The Red Lipstick Theory

I started wearing red lipstick my junior year of college. The last day of my junior year to be exact. I bought an outrageous shade from Walgreen’s called “orange flip”. As a 20-year-old girl I decided in almost an instant that I was the type of girl who wore red lipstick.

It changed my life.

At first I was a little timid. I mean, gosh, bright red lips feels like such a bold statement.  But over time it just became who I am. At first, I would wear it on the weekends only, then I transitioned to wearing it to dinner and maybe to a party or two. Suddenly I wore it to class, and to church, and weeks would go by when I’d realized that I don’t even know the real color of my lips. Now, it literally is just a part of who I am and I don’t think anyone would be surprised if I showed up at the YMCA sporting my latest shade alongside my workout attire. Angi Mason wears red lipstick—common knowledge; especially to parties and especially to weddings. There’s just something about it, girls! It’s empowering—it’s addictive—it’s so red!

So here’s my theory—now is the time in life to make a statement with red lipstick. If you wait later in life you risk being that middle aged lady trying way too hard to be hip and takes her 13 year-old daughter to a Britney Spears’ concert. If you wait even longer, you’ll be the old woman who gets most of the color on her teeth instead of her lips, but nobody wants to say anything (to those women, by the way, I am not hating. I completely resign myself to being one of you, I’m just saying don’t wait that long to start, work it now!)

Your mid-twenties are a confusing time. Half your friends are married, half of them are single and won’t be married for…a little longer anyway. Some have babies, boyfriends, masters degrees, haven’t graduated yet, own a house already, jobless, or overly ambitious—We’re all over the map. There is no norm and if thirty is the new twenty then I guess that makes twenty the new ten.  (And several of us act like it…but that’s another story for another day).

The life metaphor here is that now is the time to try anything and everything. Take a hold of this unique time in life, own it, and live it up! Wear red lipstick. You’re young, you’re bold, you’re beautiful and you have nothing to lose. It may take you a couple takes to find the right shade, but you’ll get there! Like anything in life, keep trying until you find the color that fits your skin tone and personality perfectly! Certainly, don’t ever let being afraid of something hold you back. Be adventurous, take chances, make mistakes and figure out life! I dare you to put a shade of red on your lips and then see what else in life you can conquer.