While make-up trends often push things forward with crazy colours and avant-garde designs, a classic matte red lip never goes out of style.
"A bold red lipstick is a classic look that started its real journey in the early 1900s and since then, has always been seen as a powerful, dominant look," says Sascha Jackson, lead make-up artist at Stila.
"It has always been a look we can turn to without being ‘off-trend’, but this season, we saw it making a huge comeback across the catwalk.
"A matte red lip was teamed with polished skin and minimal make-up to keep the look fresh and light, but with a punch."
The AW19 look was all about being well-defined, so here, Jackson explains how to create the perfect bold pout, plus we give you the inside scoop on how to create five catwalk lip looks…
1. Prep
"To truly rock a red lip, you need to start with a good base. Firstly, I like to exfoliate the lip.
"I like to make my own lip scrub, using a little coconut oil and some sugar. Mix them together and work into the lip to sloth off any dryness.
"Once done, remove all the excess scrub – you don’t want the coconut oil to upset the staying power of the lipstick."
2. Line
"Next, I will take a little of the liquid lipstick I’m using onto a fine lip brush, and use this to line the lips.
"My favourite ever red is Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Beso – it’s a ‘true’ red. The formula locks in and lays down smooth, and won’t bleed or feather.
"Using a small amount as a liner first enables you to create the desired shape of your lips i.e. build slight natural volume by working it just over the bridge of the lip line."
Zoeva Precision Lip Brush, €9.25, Beauty Bay
3. Fill
"Next step is to fill in, working the product across the lip. A little goes a long way, so you do not need too much – the less product you use, the more comfortable the finish will be.
"Let your lips dry, and don’t ‘smoosh’ them together, just let the formula lock in and it will last up to 12 hours."
Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Beso, €20, Boots
Pick your pout: 5 red lip looks from the AW19 catwalks
1. Emilia Wickstead
Taking inspiration from the character Mary Corleone in The Godfather movies, make-up artist Lucy Bridge designed three looks for the Emilia Wickstead show, one of which included a bright blue-toned red, using a Suqqu Matte Lip Crayon.
Suqqu Matte Lip Crayon, £24 (roughly €28), Harrods
Suqqu Lip Defining Pencil in Dark Red, £14 (roughly €16), Selfridges
2. Louis Vuitton
This deliciously dark red came courtesy of make-up legend Pat McGrath’s MatteTrance Lipstick in Guinevere.
That shade is now sold out, but you can get the look with the similarly vampish Vendetta.
Pat McGrath Labs MatteTrance Lipstick in Vendetta, €38
3. Helmut Lang
Make-up artist Susie Sobol used Maybelline’s Red For Me on the diverse cast of models at Helmut Lang, which she describes as "a universally flattering, classic red that works with all skin tones".
Maybelline Color Sensational Made For All 382 in Red For Me, €11.99, Boots
4. Rejina Pyo
At London Fashion Week, Lord and Berry make-up artist Niamh Quinn wanted to erase even the slightest hint of shine on the lips at the Rejina Pyo show, so she layered the brand’s China Red with loose powder to give an ultra matte finish.
Lord and Berry Vogue Lipstick in China Red, £17 (roughly €20)
5. Versace
Another Pat McGrath creation, the dark red matte at Versace was teamed with beautifully clean skin and a sharp cat-eye liner flick.
Pat McGrath Labs MatteTrance Lipstick in Elson, €38
