Nothing brings me to my childhood more than a perfectly pointed electric orange-y red lip.  My aunties, even when forgoing other cosmetics would always have the red lip painted on, even to go to the corner bodega.  It was always this most perfect shade, what I imagine Jean Harlow must have worn with her platinum blonde locks perfectly curled.   Needless to say, I was electrified. I adored my glamorous aunts with gaping, unadulterated child eyes and thought their brand of glamour was everything. I distinctly remember saying to myself, “This is how to be a woman.”

Unfortunately for me, as I got older, I came to the sad realization that that shade didn’t suit my coloring.  I found some great royal blue reds with a hint of sparkle and some muted brown-y reds which suited me much better.  However, in my mind, that shade will forever represent the little one in me, the one that had the lips painted on by my elders, the one who had Chanel number 5 splashed behind her ears and knees, and who learned about ballerina flats and heels and when to wear which.  It is my personal belief that was one of my formative experiences which shaped my future is such a tangible way and I reflect very fondly on those memories.

“Beauty, to me, is about being comfortable in your own skin. That, or a kick-ass red lipstick.”
-Gwyneth Paltrow

Photo Credit to Beauty Loft, DecoHollywood Blogspot