Is bright or dark lipstick considered aging?

Victoria

I remember reading in several books on style that said that more natural colors would actually make you look younger. There is some truth to it, I think. But What if you love bold lip? Would you wear it anyway?

13 years ago

General

10 replies

Latest reply was from Angie

Aziraphale

Veteran

Yep, I wear it anyway and I think it looks just great. (For the record, I turn 40 in a few weeks). If, at some point in time, it no longer looks good, I'll stop doing it.

13 years ago

Kari

Veteran

OK, this is just my uneducated 2 cents, as I'm not a beautician or colorist.

I think that bold and dark lip colors *can* look good without being necessarily aging.
Examples from a quick Google image search:
http://www.google.com/imgres?s.....,s:71,i:59
http://www.google.com/imgres?u.....s:31,i:184
http://www.google.com/imgres?s.....:306,i:135
http://www.google.com/imgres?s.....#038;ty=39
http://www.google.com/imgres?u.....s:50,i:293

But thinking about it - these colors *are* softer hued than what you might see on a twenty-something starlet (BRIGHT cherry red, dark wine, etc.) I guess they are a more tempered version of the trendy bold hues at the extreme dark or bright end of the lipstick spectrum.

13 years ago

Echo

Veteran

So much of this depends on the person and the rest of the makeup, IMO. A person with around the lip lines needs to be more cautious with bold colours, for example, to make sure they don't bleed. And matte colours tend to be more aging than moister looking lipsticks. This is true for the rest of the makeup, as well. If the face looks dry or overly matte, then a bolder lip is more jarring in comparison. And then there are the colours themselves. I do agree that while a bold lip can work at any age, not necessarily any colour will work at every age or with every skintone, so it's important to find the right ones to flatter your complexion.

13 years ago

Veteran

I think it depends primarily on the quality of the skin, both the texture and the colour. If your skin is looking older, the darker colour will draw attention to it. Conversely, it highlights a youthful glow very well. I think in general, older women should avoid brighter, darker make-up because it doesn't flatter them. It's the same principle as a slicked-back hairstyle drawing attention to the shape of your face. If you're puffy or gaunt, the effect is horrible. If you have good facial structure, and you're at a good weight, it can look gorgeous.

13 years ago

(website)

Veteran

I remember my own grandma sporting the very bright lip and no other make up. And it would eventually bleed. I agree that is not a good look, and is aging. I'm sure there is a way to do it that looks just fine but the stereotype of bright, bleeding lips does come to mind first.

13 years ago

Freckles

Veteran

When I first read this post yesterday I would have had to agree that the lipstick is aging. Today I went out to the farmers market and drugstore with bright red lips and got a compliment in one store and was flirted with at the market. Now I definately have lip lines so who knows...

13 years ago

RoseandJoan

Veteran

I think there is also the collagen issue to consider, as lips age they naturally lose there plumpness and a bright or dark lipstick can make the lips appear thinner still.

13 years ago

Aziraphale

Veteran

What RoseandJoan says is true. Even on young lips, some look great with bright/dark lipstick, and some look bad. I remember noticing, years ago when I was still a teenager, that bold lipstick suited my own lips but looked clownish on my thinner-lipped cousin. However, lots of black eye makeup looked fab on her, and it made my deep-set eyes look like two big black holes on my face. There's always a trade-off.

It's true that lipstick bleeding up the vertical lines on a person's lips does look, well, inept. Which is never stylish, at any age.

13 years ago

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Agreed that it very much depends on the individual (coloring, shape of face and features, style in general), but I err on the side of a lighter, more subtle lip, and will continue to do that as I get older. Quite frankly, it's not the part of my face I like to draw attention to. I've always looked better with an emphasis on the eyes rather than the lips, and I have a feeling that is a rule even more appropriate as I age.

I have a friend several years older than me who has darker, more olive skin and dark hair, and she looks marvelous in dark lip shades. Always has and probably always will.

13 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I agree with all the comments!

13 years ago

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