Red Lipstick Alert: NYX Matte in Blood Mary

Those who used to follow my old blog know that am a huge fan of red lips.  And because I still am very much drawn to the red lippie look, I decided to revive the Red Lipstick Alert segment where I feature red lipsticks exclusively.

Here's my everyday red lippie makeup look.  

This gorgeous matte scarlet is NYX Matte Lipstick in Bloody Mary.

This is my third tube.  I lost the first while packing in Hong Kong last year and finished the replacement faaast!  Though this is easier to find than my other NYX Matte Lipstick fave in Merlot, I vowed to restock on this whenever I can.  You just can't have enough red lipsticks.

Here it is swatched on my hand:

Because I have zero time for touch-ups, I usually line my lips with NYX Long Lip Pencil in Plush Red to keep Bloody Mary from straying.  I find that Plush Red best matches this shade of red.  Here they are swatched together (L: Bloody Mary, R: Plush Red)

PROs

Matte finish but glides on smoothly

Non-drying

Good staying power

Very pigmented

Cheap

CONs

This is almost always out of stock, but other than that, I can't think of anything!

Tips

Anyone can achieve that signature red lippie look.  Just keep the eyes to a minimum and the blush to a slight flush, and you're good to go! 

I try to wear very little eye makeup with bright red lips.  For standout red lips, I start with a clean canvass.  

Cleanse.  Tone.  Moisturize. 

The next step is to apply primer to make large pores around the nose, forehead, and chin less visible.  I do this before I conceal the dark spots and discoloration on my cheeks and my undereye areas.

Depending on my activity for the day, I usually apply a light to medium coverage foundation.  The cheeks are emphasized with bronzer or blush in berry to rosey shades.  Next, I highlight my undereye areas with Mary Lou Manizer for that divine fresh looking glow.  You can apply the Mary Lou on your lids, cupid's bow, and on the corners of your eyes for nice beaming lids.

The brows are the last to go.  Here, I'm using my new NYX Brow Marker in Deep.

What's one red lipstick you can't live without?