red lipstick, bringing out the rich shades in her hair. As a balanced blonde with warm highlights and pale skin, Gwen Inzer is best off using a lipstick in a pink-red shade. A softer red shade proved to be a perfect match for Leilani Nunes, who has honeyed hair and full lips. Red hair and red lipstick can get a bit tricky so Susan Snyder's choice of a soft, red-brown lipstick suits her well. Photos by Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser

Red is a classic in both fashion and makeup. When it comes to lips, red is the ultimate in glamour. Yet it can be intimidating to the uninitiated.

Respected makeup artists across the country, from Trish McEvoy, Laura Mercier and Bobbi Brown in New York to Julie Hewett (see sidebar) in Los Angeles, say there is a perfect red lipstick for every woman.

Some shades of red lipstick last just one season and others stay around for years. Chanel's Velvet Rouge was the first red introduced by the venerable fashion house, and it's still going strong. Revlon's Fire & Ice and Cherries in the Snow have been staples in makeup drawers for decades, and when the company tried to discontinue them in the past, women stormed the cosmetics counters demanding their return.

It's important, however, that you wear the red lipstick rather than letting it wear you. It may take some effort, and mistakes along the way, to find the perfect red.

That's why Island Style took two professional makeup artists and five Hawai'i women, each with different coloring and a personal style, on a search for the perfect red lipstick.

The makeup artists were E'Jay Maldonado, director of beauty and international trainer for Body & Soul, and Tania de Jesus, image consultant and makeup artist with the Kathy Muller Agency.

Maldonado keeps more than 100 red lipsticks in his case when he goes on location to make up actresses and models. De Jesus carries about 10, but alters the colors dramatically by adding black or white.

We met at Sephora because they carry a wide range of product lines and prices. Here's what we learned.

Brown hair, ruddy skin

Sandy Young-Esperanza has a touch of chocolate in her brown hair. Maldonado described her skin as medium with yellow undertones and a little ruddiness. The general rule for dark hair is: If you have warm skin, choose rich brick reds and ruby jewel-like tones. If you have cool skin, rich blue reds such as wine or burgundy are often suitable.

Maldonado chose a true red, Benefit's Dietrich, lined with Body & Soul's Velvet, to enhance her complexion.

Although he used a lip brush to soften and smudge the colors, Young-Esperanza was a little uncomfortable with the "out there" color, so Maldonado toned it down with Lorac's Pewter gloss, a nude shade that softened the look.

The result? The red lips brightened her skin and brought out rich shades in her hair.

Full lips, olive undertones

Although Renee Ane loves red lipstick, she has always felt that, when she wears it, her lips "precede me into the room," because she has full lips.

Ane has brown hair with auburn and copper highlights. Although her skin appears quite pink, there are olive undertones. Dark hair with olive skin generally calls for a rich red with orange undertones.

De Jesus lined her lips with Lorac's 03, a brown red, cheating the line inside her actual lip line and bringing the foundation over the edge of the real line. She mixed two shades of red: Demi and Berry, both cream-based lipsticks by Lorac. She suggested Ane avoid gloss because gloss creates the look of a fuller lip. The mix gave Ane the richness of red lipstick without the va-va-voom of a bright, true color.

Honeyed hair, luscious lips

Maldonado described Leilani Nunes as having "a soft, warm island glow" with golden honey streaks in her brown hair. "She has beautifully full lips and that's so hot right now," Maldonado said, but he decided to go with a soft, red shade when Nunes expressed a fear of reds. He chose a reddish-brown liner (Givenchy Brown No. 4) with Shiseido Bordeaux lipstick. What would be wrong for Nunes' warm skin and hair coloring? Heavy orange-reds and harsh blue-reds, Maldonado said.

Balanced blonde, pale skin

Gwen Inzer is a balanced blonde with warm highlights and pale skin with a touch of pink. She said that in the past, red-blue lipsticks have been a mistake. The usual rule for blondes with warm skin is to wear pink-reds.

Maldonado began with Dr. Perricone lip plumper to give a fuller look to Inzer's lips. He applied Rebel lip liner by Paula Dorf because it's coral base softens the connection between the pink in her skin and the true red of the lipstick. He finished off the look with Body & Soul's Show Girl. The look brightened her teeth and her eyes.

