Lip colour has come a long way. Red, nude, violet, sheen, glitter, and you-name-it-Mac-already-got-it. I've got quite a collection of lip colours in my make-up box (except any shades of purple. I haven't lost my mind). Mostly gifts during Christmas and my birthday. Thanks to friends who either assume I love lip glosses so much that I want to build a museum around them or they think I don't look well enough and thus, the need to add colour to my pale lips.

But anyhow, I love gliding lip stick or gloss to my *muack muack* lips. Of recent, I'm pretty stuck to the basics - red.

[Image via Garance Dore]

Red is one colour I haven't really had in that lip colour collection. I used to think red as passé. The Mother's and her mother's era. Loud-mouth aunties with long red nails scared me. Maybe fugly TV personalities with loud red lips traumatized my childhood too.

But really, nothing flatters our girlie faces than a dash of rouge rouge. Red lip colour no longer comes in just one typical shade of well... scarlet red. I like the look of a naturally pale face with nothing but well-defined eyes, red lipstick and a big bright smile, but somehow I (prolly you too) find it a tad difficult to pull of the look. without looking obiang or a nut job from IMH. I learnt it could only be the shade of red which didn't complement my Asian skin. Now, ere're probably a zillion different interpretations of red out there. Smouldering red, berry red, crimson red, fuschia, coral red, cherry pink and... you get my drift. When in doubt, check out Nars or Mac. There is definitely that one shade of rouge which rocks our inner Dita Von Teese alter ego. Actually I found quite a few from Nars which I couldn't wait to get my hands on. Does anyone know if the bigger Sephora shop at Ion carries Nars?? Singapore girls will miss out so so much if Nars isn't available here.

Nars in Fast Ride

Nars in Roman Holiday
(not red per se, but still cute-worthy to mention)

I recalled how much fun I had with The Mother's red Dior lipstick when I was a kid, before I associate red with irritating aunties, vampires, prostitutes and over-the-hill middle-age secretaries. But wait! Audrey Hepburn looks great in red lipstick and she looked very pretty. I decided to take the plunge and got my first RED lip stick. For beginners, try drugstore labels first. Maybelline's Moisture Extreme in Cranberry works for me. A deep red with a slight kiss of berry - wonderful for my imaginary 1920s nostalgia look.

Looks Like Sin (Deep Berry CremeSheen)

Then I'd add Mac's Cremesheen in Looks like Sin for extra 'depth'. So far I'm rocking the look comfortably. Less the cheek colour, more the rouge glider. ;)

Red is a strangely powerful colour. I'm quite addicted to my daily routine of putting on my red lip colour. Brushing my lips, lining the sides so carefully and pouting every now and then. Red lipstick has no tolerence for fuss-free lipgloss goers. Hardly something you could simply glide along while in a car. In fact, it gives me the pleasure of spending more time to admire myself in the mirror. Hah!

I'm young and bold. For now, red rocks my world, goes with my clothes and Archie is quite seduced by my rouge. Except he knows that kissing me too passionately isn't going to work out. Still, he's intrigued. I'm not sure how red lip stick works for me when I'm 30, 40 or 50. But I'm sure there is a shade that will work for me when the time comes.