One thing we always hear from our friends is that they "can't wear red lipstick." When asked why, a number of excuses come up: they never get the right shade, it's too bold or red just isn't their color.
We went around New York and found some great tips from different women who had one thing in common: cool red lips. According to them, rouge is the ultimate statement makeup no matter if you're creating a custom shade or applying a cult favorite like MAC's Ruby Woo.
So, if we've yet to convince you that you can rock a red, look below to see some perspective on making the lipstick work for you!
Go for an off-beat hue 
Nicole says: "It's just an orange and a red mixed together. I start with the orange and layer the red on top. It looks more neon than a traditional red."
Prep the night before for the perfect red matte lip 
Rachel says: Use a DIY Vaseline and sugar lip scrub. "It's perfect to do the night before you want to wear a bold color. It softens and smoothes them so the color goes on nicely, especially if you love wearing matte colors like I do!"
Splurge on a high-end brand, if you want
Tess says: "The only thing I invest in is my lipstick -- it stays better and feels good on my lips." Try her Chanel Rouge Coco in Paradis, available here.
Make the color last all day long 
Nia says: "The key to having the color stay on is taking lip liner and filling in the entire lip, then put lipstick on top. It gives you a couple of layers of color to get you through wine and kisses and talking!"
Layer on a couple of shades to make your own custom red 
Jenny says: "I combine all three lipsticks to get a deeper, richer red."
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