Valentine's Day Lips
Passion has red lips, apparently.
Happy Valentine's Day! You know, I have always wondered about who it was that decided that red would be the colour of love? If you too have wondered, hold on to your seats, Google says it’s because red is the colour of the heart, the real-life organ, and also because it’s associated with passion and desire, thus red became the colour of love. I wish it were slightly more romantic, especially as it’s the day of love, but alas, it’s simple: the heart equals love, and the heart is red, so love is red.
Google also says that there has been a spike in searches for red lipstick this month. That could be because of Valentine’s Day or it could be because of Taylor Swift, especially since it was Super Bowl weekend. I’ll save you a Google search; Taylor Swift’s red was the Pat McGrath LiquiKUST Lipstick in the shade Elson 4. In beauty, red lipstick is that shade. It’s synonymous with power, it’s the G.O.A.T of all lipstick shades, and the epitome of uber chic, just like the French. You want to be that girl? Don a red lipstick.
But it’s also notoriously known to be one of the hardest shades to wear, finding the perfect red is a minefield, and then there is the application and maintenance.
I’ve never been a red lipstick person. In fact, for me, red lipstick is my beauty NO GO! I have never found a red I've liked, ok, that is a tad bit dramatic. There are many red lipsticks I am fond of - I’m just a girl, as they say. Don’t be under the illusion that I had any say in this, it’s actually that I’ve never met a red that has liked me. Red lipsticks on me, it’s just wrong, it looks wrong and it feels wrong. Before you tell me there is a red for everyone, trust me, there isn't one for me, and it’s not for a lack of me trying. I have tried many, many reds and they’ve all looked varying degrees of terrible. A tad first world problems, but I’ve even sought out professional help. It’s a little sad, I know.
I am no quitter, but this is not the hill I am dying on. It’s not happening for me and red; red is just not that into me! And before you ask, yes, I have tried all the tricks: brown lip liner, still a no; orange-toned red to complement my skin tone, MASSIVE NO. The ending never changes; the story always ends with me rubbing vigorously at my beauty downfall.
I may be one of the few women in the world - probably not - to have a complicated relationship with the darling red, but it certainly goes far beyond just me. Red lipstick has been around since the beginning. Archaeologists have discovered makeup artefact as far back as 10,000 years ago, and 5,000-year-old red pigments used as lipstick in Egypt and across the Middle East. In the early 20th century, red lipstick was a symbol of women's empowerment and played a significant role during the Suffragettes movement. It’s not all good; for Black women, red lipstick has a more complicated history. It’s associated with the toxic hypersexualization of Black bodies and racist Mammy caricatures with the exaggerated red lips. However you feel about red lipstick, it’s just lipstick at the end of the day; we decide what it means to us.
Definitely related to the struggle of finding a good red shade. I have a go-to now, but sometimes I still feel a little goofy in it. Also loved the context of the history of red lipstick!