Do you wear lipstick as an accessory? - YouLookFab Forum

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Do you wear lipstick as an accessory?

Aziraphale

Veteran

I had a realization the other day. As I've mentioned before, I don't tend to go for a lot of colour in my outfits (with a few exceptions), but I think I use my lips as an accessory. I wear lipstick every day, and all of my colours are either very bright (red, hot pink) or dark (deep wine, purple). I don't wear a lot of other makeup -- just mascara and a bit of blush. Especially with the bright lipsticks, this makes my lips feel like an accessory -- a bit like wearing bright red shoes with a dark outfit (which I also do).

Can lipstick count as an accessory? Does anyone else do this?

Dressing

32 replies

Latest reply was from Aziraphale

Anonymous

I think it can count. I however am the opposite - tend to stick with the same fair shades all the time - maybe I should branch out!

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I think it can work well for many women. I can't do it. For some reason, I look awful in bold lips. I stick with subtler lip colors and rarely think about the color in relation to my outfits, only my face.

I've tried to figure out why bold/dark lips are so problematic on me. Maybe the combination of high contrast coloring and largish features on a small face? I am much more comfortable playing up my eyes, but they are also a much stronger feature than my lips.

Aziraphale

Veteran

Janet, I've never seen you with bold lipstick so I can't comment, but I do think it works better on some faces due to a number of factors. It's the same with eye makeup. For example, I love dark liner on top and bottom, but I've never been able to wear it. My eyes are deep set and not large like yours, so if I try dark makeup around them, they just look smaller and more deep set -- like two black holes in my face! I bet dramatic eye makeup looks fabulous on you, though (whether or not it includes black liner).

I also feel that a person can play up either eyes or lips, but not both, or it will look theatrical.

Parkmommychic, most women go for delicate pink or neutral and it works really well. But it's always fun to try something new!

carambola

Veteran

I also tend to go with a natural colored lipstick that
matches or is just a shade darker than my lips, even for special
occasions. I do vary the tone and brightness depending on what I'm wearing, but I never go with anything
truly bright. I just don't feel quite like myself when my
lips stand out that much, but I often love the look on others who use a
strong lip as part of their style.

I don't know if I would call lipstick an accessory, but I do think it
can impact the overall look as a bag or a pair of shoes,
which I guess means it can serve the same purpose.

Alassë

Veteran

I agree that strong lipstick can be a "pop of color" accessory.

Periwinkle

I absolutely use red lipstick (and red shoes!) as an accessories. I especially like the pop of red when I am wearing a simple outfit with a lot of gray or navy. I think the look works for me in part because I wear a lot of neutrals and I have a slight retro flare to my style. I don't wear a bright lip as often if I already have a lot of color in my outfit.

I have always loved the look of a bright red lip with a neutral outfit, but it took me a long time to find the right red lipstick for me. My current hands down favorite is bareminerals marvelous moxie in "call the shots." It's a nice cool red, has a good texture, and wears down really nicely--doesn't turn a weird shade of pink or get streaky looking as some shades do.

MuseumGal

Veteran

I have brown hair, brown eyes, brown eye glasses, and brown skin. I absolutely use lipstick as an accessory - and to keep my face from completely disappearing.

ramya

Veteran

I am with janet though I love the idea of say red lips I can't carry it. Hence stick to my pinks and neutral to me color. Guess my thick lips ensure that lipstick can't be an accessory for me

ironkurtin

Veteran

I wish I could wear lipstick, but I have never found one that doesn't turn my lips into jerky. I've spent so long without it I feel weird with it on, now. Plus the boys hates it and won't kiss me even if I'm wearing balm!

Anonymous

Yes, lipstick can be an accessory, albeit one that requires re-application throughout the day.

Emily

Veteran

I'm wearing lipstick as an accessory right now!

Anonymous

I rarely wear lipstick.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Good points, Elisabeth! I can rock dramatic eye makeup and even black eyeliner, although I rarely do it now.

