The Power Lip
There are some things in life that just make you feel good instantly: a promotion at work, a fresh manicure, a swim in the ocean or slipping into a pair of black skinnies and a structured black blazer . We liken the power of a statement lip to the latter – it's easy, it’s empowering and it eliminates the need for anything else.
There are some things in life that just make you feel good instantly: a promotion at work, a fresh manicure, a swim in the ocean or slipping into a pair of black skinnies and a structured black blazer.
We liken the power of a statement lip to the latter – it’s easy, it’s empowering and it eliminates the need for anything else.
Put simply, it instantly ups your #bosslady status. You know what they say – do your squats, eat your vegetables, wear red lipstick and don’t let boys be mean to you. Or in the wise words of Coco Chanel, ‘if you’re sad, add more lipstick and attack’ (yep, she totally said that).
And when worn right (i.e. the French-girl way, with stripped-back skin, brushed-up brows and bare lashes), lipstick can be your best accessory (ok, a 2.55 never goes astray either).
But it’s not just about whacking on any lipstick – if it’s going to go the distance, you want one that makes your lips feel as amazing as they look…
Enter le nouveau ‘Rouge Coco’ – CHANEL’s modern rendition of the original cult classic lipstick.
Why do we love it? It’s made to last, the colours are timeless, there’s 29 to choose from and they’re all named after Coco’s friends – including 4 different reds – so all you have to do is decide whether you’re Gabrielle, Dimitri, Arthur or Etienne. The decision’s tough, we’re not going to lie. CHANEL are masters of the colour palette. They have a way of making us need new shades we didn’t even know existed.
We quizzed CHANEL’s resident make-up guru Victoria Baron for her tips on how to get it perfect (every time).
Here’s what we learned…
By Carmen Hamilton.
Exfoliate your lips with a scrub or toothbrush.
‘It’s important that lipstick is applied to a clean, fresh canvas,’ Baron says.
If you’re going for a bold lip, line the edges with a pencil and then colour them in.
This will define the shape and give your lipstick even more staying-power.
Load a lip brush with your Rouge Coco red of choice (ours is ‘Gabrielle‘).
Hint: we used Le Crayon Levrès for step 2, which has a lip brush on the other end. Très convenient.
Apply to the very centre of your lips, and then fill them in – working the brush from the corners into the middle.
This offloads most of the product to the centre of your lips where you need it most, which makes it easier to get a clean line at the outer edges where you need less.
‘Sweep the brush over the entire area of the lips again to spread the product evenly,’ Baron says.
Blot your lips to remove excess and press the colour into the lips.
Repeat steps 4 and 5.
‘Coco Rouge is buildable – each colour can be used as a stain or layered for more impact,’ Baron says.
We opted for high impact, obvs.
Done, dusted and ready to hit the town with our new fave friend ‘Gabrielle‘.
