Getting lippy

Bright lipstick shades from Mac for the daring among us. Photo / Supplied

New Zealand women have never been shrinking violets, so it's no surprise our favourite lipstick colours aren't bland. But we're hardly known as cosmetic queens so when one beauty company representative told me we loved our bright lipstick, I thought I'd check out our preferences with a few other big brands.

Seems it's so; we do like some colour, rather than the really nude shades that have been in vogue internationally for quite a few seasons now. But it's not all unremittingly bright and not surprisingly colour allegiance varies by brand. Age comes into it, too, with Gen Y most likely to experiment with bold colour and adopt the new, darker shades.

One constant is that flattering rose pink shades appear in the top five colours of most of the main ranges - but not all. At trendsetting M.A.C, it's full-on red and orange, with only one muted tone (a brownish mauve) in the top five. One of Revlon's chart-toppers is Orange Flip, an old favourite shade that was deleted, but brought back by popular demand. Raisins, plums and red also feature. Plum is the top choice at Clarins and while Shiseido's number one is a soft pink, it's closely followed by Dragon red. The Clinique favourite is bright pink.

Over in Sydney, glossy pale pinks and nudes are big, in Melbourne there's Continental-style colour too. Here we seem most comfortable in the middle ground of mid-tones, but not being slavish followers of international fashion we do show a quirky individuality.

"New Zealanders don't like being girly, girly," says Lancome's national beauty adviser Petra Rijnbeek. She's a big fan of colour on the lips, and says women shouldn't be afraid of it as it brings life to the skin and eyes.

"We're so obsessed with looking younger, colour is a youth tonic in itself."

A predominantly Anglo-Saxon heritage and sun-warmed complexions go some way to explaining our colour preferences.

We don't suit the true nudes that look so good on the Latina likes of Jennifer Lopez and we're a little rosy cheeked to carry off the red-lipped, porcelain pale look. Our style is relaxed rather than polished and both nudes and the classic colours require a certain pulled together elegance.

M.A.C's national makeup artist Amber Dreadon is used to her customers making bold choices and puts this down, partly, to the national penchant for darker clothes. "New Zealand women tend to wear so much black, it's easy to enjoy colour on our lips."

She says wearing colour comes down to confidence and the easiest way to start is by going a couple of shades darker than your normal, safe, shade selection. It's a trick many women seem to have adopted already, taking us into the Kiwi favourite mid-tones, though not always in the expected rosy shades.

Several brand managers were surprised when they looked into the list of favourite lipsticks. Elizabeth Arden's top-seller is a colour called Perfect Ginger, closely followed by the expected rose pinks, but joined also by the rather brown Bronze.

Frosted shades have survived the decades in a number of companies' popular shades. "The older ladies stick with their favourites," explains Arden's brand manager Tina Ross.

Estee Lauder's communications manager, Rose Caughey, didn't expect to find bright shades among her top sellers, but there's plenty of mid-tones, with a fruity twist. (Nectarine, Melon and Frosted Apricot being No 1, 2 and 3).

Lancome's customers like soft rosy shades, appropriate given the rose is the brand's emblem, but it wasn't petal pink but an orangey-red that bloomed supreme. At Dior the signature reds are the strongest sellers, while Chanel customers favour a coral orange and a brown copper. Among these premier brands, Yves St Laurent is alone in having a paler shade as its best seller, the pretty Lingerie Pink, but this is closely followed by apricots, corals and orange.

Big sellers L'Oreal and Maybelline have a mixed bag of top five shades, but both feature a bold red, a neutral and a rose. L'Oreal's number one is brownish pink, Maybelline's a frosted wine-pink shade.

So rather than looking for one over-ridingly popular colour, you may as well just have fun. Don't be scared to brighten up your look, it's right on trend for spring/summer so you won't be alone. Experimenting with a new lipstick is way cheaper than buying a new dress and remember, as Amber D says: "Try it, it comes off."

LIP TIPS
In Western Europe colour choices are bold. Throughout Asia, fleshy tones are most popular. In India and the Middle East the focus tends to be on the eyes with lips kept beige or natural. In the States, colour varies by region: LA likes it hot and bright, the interior favours
feminine pinks, while the Park Avenue princess goes nude. Latin
women lean to bright clear shades or the glossy nude look.

"We're really up with the play," says Amber D, who works on the
European runway shows for M.A.C, and will be bringing darker shades to Fashion Week next month.

New Zealand women buy an estimated six lipsticks a year each, but given that sales figures are calculated by retail value (around $36 million) rather than by unit, this average is a bit of a guesstimate, explains the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association. (It's hard to
establish how many women are actually buying cosmetics in any one
year, some won't be in the market at all, others may buy 1-2 lipsticks,
while true makeup fans could be picking up 20 or more).

New Zealanders of Anglo-Saxon origin tend to have thinner lips than
many ethnicities. Natural lip pigmentation varies from person to
person, with the depth of natural lip colour fading with age. Children
commonly have rosy red lips, adults aren't so lucky.

The average Kiwi woman will probably select as her favourite colours a rose, a nude or a brown lipstick, followed by shades from the orange palette (peaches through to brick browns), says Lancome's Petra Rijnbeek.

There is a red lipstick for everyone, says Rijnbeek. It just
comes down to understanding your underlying skin tone to find the best
shade. Those who are porcelain pale, yellow toned or olive skins should look to blue-reds, while those with pink-toned skin can cool down with orange-red. A balance needs to be struck with eye makeup, with a paler person needing less to anchor their eyes.

With nudes, the paler the natural lip tone, the more sheer a shade
should be chosen, whereas those with olive skins can veer into beige
or mocha tones. Mauve tinges suit most skins.

During the day a nude or a rose is a safe choice that won't overwhelm your outfit, but you can look washed-out without eye makeup to anchor the look. Bronzy brown tones are sophisticated, especially as an evening alternative to red. Polynesian women should choose a lighter brown, rather than the darker tones that might suit a fairer complexion.

Try testing a lipstick on the tip of your finger, rather than the weathered back of your hand, it will be a better colour match with your
lips.

To get a great lipstick result, ensure your lips are exfoliated, defined and moisturised.

Avoid smearing lipstick on your glass by discreetly licking your lips
before you drink. By creating a moist surface between the lips and the
glass you will minimise colour transfer.


No 1 sellers as named by each brand:
1 M.A.C Russian Red $40.
2 Shiseido Perfect Rouge Sweet Pea $5.
3 Clinique High Impact Lip Colour SPF15 in Pink Extreme.
4 Clarins Joli Rouge Lipstick in Plum $51.
5 Maybelline Moisture Extreme Wine on Ice $17.99.
6 Bobbi Brown Creamy Lip Colour in Blue Raspberry $52.
7 L'Oreal Paris Color Riche in Mica $21.99.
8 Lancome Le Rouge Absolu BX 047, Rouge Rayonnant, $56.
9 Estee Lauder Pure Color Lipstick in Nectarine $54.
10 Yves St Laurent Rouge Volupte in Lingerie Pink $64.
11 Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Plump Perfect in Perfect Ginger $48.
Revlon Living Lipstick in Orange Flip $28.
Chanel Rouge Allure No. 21 Exotic $58.
Christian Dior Rouge Dior in 752 Red Premiere $58.
Stockists: Brand counters.