Well, I am sure you must be thinking what this post is about and what I mean by ‘Power of Red’. This blog is dedicated to one of my friends who introduced me to the whole new world of tints and shades of ‘Reds’.

I am or shall I say I was a bit conservative when it came to choosing a lip colour for myself. ‘Browns’ and ‘softer pinks’ have always been and still are my favourite shades, the only variance I would go for is the effect i.e. sparkly, creamy or matt. I admit, going ‘WOW!’, when I saw other girls using brighter shades of reds and pinks, but I always assumed they aren’t for me.

On a recent ‘girls only’ trip, I was acquainted with a new colour tone- the bold & beautiful ‘Red’. I loved it on my friends’ lips, but was very hesitant when it came to me using it personally. I was not sure how it would look on me, whether it would go with my skin tone and with ‘me’ as a person. As we say in Human Resources (HR), ‘change’ is never easy but you know what- it can certainly get easier if the person leading the change has the skill to get the ‘dialogue of change’ right. I must admit, this friend of mine did hit the nail (right) on the head and she did it beautifully.

What happened next! Well, of course I had to give it a try and I must confess this ‘Red’ lipstick updated my look almost instantly. I realised that ‘Red’ is one shade that will make you look good without anything else- you don’t need much makeup if you are using a bright shade as it gives the right boost to your look.

But was I convinced enough to invest in one?

We chatted and we went on to discuss how ‘Red’ actually is THE colour for ‘Indian Brides’ and is one of those old classics that can never go wrong. So, what’s so special about this shade? It can straightaway make you feel and look a little more dazzling and sexy (glamorous). This is what we called ‘The Power of Red’.

Now that I recognized the real ‘Power of Red’ and I was convinced this is one shade I must have. So, I went to buy ‘one’, thinking how difficult can buying a Red Lipstick be? WOW!! I was amazed to see the diverse range of tints and shades of ‘Red’. I tried a few and some more and a few more…

This went on for about 40 minutes till I got to one that I liked the most- it was one of Loreal’s Crème/Color Riche Collection Exclusive Reds. After all that effort I put in, I could not see the fresh stock so I called a customer assistant to help. She checked and said “I am afraid, It is Out of Stock”… Seriously!!…..I came out highly disappointed at first but then I said (to myself), this whole 40-minute long exercise at least taught me a few tricks and tips for buying a ‘Red’ Lipstick which I can use next time round:

• I did do some research before I went to the store and I had read about the vein colour test- to determine the skin’s undertone. If you look at the inside of your wrist, blue veins indicate a cool undertone whereas green indicates a warm undertone. If you have a cool undertone, brighter Reds may suit you better and if you have a warm undertone, you can try orange and coral shades.

• Not everyone can wear the same shade of Red and for each of us, there is a different perfect Red.

• What shade suits you depends on how bright the shade of Red is against your skin.

• When a darker skin, we can pull pretty much any shade of Red we want.

• Hints and Shades of ‘Cherry’ colour suited me better – they were the right balance of warm and cool, hence the right kind of bright for my lips.

• Another shade I preferred was pinkish red which I think again works well on Indian skin tone.

• Your personal preference also comes into play- matte vs creamy, luxurious or glossy. I preferred glossy over matte.

• If you are experimenting with a new colour, you will take a few days or trials to get comfortable with it.

I am no expert on makeup, nor do I intend to be one 😉

This blog post is more to share an experience of how we build our assumptions, even in the simplest of things such as the  look of a lip colour, how we can learn something new when we are ready to experiment and are open to change. More than that, I wanted to share ‘The Power of Red’, I recently got acquainted with.

Do bear in mind, it adds to the sexual element and draws people’s attention to you. You will certainly love it, if you know you can handle the attention. For me, it is more like a source of strength, it to some extent, leaves me feeling pretty and confident.

Go… Try it on! & feel the ‘POWER OF RED’!

Hope you enjoyed reading it! If you liked this post, I’d be very grateful if you’d help it spread by sharing it with your friends, or sharing it on Twitter or Facebook. Thank you!

Live Well!

Rads