Red Retreat

Red lipstick is like the little black dress of the beauty world. Makeup artists to the stars reveal why you need to go “rouge” on your wedding day.

-  Nupur Sarvaiya

It’s the colour of passion, of sex, of incitement and excitement. The camera loves it and Indian women wed in it. No colour can match the appeal of red. A power move and a powerful colour, red is also a symbol of purity and feminine energy. Then, there’s the transformative swipe of a classic red lipstick. Over the years, brands have met its perennial popularity with a dizzying menagerie of lipstick choices, leaving no colour, undertone, or finish unturned. Red lipstick can up the ante on your big day, whether you’re wearing it in the day or evening, whether you’re going the monotone route or need a punchy contrast to your pastel ensemble—if you have found the right shade, that is. So, we called on the makeup artists to Bollywood stars to share why they keep returning to reds, along with their go-to red lipsticks for you to choose from.

NAMRATA SONI

The makeup artist behind Sonam Kapoor Ahuja’s wedding look, Soni reinstates, “Red looks great on Indian skin tones.” It’s perhaps why Soni relied on a beautiful red-stained lip that commanded all eyes for the Bollywood bride for her Anand Karaj back in May 2018. “Red is a colour that can work with almost any outfit, from ivories and pinks to greens and blues. It automatically adds a sense of glamour to the wedding look, and so, most brides choose it,” Soni explains.

NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Dragon Girl: £22, www.NarsCosmetics.co.uk

SHRADDHA NAIK