"The Bold and the Beauty-Full"

By Jonaye' Taylor

Breaking into the fall, color schemes change. During spring and summer, we spend so much time racking up colorful clothes, shoes, make-up, etc. However, that does not mean we cannot stay sassy and vibrant with our bold colored lips!

From Rihanna to Katy Perry, Lady Gaga to Amber Rose, so many beautiful starlets are wearing bold lips. In case you have no clue about what I am speaking of, bold lips are lavish colors that are the focal point on a "made-up" or "beat" face. Therefore, the eyes are always to stay neutral. Ladies, it is one or the other when dealing with eyes and lips. You never want the two to compete. I am not saying that particular look cannot be done. Even so, I would leave looks like that to the pros!

Rewind! Before we get into all of that, we have to start with a smooth surface. Try to get a mild scrub (sugar and petroleum jelly) and gently rub (with a baby's toothbrush) onto your lips, this will remove any dead or dry skin on the lips. Then, apply a lip conditioner (MAC), balm, Carmex, Blistex, etc. onto the lips. All done? Great! Now it's time for the grand color selection!

There are so many colors to choose, however, we must keep in mind our various stunning skin complexions. All colors, but not all shades flatter every skin tone. Different colors that I would recommend are seductive red, sassy orange, luscious pink, wine plum, mocha brown- and for the extremist- do not fear black, trust me it is very fashion-forward.

For my deep brown sugah girls, experiment with a deep burnt orange gloss, burgundy gloss and wine-color stain (then apply gloss afterwards). Since mocha-brown would almost be a nude shade for deep complexions, you can basically apply a nude lipstick with a lot of gloss! Lastly, black; this shade can be applied with a matte or glossy finish since deep complexions are usually even, luscious and buttery looking, the matte finish will not appear chalky.

For the medium brown sugah girls, like myself, apply a red-orange matte lipstick, for pinks-try a fuchsia color gloss; for wine its best to use a matte shade, this will give off a sophisticated bold lip. Chocolate lips definitely give off a sassy look on this complexion. Unlike deep complexions, make sure to apply a gloss because this will look chalky on you! Lastly, black is black, and this looks exotic on your complexion.

As for the fair beauties, use every color at its lightest shade. For the browns, try cappuccino, this will not look as harsh on your lighter complexion. For black, try to use a lustrous lipstick, so the lips will look moisturized and chic, if not, your look will be unsuccessful and probably look more gothic than modish.

So you may be wondering where to get all of these great colors. Look no further, I will tell you. Although, I am a MAC fanatic, do not be afraid to venture out to other counters as well. Check out Sephora, they carry all of the top cosmetic brands i.e., Urban Decay, Tarte, Nars, Smashbox, Dior, Stila, etc. With all of those brands you will be sure to find some of the great shades mentioned that you will enjoy! If that's not in your price range than opt for the drugstore. Not all brands are great, but affordable.

Nevertheless, when using drugstore brands you may have to apply the colors a few times because the pigments are lower than department store brands. A great drugstore brand is L'Oreal. I'm pretty sure you've seen advertisements featuring Beyonce, Eva Longoria, Aishwarya Rai, Kerry Washington, and other drop dead gorgeous women representing this fantastic brand. They have a wide variety to choose.

Another with great colors is Max Factor; you may have seen promotions of this brand featuring the beautiful Carmen Electra! Maybelline is hot and very trendy in today's beauty magazines! Whatever brand you choose, remember to choose wisely. We are in a recession and I would not want you spending your last dime on a product that you may only wear once. Keep that tip in mind before you approach the counter!

There are so many ways to play out this fun and youthful look. Only try it if you're bold enough. That is the purpose; we would not want to have bold and bodacious confident lips with a tame and bashful attitude. Play it up and play around! We are only young for so long. Afterwards, it may become harder and harder to pull off such a like successfully.

Remember, whatever your beauty lust may be, real beauty lies within way beyond the skin! Nobody can do you the way you do!