Nothing like a bloody red lipstick

As a teenager, i used to find red lipsticks outrageous. I was more into flesh and natural tons and quoting a character of a book i recently read, who best described how i felt in this sort of make up, i felt clownish in bright red. But the years went by, and i changed. Though i don't wear red tons in my every day life, this is the first lipstick colour that comes in my mind every time i have some more important "event" to attend.

When it comes to the glamour and sophistication of red lipstick, there's no better source of inspiration than Hollywood stars, both classic and contemporary actresses. The first name that comes in my mind: Marilyn Monroe. There's also Ava Gardner, once called the world's most beautiful animal, in all her glory in The Barefoot Contessa. To get this 50's classic retro look stick with a matte red lipstick, but before, apply a thin layer of foundation or use some powder to even out the skin. After applying the lipstick, i like to apply a cherry or red ton of lipgloss just in the center region of both upper and inferior lip.

Eva Green and Scarlett Johansson really know how to make this retro look work, in the big screen or the red carpets. Eva was the perfect femme fatale in last year's blockbuster Casino Royale. Scarlett has always looked amazing in daring red, as in the right picture where she was shot for Interview magazine as Miss Monroe.

The first appearance of Satine (Nicole Kidman) in Moulin Rouge is a movie moment to remember. The

close-up of her face occupying the whole screen, the bright blue eyes, the pale complexion and of course, the red lips. Besides the leather catsuit and the black smoked eyes, Selina's dramatic transformation into Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer) in Batman Returns wouldn't be complete without the bloody red lipstick. Both actresses gave one of her best performances in these films.

Thinking about great female performances and red lips, how can we forget Laura Harring and Naomi Watts in David Lynch's Mulholland Dr.? Naomi looks absolutely gorgeous in many moments of this film i might never truly understand.

Fashion brings the red lipstick back now and then. In Proenza Shouler fall 2007 ready-to-wear show, all models' lips were covered by red, adding even more sophistication to what was being displayed on the catwalk. In the new Valentino campaign (the first photo on this post) Hilary Rhoda, Daria and Gemma Ward are all in red from the lips to their nail polish. As well as Lily Donaldson (left) in i'm not sure where. Natalia Vodianova (right, for a 2002 issue of Allure magazine) displays a Clinique lipgloss in the juicy apple shade, not as dramatic as the Hollywood divas, but equally sexy. I think red lipstick can be flattering to any of us, it's just about finding the right shade of red.