COLLAGE : FILM ACTRESS & RED LIPS

Natalie Portman pirouetting through the semantics of Charlotte Gainsbourgh’s feral eyes echoing whispers of Rooney Mara owning abstract empires where Rachel Weisz’s razor tongue folds into sensual soulfulness as Michelle Williams heartbroken unbreakableness mirrors Emma Stone’s innocently wise toughness masquerading as Carey Mulligan’s wisely innocent stoicism against the sweet celluloid of Jennifer Connelly’s fragile ferocity.

Oh, girls on film beckon.

In the 1940s, red lipstick was a key accessory to feminine glamour, seen on stars like Rita Hayworth and Elizabeth Taylor. Taylor loved a stained red lip so much she supposedly demanded that it was not to be worn by anyone else on her movie sets. Icons from Audrey Hepburn to Marilyn Monroe adopted the sultry shade.

Today’s red pout continues to be very embraceable. Rachel Weisz and Natalie Portman dabble in a delectable red lip, while Emma Stone and Jennifer Connelly make vermillion a signature color. In the current Louis Vuitton ads, Michelle Williams stands beside classic monogrammed luggage, all shiny eyes and bright red lips - ready for travel. At numerous film premieres, Carey Mulligan stepped onto the red carpet with rouged lips that mimicked the color of her gowns- an almost ode to Queen Elizabeth II, who commissioned her own lipstick shade to match her coronation robes for the 1952 ceremony.

Although some celebrities are calling dibs on cherry lips, the punchy polish has gone from must-have maquillage to shiny, cultural mirror. In the late ’80s, the artist Marilyn Minter created a series of glossy paintings featuring bold red-lipped women. In one image, a siren is holding a pearl necklace in her slightly opened mouth. We don’t see her eyes, just the voluminous pearls tumbling from that red mouth. Minter has said about her work, “Women should make images for their own pleasure.”

To master a red lip, try as many shades as possible, which will help to find one that compliments skin, hair, and eyes. Pair a red lip with a naked eye- a swipe of mascara is all you need – to take in the world.

2013