The holiday season is upon us, which means parties galore and plenty of reasons to dress up in sparkly numbers. A great way to make your dazzling outfit pop is to pair it with the perfect red lip, and boy do I know how to get the perfect red lip!
The Perfect Holiday Rockette Red Lips
Jennifer McCamish
My technique had proven fool-proof when dancing with the Rockettes on our 6 show days (yes, that means 6 shows in a day) when I was sweating, high-kicking, quick-changing, napping and snacking on breaks, and I needed minimum lip touch up. My technique got the Rockette gals to start asking, “How do you get your lips to stay put with the Santa beard on?” (we’ll leave that story for another blog.) I had unlocked some tips I had to share which helped prevent blood red lip color from smearing across my friends’ faces and teeth – after all, the Rockettes are in the business of spreading glamorous holiday cheer, not looking like the aftermath of a bar fight from a “Girls Gone Wild” episode. I continued to use these tips while serving as the Rockette’s make-up artist on photo shoots and nationally televised performances like The Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, The Rockefeller Tree Lighting Ceremony and The Today Show. Enjoy!
Step 1: Prep your lips by moisturizing your face and massaging the remaining product around the edges and center of your lips. Let this soak in while you apply the rest of your make-up, leaving your lips ’til the end.
Step 2: Add a touch of concealer around the edges of lips and lightly dust or press powder at the edges to set the concealer and prevent feathering.
Step 3: Choose your favorite red lip liner. I recommend a blue-based red because it looks great with all skin tones. Line and fill the entire lip in with the red lip liner. This will serve as a red base over the entire lip and prevent a “Murphy’s ring.” (My awesome 9th grade history teacher had a questionable lip application of brown lip liner around the edge and light frosted pink color in the center – I tried this technique myself when I first started dancing professionally, when my spunky new Philadelphia friend advised me that this was the way to make your lips pop… I have since hidden all of those pictures.)
Step 4: Apply Mac’s Russian Red matte lipstick on top of the liner. The creamy flat finish is beautiful and classic with a fun vintage look, or you can glam it up a notch with a touch of gloss in the center of the lips. Remember to go light on the gloss and blot because it will make your lips more susceptible to bleeding and fading throughout the night.
Step 5: When dealing with bright colors, I always like to make sure the color is contained to my lips, NOT my teeth. Press your lips around the side of a bent index finger and this will take off any excess product on the inside of the lip that can smudge onto your teeth.
I hope these red lips tips come in handy to you this holiday season! ;)
- Jennifer
About the Author
Jennifer McCamish is the owner of Dancers Shape, a Pilates and barre fitness studio in Austin, Texas. A former NYC Radio City Rockette with over 30 years of dance experience and training from legendary institutes around the country, McCamish has worked or performed with many well-known celebrities, television shows and publications. Utilizing her professional knowledge and education, she created Dancers Shape, a unique approach to fitness, incorporating elements of ballet, yoga, Pilates and circuit training to efficiently build strength and muscle tone while maintaining a lean and nimble body. McCamish holds a BA in Dance from the University of Texas in Austin, Athletic Training in Injury Prevention for Dancers from Radio City Entertainment, is a STOTT PILATES Certified Instructor including Injuries and Special Populations, Cooper Institute Certified Personal Trainer, IDEA Fitness and Wellness member, and is certified in CPR-First Aid. She is a certified instructor including injuries, special populations and golf conditioning. Read more about Jennifer.