How to wear red lipstick and not look dramatic!!

I know Red is old news. Infact the rest of the bloggers are done with reviewing red lipsticks, claiming their love for Mac's Ruby Woo and Scarlet Ibis and have moved on to the other colours.

But how many times have you excitedly applied red lipstick and then wiped it off thinking it gives clown lips or for the lack of a better word makes you look OTT and trashy. Well welcome to the club!

Like the rest of the world I too bought a lot of red shades, to find my 'the one' as mentioned in my earlier post Colorbar's Hearts and Tarts is the one that suits my yellow skin the most. However, that was not the end of the problem. When wearing red I am always confused what makeup to pair it with. Especially with Indian wear (read while attending weddings) just a lipstick with no other makeup looks to plain no? I know the trick is to always pair bright lips with muted eyes but even a simple Kajal, eyeliner and neutral shadow would look to stark on the face. So I did some experimentation at home, and after some trials and errors here's what I found:

• Always wear red in the matte form
• Skip kajal completely or apply a very thin line
• Apply eyeliner thinly and a thin cost of mascara
• Use only neutral eyeshadows like gold or copper
• Use a very neutral blush bordering on coral/brown

I also googled some pictures of actresses wearing red for inspiration that led me to this conclusion, here are they:

I tried this look on myself and here are my pictures:

With flash

Without flash

The products I used

1. Colorbar Hearts & Tarts lipstick mixed with Colorbar Obsessed with Orange lipstick to give that slight orangey tint
2. The brown eyeshadow from the Lakme 4 in 1 Eyeshadow quartet - Silk Route
3. L'oreal Trumatch Blush - Pink Grapefruit
4. Revlon Lash Fantasy Mascara
5. Benefit High Beam highlighter
6. Chambor dark brown eyepencil - to line my lower eye lid (instead of black kaajal)
7. Avon eyebrow filler

Missed on clicking my foundation and finishing powder - Used Mac Studio Sculpt N30 and Loose Powder N30

What do you couple your red lipstick with? I would love to hear. Do drop your inputs in my comments box