Barry M Pillar Box Red

I said yesterday that I thought I should get a true red lipstick and, well, I work fast. I got Barry M's Pillar Box Red lip paint as recommended by Glamour and Look.

Barry M products don't actually have names on the label, this is #121.



The name is accurate, it's actually pillar-box, Royal Mail red.








The good news is it isn't shiny. I don't like shiny bright red lips, I think it makes me look like I've eaten something in sticky red sauce, like BBQ ribs or something. It also controllable and doesn't go on like a bright wild red immediately, I've got like about three coats on in the picture so it looks like an actual bright red.

I'm still not that fond of the texture of Barry M lip paints. This lipstick doesn't seem to dry out my lips, but I don't know. Possibly I'm just used to lipglosses and sheer, moisturising lipsticks so the lip paints feel drier and more powdery. It just goes on less smoothly than my other lipsticks, it's a personal thing.

It might be a smidge too orange on me too. I'll have to do up a whole face with the new lipstick to see how it goes, or if I'll have to mix it with a darker red before I can go out. It's an affordable price though which is good if you're just trying out a colour or it's a colour you won't use often. I sometimes wish that lipsticks came in tiny tiny tubes, especially in colours like fuchsia and red and things so you could buy the amount you'd reasonably need.

Bright red is a difficult colour. I have fairly full pouty lips ('like a little heart', said my husband), and fear walking around with the wrong red lipstick on and looking like a horrible racist 1920s caricature. Kind of like this:



Yeah that's right. I said it. I'm not sure if other people feel this way but don't say it, or I'm just fucked in the head. It's partly why I find dark red lipstick and sheer red stains more comfortable to wear. I especially have this problem with glossy red lips. To be fair, it might just be because bright red is just so, well, bright. It's kind of an out-there colour. If I were a white girl I'd probably be just as terrified of looking like a clown.



Red lipstick does bleed if you aren't careful.

But don't be insecure. I see girls of all types and colours wearing bold red lipstick and looking great. I definitely do need to sit down and create a whole retro look (foundation, etc.) to be able to wear that lipstick and be comfortable with it. It's just a thing that I need to wrap my mind around.