Glam Slam: Makeup Mondays — Pretty Plum Lips

The end of summer is upon us and while it’s still too hot to make drastic wardrobe changes, I’ve been taking baby steps like swapping out my bright pink nail polish for a pretty deep magenta.

Lips are another way to easily and effortlessly to change up your look.

“My favorite trend for Fall 2012 is a strong mouth, made wearable with rich plums and deep bordeauxs,” says Sonia Kashuk, makeup artist and founder of Sonia Kashuk Beauty. “This color is perfect for the season because it looks stunning with grays, purples, bordeauxs, cognacs, and mauves – the complete color palette that the upcoming fall season is bringing.”

Today, Sonia shares her tips for achieving the perfect plum lip for every skin tone.

“The key to this look is playing with depth and softening the edges. Apply a bold shade like my Satin Luxe Lip Color with SPF 16 in Plum Wine, using a lip brush for more control, adding color slowly until you reach an intensity you are comfortable with. Finish by using the tip of your finger to blur the line around the lip for a delicate aesthetic.

As a makeup artist, I used to work with tones like this every fall. It’s a personal favorite and I find it’s one of the most stunning colors because it has that dark sexiness to it. Celebrities like Kate Bosworth, Jennifer Lopez and Rihanna have embodied the true beauty of this trend with their looks on recent red carpets. When working with berry shades, be aware that blue-based lip color can be a bit tricky, so make sure the hue has the right balance of tone. Steer clear of shades with a heavy blue undertone, which give plums that ultra-violet neon look. Try choosing shades with hints of brown to balance out the vibrancy of the blue. If you have the right shade of plum, it can be quite universal, but the general rule for choosing lip color is as follows:

– Lighter skin tones can try bright or dark shades, avoiding mid-tone hues which will leave your look flat and washed out.

– Medium skin tones can really wear anything – bright, deep, and mid-tone alike.

– Dark skin tones should stick to anything in the mid-to deep range, staying away from anything too light.

If you are a little hesitant or uncomfortable with a deep purple lipstick, keep in mind that a strong mouth doesn’t have to be scary. There are so many softer variations of berry shades, such as my Satin Luxe Lip Color with SPF 16 in Violetta, Rosette, or Roseberry, that are just as pretty and will keep you on trend.

Another thing that is so important to think about with a tube of lipstick is that it can be a lot of different tones, depending how you apply it. By using a lip brush, you can control the application to be more of a sheer stain or you can stretch out color by mixing with a lip balm or lighter lip gloss. From there, you can increase intensity slowly until you find a hue you are happy with.

If you are really looking for drama, you can wear the shade at its darkest by coordinating with a lip pencil and applying straight from the tube. It’s really about making it your own – the color is there, just build upon depth to take the look from day to night, subtle to sultry.

For the rest of the face, I’ve always loved a strong lip with minimal makeup, so the focus really goes to that sexy pout, which is the most classic, timeless approach to this look. Neutral shades, specifically browns, are especially pretty swept across the lid. For real show-stopping drama, you can create a soft smokey eye with a muted shade, such as greys, bronzes, or mauves – avoiding anything super dark – to pump up the volume on this style.

Another option is to go with a purple, like shade 4 or 6 in my Instructional Eye Shadow Palette in Eye on Dazzling Color Instructional. This upcoming season, you will definitely be seeing a lot of plummy shades across the eye for a monochromatic face that’s pretty, modern, fresh, and fall.”

For more info on Sonia or her makeup, check out www.target.com

— Ryan Patterson