Wearing lipstick, over 40 | Trying Bright colours.

Wearing bright coloured lipstick

Having fun with colour!

Try searching the internet for "Wearing lipstick over 40" and a whole pile of mind-boggling rules crop up.

It is a wonder any women, over the age of 35, bothers at all!

Don't do this, don't do that...really? 

When did slicking a bit of colour on your lips get so complicated?

I have not written this post with a view to telling you how to wear lipstick or what you should and shouldn't be doing, as I don't mind admitting to being a complete lipstick-novice.

This is my usual lip makeup... a slick of balm!

My lipstick journey started with inspiration from one of my favorite bloggers, Ann @krembedelakrembe.

She is my idea of bold.

Not because of her bright colour combinations or crazy pattern clashing like some of my other favourite bloggers (see the sidebar on the right) but with her fun attitude, bold textures and her ever present red lip.

She even wrote a piece just about red lipstick and her extensive collection.

What I love about her is that she is an normal woman...just like you and I.

And, if this ordinary woman can be bold and beautiful, in red lips, then maybe I can too?

I am a bit (read: a lot) of a makeup novice. I do have a lot to learn...

See my earlier blog posts, here and here, in which I look like I have no face!
What seemed okay in the mirror is downright ghostly in real life.

Then I tried to "put some colour on" and went a bit Coco the Clown...see my face in this photograph!

My lipstick experiment:

After making up a neutral face. I started off, gently, with a nude lip.
This one is really rich and moisturizing.
A great place to start.

I then went dark, with a burgundy...well, dark lips are on-trend this season.
Although, the makeup rules tell us that we should avoid a darker lip when we are older.
We look hideous, apparently.

ADDED 08/11/15 : Notice how my face looks a completely different colour in this dark lipstick? Everything was the same as for the other shots.
I watched a beauty blogger today talking about dark lips and the importance of using a base to remove all redness from the cheeks and around the nose and any dark shadows at the eyes.
She also suggested using a blusher from the same colour family as your lipstick....great tips!

I then tried a bright coral/orange. Loving the idea of such a bright and unusual colour...it seems to bring some light to my face.

Finally, I had to go for a traditional red!

So what do you think?
Do you have a favourite lipstick?
Or, are you a balm lover, like me?
Please share any tips or favourites in the comments.