Red lipstick? I could sleep in my red lipstick! Subtle, yet flamboyant and a dirty little secret for myself. -

A Single Man Premiere

That's what I used to do when I was having down days, and needed an extra pick-me-up. And, now it's the accessory of the season in 2010!

It worked for my grandmother. To her, red lipstick was her weapon of self protection, her code of femininity, her shield of grace. It was a a way to show the world that she wouldn’t let the pain get to her no matter how intense it became. She's known about this trick for years, and as much as we may be sick of hearing about red lipstick being a throw back to times gone by, well, now its current again. 'Isn't it current every year?' I think to myself. Or perhaps the years are just blending into one.

Gwen Stefani and L.A.M.B.

Being the granddaughter to a woman born in Cuba, I was bred to act like one. Since I was sixteen years old, mi abuela wrapped me in her arms, planted her bright red lips on my cheeks, and promptly would usher me into the ladies room for a touch up. She would purchase her favorite Diamond Cosmetics 'Get Red-E Here I Come' lipstick with aloe vera, and hand it over to me, nodding her head to show that she knows what I must now do. She would turn me towards her once the application was complete, and say, “Now, there's my granddaughter. Que bonita! So beautiful. Why don't you always wear that. You will never find a man unless you put red on your lips.” (Oh, so that was my problem!) Not that I was looking for a man at that point in my life, but if it was good enough for mi abuela, than it was good enough for me.

The Romans may have seen it as the mark of a prostitute, but Queen Cleopatra wore it as a symbol of her heightened

Fashion Week

importance and sophistication, and Grandma Lopez wore it as a representation of her greatest treasure – her propre amour, her self respect. I now wear it for my dignity and to invoke a bit of fabulousness into any fabulously nonsense evening, oh, and because I'm at the height of fashion, of course.

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A lipstick sub-primer:

Red lipstick is a universal classic and has yet to go out of style, according to the fashion magazines, yet many women assume they can't wear it. They're wrong. Here we show you how.

Rule No. 1: The secret lies in the rest of your face. The paler the skin, the bigger the pop. Go light on the eyes and the blush, otherwise you’ll risk looking like a clown (Cameron Diaz made this fatal mistake at the 2007 Golden Globes). Here’s how to do it: Skip eyeliner and go only for mascara (black for brunettes, brown for blondes and redheads), making sure to apply to bottom lashes (it opens up your eyes). Dust face with powder and cheeks with a soft blush.

Rule No. 2: Line inside of lips. Red lipstick tends to bleed, so fill in lips with lip liner first, suggests makeup artist Ashunta Sheriff in the December 2006 issue of Harper's Bazaar.

Rule No. 3: Pick the right color. If your complexion is pink, you'll look better in plum shades, while girls with yellow tones are flattered by warmer reds that have a brown base, according to celebrity makeup artist Jemma Kidd in the December 2005 issue of Harper's.

Rule No. 4: Don't let nails clash. We prefer non-red nail polish when you're going red on the lips. A clear polish or light color is cool, and black polish is a trend that shows no sign of going away anytime soon. If you want to go red on the nails, make sure the color matches your lips. I strongly feel Essie makes the best nail polishes. Check out your red options here.



Claire Danes

Rule No. 5: Blending is in. Few makeup artists stick to one shade of any lipstick, they tend to blend a few to create the perfect colors. If you've bought a red lipstick shade that's too bright, dark or whatever, don't throw it away. Instead, experiment with other lipstick shades you have on hand to create the perfect shade of red.

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New York Fashion Week was rife with red lips. From bright cherry at Donna Karan to a dark Cabernet-Sauvignon at Gwen Stefani's L.A.M.B., and Vena Cava's coral red color, they can't go wrong. Diane Kruger, always looking fabulous, took some of Grandma Lopez' advice and puckered up for the SAG Awards, as did Jane Krakowski. Claire Danes at the BAFTA Awards, Issa A/W '10 at London Fashion Week, Christian Dior, Emmanuel Ungaro, Vivienne Westwood at Paris Fashion Week, Madonna and Julianne Moore at the A Single Man premiere all followed this striking trend.

So, are you going to listen to your grandmother this year?