Looking twice-bitten... Twilight Style, I suppose.

I have a confession.

I have yet to read Twlight.

Shocking, I know.

And while I made fun of all my friends who quickly turned from fashionistas to fan girls over Edward Cullen and all his blood sucking friends, I soon found that I was the only one not gushing (perhaps from the neck) over this trend. Everyone from the couture-clad girls in my office to my boyfriend’s 60 year old uncle had read and loved this book, and suddenly me and my mocking ways seemed out of the loop.

So now I’ve purchased Twilight, and it sits on my bedside table… as it has for the past few weeks. All 544 pages of it.

Everytime I open the pages and remind myself that this is font size is larger than the average character’s age, I have to put it back down. But in time, I suppose I will overcome this fear.

So to compensate – since this Twilight thing is ‘all the rage’ – I suppose I should ween myself in with a medium I feel more comfortable in.

Makeup? How to look twice bitten. (or maybe just, bitten, in my case.)

My most obvious beauty assumption about those possessed by vampires, or rather, vampires… might be pale skin and ruby lips – which might not be the best look for every skin tone.

So in my expertise, perhaps a lip stain is a great place to start, and while a lot of cosmetic novices will shy away from this semi-permanent product, it’s a fantastic addition to your vanity once you learn the tricks of the trade.

Don’t completely outline lips with a lip stain pen. It is NOT a magic market. It will lead to smudging and bleeding, and not the hottie vampire-induced kind we’re looking for.

If you have a clear anti-feather lip liner, draw a thin line over the bottom rim of your lip and cupid’s bow at the top. (Try Benefit’s fantasticÂ De’liner, De’finer, $20USD)Â This will keep this naturally blotting color in its place where it matters the most.

Next, delicately spot your stain in the plushest parts of your lips, one dab at a time. The color will spread and you’ll be able to see where you might need to fill in. Lightly color these spots in and grab a piece of blotting paper and smooch. The color should fill in where needed, leaving you with a popsicle-like flush.

I prefer a marker-like applicator for my stains, the liquid bases might be a little too messy/fussy for me. However, they do tend to leave a lighter color behind. Depending on your skin tone, this might be the way to go. If it comes with a big fat brush (think Benetint, which is meant for both lips and cheeks) don’t fight with the applicator they give you, feel free to dip a super thin lip brush (or think your angled eyeliner brush) into the stain and apply that way – just don’t forget your anti-feather liner first!

Benefit’s Benetint Pocket Pal ($20USD) is a great product if you want to go with a fluid stain. This mini brush with give you greater control over Benefit’s classic colour.

Also, since little goes a long way, these mini sized tint products are perfect for someone who might just want try this trend out. LORAC’s travel sized sheer washes are also fantastic and come in a variety of yummy colours, but I recommend skipping on the rollerball applicator, which may lead to over-smearing, and using a lip brush.

Finally, a if you don’t want to splurge, head to your drugstore and pick up Covergirl’s Outlast Lip Stain, which gives you a great variety of colours, that fantastic felt-tip marker applicator, and of course, the Covergirl’s seal of approval…. all for, well, super cheap. So what do you have to loose?

Still timid to tints?

One of my absolute favorite beauty must-have is Apivita Propoline Black Currant Lip Aid. This amazing generous stick of balm has the most perfect glossy wash of ripe berry color with lip drenching moisturizing proporties to boot. And best of all, when all the sheen has been blotted away, the balm leaves a perfectly sheer no-fuss ruby stain behind.