?On the first day of London Fashion Week, I actually did something quite sad and stalked this woman from the end of the Unconditional show to the toilets in the tents. What DIDN’T I love about the entire look? Her gunmetal waxed jeans, the vintage school boy blazer (I know Mr Ghesquiere is making a killing from his versions but there ain’t nothing wrong with the real McCoy boys blazer…), the Vivienne Westwood ankle boots and the nochalently tilted sunglasses. Completed with a ‘dried blood lipstick’, I was smitten. Style File helpfully revealed the lady’s identity as Valentina Illarda from Italian magazine Drome (which I’ve yet to come across in London…).
Then I spotted her again at the Daydream Nation show and I did keep sheepishly gawping away at her. She seemed enchanted and amused by the show and had such a sweet demeanour. From that point, I had the image of ultra-dark lips stuck in my mind. Now I know I said the whole make-up shebang is not my bag at all, but when I do get obsessed with a certain look, a cheapshot way of getting closer to it, I suppose is through the maquillage. At the Lanvin SS08 show yesterday, I was also loving the matt dark lips. So let loose in the ever-useful Sephora on Champs Elysee yesterday, I had trouble locating that exact shade of darkest dark dark red (almost brown). But I settled on this super dark shade of purple from M.A.C. called Cyber (the shades I really wanted to try are actually online but read on and you’ll see why I’m not bothering anymore…) and went home and experimented a little.
Alas, cursed with full upper and lower lips (reminiscent of tuna sashimi…which isn’t a good thing!), I don’t quite have that sharp-edged look that Valentina has. Even with my scant knowledge of make-up, I know dark lipstick is supposed to thin the lips but sadly, it hasn’t really had that effect on mine. Bah…last time I ever venture about with some odd beauty notion in my head…
You have beautiful lips!!!!
ARGH, it drives me nuts when beautiful people say bad things about their looks.
I realize that it’s hard to see yourself the way we see you. Just tell me that you are trying to break this habit and be kind to yourself?
OK, to be fair, I see that you are posting photos of your face more often. That tells me that you *are* working on it.
Sorry if I sounded harsh. 🙂
Don’t worry T-Rex… I don’t really have a problem with my lips! But for the look I’m going for…the thin lips thing does come in handy! Alas I got a notion whereby I wanted to embody something specific that my lips did become a liability…
Alrighty, then. I’ll cut you some slack. 🙂
Pardon the unsolicited scolding, but I guess I feel like I’m getting to know you by reading this blog. And if you were one of my “In Real Life” friends, whatever that actually means, I’d be saying the same thing.
I’ve had a similar obsession with the autumn dark lip (i think i get it every year but have always been too wimpy to actually rock it). this month though i decided to go for it (albiet, in gloss form) and got chanel glossimer in hibiscus- and i love it. definitely not an everyday look but lovely none the less!
looks nice actually, although not as fierce as Valentina’s and that’s what you went for in the first place. maybe u can manage to make something different with it, though. i mean wearing dark lips does not consequently mean it has to be a look like hers.
How you could wear the look and get what you want from it:
It will take a few minutes, but not too long in my opinion. First put on some chapstick (like burt’s bees or chapstick, something a bit sticky). And then put on a layer of foundation that matches your skin on your lips. (to combine the first two steps get one of those foundation sticks
Are you kidding me?! I’ll swap you my feeble thin lips for yours any day! If I wear even vaguely dark lipstick I look like I am actually from 1920! I look so dated.
I think you look great! I really like how the shade offsets your skin and hair. I’d say go for it!
I haven’t been so pumped up on dark lipstick since the 90’s…you can certainly pull it off!
Hi – I just discovered your blog recently. I love it! I just thought I’d mention that the look you’re after might be achieved by something like Benetint or Revlon’s Just Bitten range – but the dark lipstick you have on looks beautiful anyway, even if it’s not what you’re going for 🙂
i think it looks wonderful! and you have the perfect skin/hair color for it.
