See this red lip at Temperley London? Well I took one look at it and thought hmmm! Red – just too difficult to achieve G (for me anyway). Why? Because red lipstick defies logic – the more I put on, the more likely that it will have moved and taken up residence elsewhere. Within a few minutes of meeting Gucci Westman I’d at least solved this conundrum. I hadn’t been using a lip brush to apply it correctly.
A brush gives more coverage with less product, so your colour will stay longer
Observing Gucci Westman backstage at Temperley London A/W 2011 as she drenched mouths in crimson I scribbled and snapped and listened. See the You Tube clip below and it will give you a taste of just how busy everyone was backstage (Gucci had to oversee the make-up on thirty two models). I was incognito in David Attenborough mode and then…
“So Gisèle! Would you like me to show you how to achieve this perfect bee stung lip over breakfast?” Gucci asked me.
“Wait, Gucci would I like … wait, what?” (I looked to see if there was another, taller Gisèle standing just behind me.) And that was how I came to be sitting opposite Gucci Westman the morning after the Temperley London show in Soho. The mission? How to achieve the prefect bee stung red lip as seen at Temperley London the night before. I was super excited. This is what was said…
Gisèle: “Do you think I’m crazy Gucci to be afraid of red lipstick?”
Gucci: “I think it’s a good question. There’s a universal fear that it clings to just about everything except lips. If you added maybe a few more steps to your application routine it would help keep the colour where you want it.”
Gisèle: “Can you ‘show and tell’ me please?” *And just like magic a model appeared*
Preparing your lips for the bee stung look!
Gucci: “Firstly, dry chapped lips won’t hold pigment. So before putting on ANY make-up prepare your lips by rubbing a HOT wet towel vigorously over your mouth. This removes dead skin cells and brings the blood to the surface and plumps the mouth up naturally.
Pop a layer of Vaseline or balm on the lip and let it sink in for five minutes and then rub off with a second hot towel. Do all this BEFORE applying your foundation or powder to your face.”
Gisèle: “OK, that I can do”.
I sat looking at the model’s bare lip and was petrified. Wasn’t it difficult to come from this to a proper, grown-up, velvety, flawless red lip? Then Gucci, turned to me and said, “Watch, there’s no reason to be afraid.” (I think she could see my fear.)
I: The perfect bee stung lip!
Gucci: “I’ve prepped the model’s face with Revlon Photoready Foundation and I’m mixing and painting two matte lipstick shades using a lip brush over the whole mouth; Revlon Really Red (a strong red with a blue in it) and *Revlon Strawberry Suede* (a sort of orangey red which is kinder to pale skin).
*Note Strawberry Suede is discontinued so replace it with the nearest matte coral red you can find. I found this extra bullet of Strawberry Suede on eBay
Gucci “And use a lip brush, it gives more coverage with less product, plus the lipsticks are matte not gloss, so your colour will stay longer.”
Gisèle: “I’d no idea that a matte texture could make that much of a difference. That’s a lot of lipstick. Does it ever go outside the lines?”
Gucci “Everybody has little lines around their mouth – actresses, models. When doing a dramatic lip colour, I take a big foundation brush, tap it in foundation or translucent powder and roll it over the skin below and at the outer edges of the lip to clean up the edges. NEVER over the mouth.
Gisèle: “Hold on there one nanosecond…why never apply foundation and powder over the actual lip before or after applying lipstick?”
Gucci: “It muddies the colour and dehydrates the lip. Instead after applying the lipsticks I use foundation below the lip to stop bleeds and a lip pencil around the edges to keep it from seeping. I continue to brush the lipstick into the lips to help it settle and then I add the Revlon Just Bitten lip stain to set it all. And that’s the perfect bee stung lip”
Okay, I shall have to return a little later to let you know what happened next, because Gucci Westman is just too brilliant. If you’ve read down this far, thank you, if you’d rather not read another lipstick novel let me know. (There’s always the You Tube clip showing Gucci at work below). Think I need a little rest now.
Lara says:
Thanks to this liplucious blog I will be doing my shopping today with the perfect out…watch out supermarket, here I come! I would like to know how you got on with this and if it delivers the promise of staying on the lips and not mooching over to where it shouldn’t be. x
March 29, 2011 at 11:18 am
Gisèle says:
Put a little bit of the Just Bitten on the back of my hand (in the ‘Passion’ pink neon shade) at about 5am before popping it into my suitcase this morning. It’s now 2pm and it’s still there. Nine hours and counting and very little mooch Lara. xx
March 29, 2011 at 2:00 pm
Lara says:
Excellent, that’s what we like to hear! Beautiful colour and easy on the mooching… grand :) x
March 29, 2011 at 6:53 pm
Adam Earnshaw says:
Firstly, Julia Steponaviciute is so pretty! I can’t say lipstick is something I really ever wore, but I have always loved checking out the vast range of colours and shades available just because of their pleasing aesthetic. I enjoy reading about the whole process of preparing, applying and finishing; using different products to created different effects – it’s a true art.
March 29, 2011 at 4:46 pm
Gisèle says:
When it’s done well, it is like art isn’t it Adam? x
March 31, 2011 at 1:48 am
Bláthnaid Richardson says:
oh I love this post! Temperley London is one of my favorites and Lipstick is one of my favorite parts of make-up so I am spoilt with this post! There are so many shades of lipstick to flatter so many different types of skin tones, so many different finishes (matte, gloss, cream, satin……..)that I myself could go on for days about it! I love the red lip that was used for the show. It has really soft lines that really suite the collection! And you got to have a one on one with Gucci Westman! oh I am envious of you!!! I already have strawberry suede but this lip stain is intruiging me! Must have a nosy about for it, another lip product to add to my ridiculouly large collection! I can’t wait until part 2! xx
March 29, 2011 at 10:10 pm
Gisèle says:
The Revlon Just Bitten Lip stain is only trickling into shops now Bláthnaid, it should be in most stores by the end of April 2011 x
March 31, 2011 at 1:51 am