Taylor Swift red lips

Taylor Swift’s make-up evolution has grown from the demure girl-next-door look into stunning red-carpet elegance.

Not everyone can pull off a strong eye and bold lip. The key to wearing this look is to be confident about it. If you are self-conscious, it’s OK to tone down the look to suit your personality.

Swift dons a signature red lip as part of her style. The trickier part of her look is combining this high-intensity lip with a strong, smoky eye while still maintaining a balanced result.

The first rule to achieving a balanced strong eye and bold lip is to use tones that complement each other. If you use warm tones on the lips, you need to use warm tones on the eyes. And, if you use cool tones on the lips, you need to adapt and use cooler tones on the eyes.

There are so many shades of red lipstick. The only way to tell if a red is warm or cool toned is to compare it with another red lipstick and possibly a third if you still can’t see it. Having a blue red (true red) lipstick will always help when comparing red tones, as the true red will always remain red when compared with other shades.

Swift mixes the tones from her lipstick into her eyeshadow to create perfect balance between the bold eye and strong lip. To ensure the perfect balance, you can use your warm red as a base for your smoky eye.

Try this bronze smoky eye using a warm red lipstick:

Step 1.

Apply the warm red lipstick to the back of your hand and, using a fluffy blending brush, work the colour into the back of your hand to ensure the brush is evenly coated with the lipstick.

Apply the lipstick to your eyelids, focusing on the mobile lid and stopping at the socket (crease). Make sure the inner corner of the eye hasn’t been forgotten.

Step 2.

Blend! The reason we call this look a smoky eye is because you cannot tell where smoke begins and ends, and like smoke, you want your shadow to blend away into nothing. Use a clean blending brush, place it into your socket line, and with your eyes open, sweep the brush in an arching manner, following the shape of your own eye. At this point you do not want to see a definite start or finish to your eyeshadow. If there is still a line, keep blending. It is far easier to blend it now, than when we set it with shadow.

Step 3.

Use a dark bronze or a chocolate-brown shadow and a firm dome brush. Pat the shadow all over your mobile lid. Concentrate on applying the lipstick from the base of your lashes and stopping at the crease line. Use a clean blending brush and tap the tip of the brush into your shadow — sweep this through the socket as before to ensure a blended smoky edge.

Step 4.

Use a dark brown or black gel eyeliner and a firm angle brush. You can even use a tapered lip brush, just make sure not to use anything too fine.

Gels are not like liquid liner and need a bit of firmness in the brush to ensure a straight line. Start your line in the centre and work out towards your temples. Make sure you rest the brush against your lashes for stability.

(I find it easier if the mascara has already been applied as it gives a bit more stability to the lashes and brush). Always end your liner at the end of your eye — for a clean smoky look we don’t want to create a wing.

Use the same gel and apply along your waterline and blend it down into your lower lash line. Set the lower lash line with some of your darker eyeshadow to ensure your eye liner doesn’t budge.

Step 5.

Use a shimmery gold or copper pigment and delicately apply this to the inner corner for a little extra red carpet glam.

Apply lipstick — to your lips this time — and sweep a tiny bit of bronzer on to your cheeks.

It is best to keep your cheeks minimal for this look as overpowering them can push the look over the top.

If you are in a hurry, apply your eye make-up and lipstick before your foundation. As you are about to leave, buff on your foundation and it will erase any fallout from your shadow.

It’s a pity she’s not performing in Perth because I think Swift would be impressed with this look!