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Red lipstick is undeniably powerful. A centuries-old symbol of status and power we can trace back to Mesopotamian royalty and ancient Egyptian elites—who created the coloring using ground stones and beetles—through the ages with courtesans and bohemians, prohibition era party girls, and Hollywood’s leading ladies. Vogue editors too, have their own individual favorites, tried-and-true cult finds and iconic red shades for every occasion.
And as TikTok has discovered, it’s also the key to a contemporary makeup trick. It was noted in a now-viral sound on the app by The Lipstick Lesbians, when they were discussing simple makeup hacks. “If you are wearing nothing on your face, nothing but a red lipstick, your skin will look more even. You’re drawing people’s attention with the red lip,” says Alexis Androulakis, as she paints on Westman Atelier’s Lip Suede in Le Rouge.
The first video that actually went viral with The Lipstick Lesbians’ sound and experiment was by creator Maj.Beauty, who tested it out with Kosas’ Hotliner. She did some before and after shots to highlight how, with one swipe of the red, the concentrated color can distract from uneven skintone, pigmentation, and blemishes.
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Adroulakis explains in a bit more detail in her original video: “Red actually is the color that has the longest wavelength of any other color, so subconsciously, humans perceive red differently than other colors— it is most vibrant,” she says. Basically—your brain gets totally distracted by a pop of red, ignoring wider details on your face like spots or texture. You can leave your skin totally bare, and still look like you’ve done a full look. “It stimulates the strongest response [compared to] any other color.” She notes that she took this theory from makeup artist Lisa Eldridge’s book Face Paint: The Story of Makeup.
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Other beauty TikTok creators have also taken the hack for a spin: Glamzilla used MAC Cosmetics’ Lip Liner in Cherry and the Macximal Sleek Satin Lipstick in Left on Red. Bexcxmpbell uses Gucci Beauty’s 509 Rosso Ancora Lipstick, pairing it with what seems to be a firm fave, MAC’s Cherry Lip Pencil. The Lipstick Lesbians have also re-tested their theory using their own beauty brand’s products, Fempower’s lipstick in Lilith. It’s described as a defiant, fiery, blue-toned matte red lipstick. From terracotta to brick, cherry and fire engine, all shades of red seem to do the trick, giving you a simple and svelte routine to try out for yourself.
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