~colorcast
Susie darlin your lips look beautiful in dark lipstick, and your eyes look gorgeous in those pictures 🙂
now that lady has got style. wonderful picture of her
you must be careful with dark lipstick however, you may be associated with her:
http://www.zannel.com/viewupdate.htm?id=83CQ7UN7MR
Cursed with full lips? People pay thousands of dollars to get lips like that. Love the photos of you and would be delighted to see more.
oh wow! and illarda’s hair!
your lips are beautiful, susie. i’m also of asian ethnicity, and i do think that more asian girls tend to have fuller lips.. lips are lips though, thin or full, lovely all the time for giving kisses.
sorry, but i think you look GREAT with deep color on your lips. you have so many great features, and it sort of seals the deal on your look, if you ask me. but who’s asking?…follow your own lead on this one.
Well whats wrong with full lips? They’re awesome! and also, you have very cute roundish wide set eyes ..hehe
Argh, I’m cursed with thin lips. I tend to look appalling with any colour on them!
Isn’t it the way that dark colours make thin lips even thinner?
I think dark lipstick is not a question of thin or full lips, but of personal style. It doesn’t suit every style. The italian lady did a very good job after all!
Dear Susie,
It was nice meeting you in person at LFW! and I apologize for being stuck for words!
I’m now doing a big review of LFW for Khooligan magazine in Moscow who are partners with Dazed&Confused. I’m asking a number of style-savvy LFW goers and fashion experts (including Diane Pernet, editors of Flux Magazine, Daily Rubbish and Urban Junkies) for a couple of their comments, and it would be great if you could contribute as well. Please see questions below:
1. Highlight of the week:
2. Designer of the week:
3. Collection/show of the week:
4. Personality of the week, maybe a new person you’ve met:
5. Disappointment of the week:
6. Personal inspiration of the week:
7. Your wishlist – what item from the LFW collections you want to see in your wardrobe & cannot live without?:
8. A trend/silhouette/accessory you’d like to see more of:
9. A trend/silhouette/accessory you wish you didn’t see at all:
10. LFW rules because…:
I would be very grateful if you email me your answers (to j.gordina at gmail.com), they will be featured alongside the answers of other contributors.
Thank you so much!
Julia Gordina
OH MY GOD! i can’t believe you just complained about having big lips! Your lips look great and i still think your complexion and hair really suit the dark colouring. You should be happy, besides people with fuller lips look younger for longer 🙂
I think that colour does look great on you Susie! Never heard that thin lips rule before…
I think you look really cute and doll-like, Susie, though I think the lipstick for girls with full lips thing is always a worry- mine are full too, and I can’t wear the stuff without feeling like a clown. At least you seem to have a colour that works very well with your skin and hair- good job on that.
darling, now you look even more like anna sui. 🙂
You are sooooooooo cute!!!!
i think you should look to Clara Bow for the dark lip w/ your shape mouth (i have even bigger lips so i look properly crazy if i don’t ‘carve out’ a definitive shape)… and the MAC colour “dark side” is a more berried version of the purple you’ve got… persevere! xo
wow, you’re a beauty!
too bad you don’t see what i see, because you pull off that lipstick terribly terribly well. and you’ll be my downfall, because off i’m going to go this weekend to check out that lipstick. i’m forever in pursuit of the colors you mentioned and posted examples of. yet they do not seem to exist irl.
You look really adorable and the fact that your skin is light colored, it makes you look like a porcelain doll even more! Love this lipstick color.
I don’t know if you noticed, but I moved from dianabobar.wordpress.com to http://www.sofashon.com, and I would be happy if you could change the link on your blog! Thank you so much for taking the time.
Hugs and kisses, Diana
Ohh i’m sorry suzy I don’t like it…please don’t. Not your best look.
But… you look totally beautiful with the dark lips! I’d say your looks are ideally suited to dark lipstick… whether it makes you happy is, of course, another question entirely.
You are truly beautiful! I think us asians should be really proud of our lips 🙂 Your lips have an amazing shape! I recently got bangs myself and also a lipstick from Mattene from MAC and it looks JUST like yours. i’ve been reading your blog for a while now and perhaps some Susie rubbed off on me(hopefully!)
Your blog is really inspirational 🙂 I love you!!
ooohh please, don’t use that lipstick again! you look not good