The Power of Red…

“Heels and red lipstick put the fear of God into people.”  Don’t know who said it, but it’s true. Think of every girl you know who walks in, red lips ablaze. You notice. You watch. You wonder if she’s as ballsy as she appears. Generally speaking, she is.

Speculation on red lips, heels and sheath dresses re-alights with an Australian film offering, The Dressmaker. Haven’t seen it? Get thee to an art house cinema and take it in. You’ll never look at dresses, heels and smoldering red lips the same. Promise. Based on the novel, the movie follows Tilly, a woman banned from town as a girl after the mysterious death of another child. Townsfolk, for some reason, don’t realize a sewing machine, red lipstick and some gasoline can ignite town square while a woman smiles the sweet sneer of revenge.
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Kate Winslet shines as the alternately delicate and badass Tilly who pours her pain into her craft, as most women do. Creating dresses that caress the female form, helping women tap into their inner femme fatale and discovering the power and allure of a red lip.

“But I can’t wear red lipstick. It’s too much. It clashes with my skin,” women believe. Nonsense, Tilly would tell you. Paint it on and own it.

What’s the everyday girl to do? There are some tricks to red. Fair skinned women should choose true reds with no orangey tones. Medium skinned women should go with pinkish or orangey reds. Dark skinned girls’ choices include purplish and wine hues for that red pop. Can’t get the shade just right? Mix a couple to create your own custom blend. Label it Dior and kiss a hot guy.

Can’t keep it off your teeth? Paint your lips. Stick your finger sideways in your mouth. Pull your finger straight out, removing lingering color that can deposit on teeth. It will be on your finger.

Fall has arrived, even here on the surface of the sun. We are safe to glam it up and leave our beachy vibe behind for a while. And the holidays are around the corner. Some stores they’ve already arrived. Pfft. Tilly would tell us to paint ’em up and move about as if we own the world. We don’t?

Glam it up dolls. If not now, when? Rock that job interview. Get used to the attention. Own the room. It’s about time the point of your heel and the shade of your lip announce your presence and create fear in lesser people. No more playing small.

Be your own Dressmaker. Grab your sewing machine (or paints, or drawings or words or strategies or ideas or acumen) and burn down the town. Walk away heels, sheath dress and power lips intact.