I guess it's no big loss for me, I'm fine accessorizing in other ways, and hubs likes more natural looking lips anyway.

Vildy

Veteran

I definitely wear lipstick as an accessory but more likely to wear a fuschia than a red for that.

I finally learned to line my own deep set eyes watching Sali Hughes of the Guardian. I can't find the video where she did one eye and proved that it made it look larger and not smaller but here is one where she shows a technique with pencils. She doesn't line the water line.

http://www.theguardian.com/fas.....cils-video

Mo

(website)

Veteran

I think it can be worn this way, and some ladies pull it off wonderfully. Others, not so much. I never remember even tinted gloss. I am faithful to mascara, though
I did try a color last month that the BF quite correctly described as 'clown like' on me. I invariably go back to the very occasional tinted gloss after a few attempts at finding a lipstick color every year or two.

E

Veteran

I love bright lipsticks on other women, but I look best in muted colours, and my lips aren't thick, so lipsticks quickly overwhelm me. Right now I stick with two muted medium pinks that are both quite close to my natural colour. I would love to find the right berry or burgundy shade for when I want to be more dramatic but no luck so far.

Thistle

Veteran

I wear chapstick, but almost never lipstick. DH hates it, and the smell bothers me.

Sveta

(website)

Veteran

I am like Janet: I don't like myself with bright lips. Interestingly they look good in the pictures but not in the mirror and I think makeup is one thing when mirror is more truthful than pictures!
Another problem wth lipstick is that it has to be re-applied during the day and I always forget
Shannon rocks red lips as accessory though!

catgirl

Veteran

Yes. Hair, boots and lipstick are my primary "accessories", especially now with the new job and functional dressing.

Greyscale

Veteran

I usually wear a very subtle natural color if anything. My lips are pale and my face is low contrast overall so bolder lips feel too bold. But on Saturday I wore shoes with a neon pink accent to a party and decided a bright coral lipstick would maybe bookend the shoes nicely - definitely lipstick as accessory but I didn't think of that til you said it. I should try more intense colors more often.

K. Period.

Veteran

I'm a huge fan of lipstick as accessory. That's actually a little hilarious, though, because I don't have particularly full or remarkable lips. I think I just like it because it is so temporary and I really like to smile.

FlorenceFearne

Interesting question. I recently had braces put on, so now I don't wear lipstick anymore, but I wore a classic red lip every single day for years before that. I didn't think of it as an accessory though, any more than I think of my hair color as an accessory. To me, I just had red lips, and that was part of my "natural" coloring.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I love lipstick and wear it every day. I love the way it adds polish to an outfit. But I do not wear bright lipstick. I wear shades of nude - and on occasion splatter a little red into the nude for a festive look.

annagybe

(website)

Veteran

I do! Red, have multiple variations; or fuschia.

Laurie

I did when I was young. Oh, the 80's was a glorious time for make-up! However, now that I'm considerably older, it's hard to wear as much - including challenging lip colors. Now, I stick with one or two shades that I hope flatter my skin tone, and teeth.

Aubergine

Veteran

I'll think about my lipstick as an accessory when I'm dressing up, but tend to go more for sheer and unobtrusive with my everyday outfits. Not sure why this is. Maybe because the dressier ones are more planned, so my makeup scheme has more thought behind it?

Now that I think about it, my dressier outfits tend to be very heavy on the black, so I want more color in there somewhere, while a lot of my everyday looks have warm muted red and purple shades that might look too matchy-matchy, or just sort of off, with more noticeable lipstick colors.

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

I love the idea of lipstick as an accessory, but my lips are extremely crooked and uneven (you don't see it so much when I smile for pictures) and I always feel a little Robert Smith (the Cure) in lipstick.

Joy

Veteran

I came of age when white and very pale lips were all the rage. Any color at all seems like a lot. Not an accessory for me, just a bit of polish. It seems weird when one sees the lipstick before the person

Deborah

Veteran

Yes I see lipstick as an accessory. For for me red lipstick is actually part of my 'signature' look. I rarely wear any other colour on my lips but red.

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