Red is a powerful colour in itself. Firetrucks, stop signs, blood: all red. Now pair a little bit of red pigment with some fat, apply it to your lips: magic. It’ll turn you into a different person: powerful, self-assured, sexy. Nothing else embodies the old ‘fake it till you make it’ adage: don some red lipstick, and bam! I still can remember that first tube of MAC Red that was a victory of a sort: telling the world that I’m here, ready to take it on. Red lipstick, by Rachel Felder: my review.
Powerful stuff, right? I’d claim that red lipstick is the most iconic of all makeup products, and beauty and fashion journalist Rachel Felder (herself a proclaimed red lip lover) clearly agrees. She takes on the topic and shows the discerning reader the world of red lipstick. (We did, too! Here’re both Astrid’s and mine guides on how to wear red lipstick!)
“A unique, full-color compendium that celebrates and explores the enduring power and allure of the world’s most iconic lip shade, jam-packed with entertaining stories, anecdotes, little-known facts, quotes, and more than 100 gorgeous images culled from fine art, photography, and beauty and fashion editorial and advertising.”
A pinterest board on paper
The book lives from its images and quotes, rather like a sumptuous Pinterest board come to life. They are stunning. But: why on earth are the illustration credits at the end of the book?! I found myself flipping back and forth through the book and found that very inconvenient and not really reader-friendly. Why not put the credits on the next side, then? Speaking of images and such: For a book that lives from stunning imagery and has a gorgeous cover, I found that Amazon might not be the way to shop in this case. My book arrived with a slightly mangled dust jacket, because a plastic wrap didn’t protect it. Great for the environment, bad for me.
Who wore it better?
Now let’s talk about its content. We get a ride through history and famous wearers (from Cleopatra to Rosie the Riveter to Paloma Picasso), including a few words on textures, science-y bits (why are we so attracted to red lips?), formulas and the age-old question: which red will suit me? I found that a bit superfluous – as a red lipstick lover you’ll have that figured out anyways. As a non-red-lipstick-lover you’ll get a nice coffee table book and a very quick read (as a quick reader, I spent one hour with it).
It’s absolutely not comparable with Lisa Eldridge’s Face Paint although it covers similar ground. Face Paint goes deeper and is generally the more exhaustive, for both pictures and information value. Nevertheless: Did I learn something new? Yes, I did!
Red lipstick, by Rachel Felder: review
Felder is a compelling writer, and her passion clearly comes through, although she clearly comes from a different angle than Eldridge: she doesn’t research the history of makeup, but loves red lipstick. Her enthusiasm swept me away so much that I actually wanted to bust out all my reds and play.
‘Red Lipstick – and Ode to a Beauty Icon’ will make a nice gift for anyone who’s got an interest in beauty: I want to give it to my mom. A groundbreaking necessity? No. Nice to have? Definitely! I spent an enjoyable afternoon browsing through it.
I got mine from Amazon for about 17€.
Please note that this review is not sponsored in any way. We buy products ourselves, with our own money, and don’t accept exchanging goods, or money, for reviews. We are completely independent, and our reviews reflect that.
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