We all know of it, we all hear about it, we all see it in the advertisements. Especially when the holidays come ‘round.

The signature red lip.

It’s intimidating, that’s for sure. It seems so grand, so perplexing, especially when you step into that beauty store and there appears to be a thousand reds. Then you get into the oranges, the blues, all those details that make you feel unnecessarily flustered.

The truth is, you can wear whatever shade of red lipstick you f*cking want. It’s your life, (in my personal opinion) you are here once, you deserve to wear whatever shade of red you desire. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

However, I can safely say that I have found the lipstick that will be my signature red for this upcoming holiday season: the Wild with Desire Lipstick by RMS Beauty in the shade Jezebel.

I cannot get enough of this shade. The lipstick is creamy but long-lasting, doesn’t feel like it’s stripping the moisture out of my lips (thanks to it’s number one ingredient, castor seed oil. Otherwise known as Ricinus Communis, castor seed oil is rich in ricinoleic acid, a fatty acid which aids in the moisturizing and healing of the skin, which is lovely if you suffer from chapped lips in the wintertime. I often use organic castor seed oil to keep my feet soft and moisturized during the winter season, so I was thrilled when I saw that this lipstick would provide those same effects and was free from all of my allergies!

Let me walk you through the look.

As my primer, I used my staple Suntegrity 5-in-1 Tinted Moisturizer SPF 30 in the shade Light all over my face and neck. I use this product every single day. It protects my skin from the sun’s UVA and UVB rays, gives me minimal coverage but a lovely blurring effect, and keeps my skin hydrated during all seasons. It layers beautifully under my Kosas Tinted Face Oil in shade 03, which isn’t a step I always take but I have been loving it ever since the weather became colder outside. If they made this product with SPF, however, I don’t think I could ever put it down.

Next, I carefully dotted areas that needed a bit more coverage with my True Skin Serum Concealer by ILIA Beauty in the shade Chicory. I use this same shade under my eyes as well. After blending it into my skin using my fingers (I use fingers for everything, I just love using the body’s natural tools and heat to work the products into my skin), I will set the concealer with a dusting of the Kjaer Weis Translucent Pressed Powder. I’d recommend this powder to anyone with skin on the fairer side, but if you have a deeper skin tone, I would recommend the Pressed Powder in the shade Faint.

After setting powder, I use the Kjaer Weis Cream Blush in the shade Reverence to bring out my cheeks and the blue in my eyes. Although I used to use the Kjaer Weis Powder Bronzer in the shade Bask as my contour for the majority of my looks, I have recently discovered the Contour Bronze by RMS Beauty. I must say, I really do love this cream contour for my skin. It even has a slight shimmer to it, since RMS Beauty’s belief is that skin should look like skin, which does have a slight glimmer to it compared to the severe matte most contour products provide. Hands down, I’m sold. I can’t find something I dislike about this cream contour.

For this look, I decided to go very light on the brows. I did not even draw anything in. I simply used my Aloe Gel Lash & Brow Mascara by Ere Perez Cosmetics. This is perfect for when I want something natural for my brows that can hold them in the position that I wanted. This way, I just look like me, but a little more put together. 😊

Now, for the eyes. I’ve been playing with the Āether Beauty Crystal Grid Gemstone Palette lately, testing out new looks. This one is really special to me. I started with the shade Energy in the crease, then blended the shade Amber all over the lid. I took a small brush for detailed work and dipped into the shade Sapphire for under my eyes to contrast with Energy.

After putting the palette down, I grabbed one of my old favorites from Alima Pure, the Loose Mineral Eyeshadow in Black – Satin Matte. I took an even smaller brush, wet it with some Rose Hydrosol from Mountain Rose Herbs, and carefully lined the outer corners of my eyes. My best friend ever since boarding school taught me this trick to make hooded eyes look bigger. I swear, try it yourself and shoot me a message – it works every time!

Before applying mascara, I always, always, always prime with my Lashfood Conditioning Collagen Lash Primer. This primer makes a huge difference compared to mascara alone. Not only does it coat and protect your lashes from anything harmful that may be hanging out in your mascara, it actually keeps the mascara from drying your lashes out! Not to mention it also supports longer and healthier lash growth. For this particular look, I used the Lily Lolo Big Lash Mascara, and although the result was fine, it didn’t wow me like the Ere Perez Cosmetics Avocado Waterproof Mascara did. The Big Lash Mascara is also not waterproof, which, me being a Pisces, is a gamble altogether.

For highlighter, this time I used a product that I have never shared before, but has forever been a favorite that I keep coming back to. It is the Manasi 7 Strobelighter in the shade Sunrise, which is the perfect peachy, pearly pink for my complexion. I love how this highlighter applies (not so much when I have long nails since it makes it quite difficult to get the product out of the pot) and gives me that ethereal, lit-from-within glow that I adore.

Now, the lips. First, I hydrated them with my Kosas Lipfuel in shade Baseline, a completely clear lip balm with hyaluronic acid, for that extra hydration boost. I used my Kjaer Weis Lip Brush to draw the RMS Beauty lipstick onto my lips. As you might notice, in some of the photos the lip appears more matte, which is just Jezebel, and some appear more glossy. I added a bit of the Kosas Wet Lip Oil in shade Jellyfish (clear) to give that extra bit of shine.

Thank you so much for reading, my loves, and I hope you have a wonderful day!

Best wishes,

Miranda Renée