This fall you’ll be seeing red–on the lips of fashion-forward folks.
“The red lip is the No. 1 trend for fall,” says Charles Brignall, store director for the newly opened Sephora store at the Shops at orth Bridge. Ford makeup artist Jillian Seely agrees: “The dark lip is back,” she stresses.
M.A.C. believes so strongly in the red lip that the company’s whole “Lady Danger” collection is built around rich red lip colors, including a lip gloss version of their cult favorite, “Russian Red.”
A very polished face, including more color on the eye, is what makes the red lip feel new this time around. Previous red revivals have encouraged a practically bare face accented with a slash of red lips, but this lush and luxurious season calls for a little more artistry and flourish. Think velvety powdered skin, defined brows and blush that looks more haughty than healthy.
Tooling around Sephora on opening day like a kid in a candy store, I confess to being intimidated by red lipstick after years of wearing neutrals. Brignall reassures that with a little black applied close to the lash line and a bit of gold on the lid, I could indeed wear red lipstick.
A good beauty adviser can counsel you this way, helping you to understand new trends and decide which of them will work for you. Brignall believes strongly in makeup consultations. Those who spend their days among the merchandise are paid to know what is new and what might work best for the needs of an individual, he stresses.
Choose a beauty adviser by first taking a stroll through the store, quietly observing different people at work. “Don’t book blind,” Brignall cautions.
Figure out what you want to achieve from your consultation, then look for someone who can help you meet those goals. You can also find a beauty adviser who will work with your favorite look rather than try to get you into the season’s trend.
While he was in town recently to launch the Anastasia Beverly Hills line at Nordstrom, Darrell Baum, the company’s vice president of sales and marketing, did my makeup. Baum is a big believer in the red lip, especially as we get closer to the holidays, but he doesn’t feel that it is the right look for pale blondes like me. Instead, he steered me toward a lovely neutral lipstick topped with gloss.
The “open-sell” layouts of Sephora and the cosmetics department at Nordstrom Michigan Avenue are ideal places to check out beauty advisers at work, as well as a great way to while away the hours trying on every color in the store.
Open-sell environments are free of glass cases so customers can select products themselves without having to ask to see things. Open sell also features areas where customers can play and experiment with the products.
The lipstick bar at Nordstrom promises to be one of the most popular spots in the store; the ability to just grab what you need and head right to a register should be a huge timesaver for buyers who know exactly what they want and those who are just popping in on their lunch breaks.
Open sell allows you the freedom to try out all of fall’s trends, from red lips to rich jewel tones on the eyes to upscale glitter. Think of this as the golden age of beauty when anything is possible, from the palest neutral to the boldest red, so go out and try something new.
