Yes! Your Red Lipstick Makes You Feel Bolder and Sexier

A slick of red lipstick can make you feel bolder, sexier and instantly in charge. But what really gives this shade such strong staying power?

- Joely Walker And Emma Stoddart

Make-up maverick Elizabeth Arden flipped public opinion in 1912 when she handed out pillar-box red lipsticks to 15,000 suffragettes marching for equal rights on the streets of New York, using the colour as a symbol to promote strength and solidarity. More than a century later, red remains the ultimate power player on any dressing table – the most timeless embodiment of confidence-boosting make-up. “The shade has always been synonymous with confidence because it represents some kind of specific intention,” explains Terry Barber, MAC director of makeup artistry. “It can be glamorous, professional, sophisticated or seductive. It’s never shy.”

Aside from its obvious aesthetic appeal, the colour red is ingrained within our psyche to represent a multitude of emotions, which can affect our actions and how we perceive certain situations. Look at the ‘colour psychology’ brand of science, which researches direct links between different hues and human behaviour. Simply seeing red can speed up reaction times, while wearing it when doing sport has been shown to improve performance. But what is it about scarlet shades that means they’re so intrinsically powerful, in make-up and beyond?

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