Blue eyes, red hair

With her porcelain skin, blue eyes and red hair, de Jesus approved of the soft red brown Susan Snyder had purchased: Christian Dior's Intriguing Red.

Redheads and red lipstick can be tricky. Those with cool skin generally look best in orange-reds, while those with warm skin are flattered by warm, fiery reds with brown undertones.

De Jesus applied a moisturizer and let it breathe for 15 minutes. She said the lip color would last longer if powder were applied first. For a soft look, the artist decided not to use lip liner, but to apply the lipstick with a wide, flat lip brush. She started at the cupid's bow, rolling it out from the center.

The finishing touch: Christian Dior Plastic Shine lip gloss in Tender Beige.

Common mistakes

Sylvie Chantecaille, who has her own line of skin care and makeup at Neiman Marcus, said "the older you are, the better off you are without lip liner because it's too harsh looking." If you have a thin mouth, she advised, don't use any liner.

De Jesus warned: "Don't sacrifice perfect lip color for dry, chapped lips." Many of the new long-lasting formulations are synonymous with dry lips, so they need to be balanced with moisturizers (Blistex will do the trick) and drinking extra water.

E'Jay Maldonado, front right, of Body & Soul, applies a soft, red lipstick to Leilani Nunes. Tania de Jesus, back right, of Kathy Mueller Agency, goes for a soft, red-brown shade for red head Susan Snyder.

• The most important thing to remember about lipsticks is the color range that works with your skin. Experiment with inexpensive brands, which can look great, too.
• Lip glosses should be applied only to the center of the top and bottom lips. If applied all over, they may smear or smudge into the corners of the mouth.
• If drying and flaking is a problem, exfoliate lips every couple of weeks by gently rubbing lips with a damp washcloth. Smooth on lip balm and reapply throughout the day.
• Do not press your lips together to transfer the lipstick. It won't last as long.
• To prevent feathering or bleeding, try sealing lips with a lip base before applying lipstick. A few favorites are Estee Lauder's LipZone (department stores), Clinique's All About Lips (department stores) and Lip Last by English Ideas (Sephora).
• If wrinkles or creases are a problem, trace the outside of the lip line with a product that helps fill in the lines such as Magic from Two Faced (Sephora), Benefit's Degroovie (DFS Galleria, Sephora) or Perfect Illusion by Paula Dorf (Sephora).

Makeup artist creates perfect red for actresses

Julie Hewett is the makeup maven who created all the fabulous red lips for the movie "Pearl Harbor." We caught up with her on the set of a new movie, "Gigli," currently filming in Los Angeles.

Hewett insists there's a red for everyone. "Blondes usually look best in blue-reds," she said. "Brunettes and people who are afraid of red look best in a red with a brown undertone, and just about anybody can pull off a true red, as long as it's not too blue or too orange."

For those who are "totally terrified by red," Hewett recommended trying a gloss. "Stila makes great ones." (In Hawai'i, they're available at DFS Galleria and Sephora.)

Hewett developed a signature red for each actress in "Pearl Harbor." She studied and experimented extensively with pigments to get the most flattering shade.

What did she use for Kate Beckinsale? "I started with Frederic Fekkai's Brick and added pigment to that," she said.

One potential pitfall with red lipstick, Hewett said, is that it can cause dryness. She recommends using moisturizers such as Rosebud Lip or DCT Chapstick or exfoliating occasionally with Andrea's lip exfoliant (all available at drug stores).

Hewett recommends lining the lips in a natural or brown-toned liner. "Stay away from red lip liner or it may look like a clown mouth." She said Nars Zanzibar (DFS Galleria, Sephora), a bricky red, is a good place to start.

To get a crisp line, Hewett puts concealer on a brush and traces around the lip line like a reverse liner.

Hewett recently used her specialized knowledge to create her own line of red lipsticks inspired by 1930s film noir.

Hewett's creations are not sold in Hawai'i yet, but you can find them on the Web at PurpleSkirt.com or by calling (800) 761-NOIR.

Correction: Tania de Jesus is image consultant and makeup artist with the Kathy Muller Agency. The company name was incorrect in a previous version of this story.