Vampire Lips

By Cassandra Turner

Seriously, black lipstick? Yep, black lipstick. It seems our obsession with Robert Pattinson and all things vampire-related has gone a little crazy. One of the biggest make-up trends on the runways of the Fall 09 shows was dark, glossy, ebony smackers. Yves Saint Laurent, Rachel Roy and Alexander McQueen models proudly pouted the very brave and somewhat macabre hue, and though our first instinct is fear, we presume that like many other trends we turned our nose up at initially, we will no doubt succumb to this at least once. Or will we?

Formally very much the territory of Goths, black lipstick has the ability to make everyone look like they should be laying very still on their back with their eyes shut and hands crossed over their chest. Read: dead. But hey, some of us thought the same thing of black nails when they first appeared and now can’t think of wearing anything else quite as cool. Whilst it does make us think of Marilyn Manson and tremble a little at the knees, we thought it was our duty to bring this hot new trend to your attention.

A few things we have worked out about this trend:

You must be full of confidence to wear it
Best if you are very fashion savvy
Keep black lips glossy not matt, and balance this with simple, nude eyes
Don’t expect everyone to love it, or even get it! Just wear it and have fun.

To emulate the very, very black, glossy lips that lined the runways, go for Chanel Rouge Allure in Hysteria $50. It’s as black as you can get. Also try YSL Rouge Pur in Black Tulip $49 for a similarly strong look.

If black lips are just too scary to delve into all at once, try using a sheer black like Lipstick Queen Black Tie Optional Sheer Seduction Lipstick $33.95 or Black Tie Optional Shine Gloss $35.95, either of which can be worn on their own for a subtle effect, or over the top of a dark red or mulberry lipstick (Try Chanel Maniac in Dark Plum $50) to deepen the shade and still let you feel like you can rock New Goth with the best of them! We also love Nars Fast Ride $58, a sheer mulberry that gives us just a hint of the trend.