I’m a big supporter of natural, glowing makeup looks, but every now and then I have to go full glam with a smokey eye and/or classic red lips! Over the years, I’ve tried so many different products, some have worked great and I feel very Marilyn Monroe-esk, and unfortunately, others have had a circus clown effect. I wanted to share with you my all-time favorites, especially since these products can often be a hit or miss!      

My favorite eye shadow palette to achieve a beautiful, smokey eye look is the Makeup Forever Artist Palette Volume 1 – Nudes! This palette retails for $44, but is an overall value of $136! Makeup Forever eyeshadows are some of the best on the market! I find that they’re super buttery and richly pigmented, plus they last forever on the eyes! The colors in this palette are perfect if you want to create that traditional silver-taupe-black gradient that we often see in classic smokey eyes. I like the versatility that comes with this palette, allowing you to choose a sultry, bronze glam or even a bright-eyed, white and gold look! I highly recommend getting this product if you enjoy the colors shown in my swatches! These eyeshadows are so beautiful and definitely worth the money, especially when you save so much purchasing in palette form! 

     

I love red lipstick, but let’s be real…it is a very high maintenance color to wear. It bleeds, it fades unevenly, you may even face the dreaded ‘transfer onto your teeth’ effect. The following products have great longevity, minimal transfer and come in a variety of finishes, so whether you like glossy or matte lips, I got you covered! My first red lip favorite is the Stila Stay All Day Gloss in, “Scarlet Vinyl.” It is a super shiny, very opaque formula that gives your lips a lacquered look. It’s very moisturizing, so you can rest assured your lips won’t flake off into little red bits. For a lip gloss, this formula is very long lasting and will not fade throughout the night! Continuing with the glossy lips, the NYX Butter glosses are my absolute favorite of all time! I highly recommend these in any color! The shade, “Cherry Pie” is a very sheer, but super pretty whenever you just want a hint of red. I love wearing this product during the day when I can’t commit to the upkeep of a pigmented lip. These glosses are so creamy and feel like a balm on your lips, trust me you’ll want them in every color! The Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in “Fiery” is a very matte, zero shine formula, which is beautiful if you want that retro red lip look. I love this shade in particular because it is more warm-toned, with a hint of orange, which I love for the summertime! This product wears for such a long time and will not transfer! The only downside is that it can feel a bit drying once you remove all your makeup, but try putting a Chapstick or lip primer underneath and you’ll be fine! The Bite Beauty Matte Creme Lip Crayon in “Rose Hip,” which is a vibrant red. These are my favorite matte lip products because they aren’t drying, but also aren’t shiny. These lip crayons have a perfect shape to outline and fill in your lips very precisely, which is important with a bold lip color! I own a few other colors in this range and I would highly recommend if you’re just starting out with makeup, they are fool-proof and come in so many beautiful shades! Lastly, I wanted to mention the Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in the color, “Red Square.” These are similar in shape to the Bite Beauty lip crayons, making the application process so ideal for lining the lips and then filling in! These feel creamy at first, but eventually set into a matte finish and become virtually transfer-proof! I always get compliments on this shade and I find it is very wearable because of the slight hint of brown in the formula, making it almost a brick-red color!

   

I also wanted to recommend some extra products that aren’t absolute must-haves, but they may be solutions to some problems you could be having with red lipstick! The M.A.C and ColourPop lip primers will help prep your lips by filling in fine lines and lightly moisturizing before application! Now that I own these products and love them, I can never wear a liquid lipstick or a matte formula without a primer underneath! These will prevent cracking and uneven fading as well! I also would advise you to line your lips before putting on red lipstick! The thought of lipstick bleeding outside the edges is cringe-worthy to say the least, but by laying down a liner first, you can help seal in those lip lines and guard the product from reaching your chin, upper lip, etc! You can of course line with a red lip liner, but sometimes that can be a little scary because if you mess up…it’s not always the easiest color to blend out! For beginners, try using a regular nude shade until you have mastered the desired shape you want the lip line to be! 

       

Black eyeliners and classic glamorous makeup go hand-in-hand for me! I wanted to mention my favorites since I also use these in my everyday makeup routine as well! The Stila Smudge Stick’s are the best eyeliners to blend out and create a smoldering effect! I have the black one shown in the photo, but I own a lot of the other shades as well and love to blend them on the upper and lower lash lines for a faded, yet defined effect! The Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in the shade, “Trooper,” is a holy-grail makeup product in my collection! If you want to do winged eyeliner and find that your currently felt tip pen isn’t doing you justice, change to this immediately! It’s super precise and very black, plus it’ll last forever! The Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in the shade, “Tuxedo” makes an amazing black base for your eyeshadows to lay on top of! If you really want your deeper, jewel-toned eyeshadows to pop, try layering them with a black eyeshadow base! These Caviar Sticks last so long on the eyelids and will not crease! The Tarte Tarteist Clay Paint Liner is liquid liner goals! This goes on so evenly pigmented and dark, I was so impressed the first time I tried it because I’ve always found other pot or liquid liners to be so dry or overly wet and messy, but this one is absolutely perfect! If you prefer drawing on your winged eyeliner with a brush, I would definitely recommend these Tarteist liners to you! 

    

Thank you for taking the time to read about my classic glam makeup favorites! Don’t feel compelled to wear a bold lip and a bold eye all at the same time, pick and choose different techniques from this post and make them your own! What are some of the products you grab whenever you want to create a timeless or retro makeup look? Let me know in the comments! 

    

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