A Little Something for the Redheads

To be a redhead is to have a rare beauty. However, being so rare, redhead beauty is not exactly an article that shows up in your monthly Cosmopolitan magazine. Now, I'm a brunette, but I have always wished I was born with flowing chestnut locks. I have been blessed with an extraordinary amount of redheaded friends, and I thought I'd show them a little love today.

Hair- Please, whatever you do, don't dye your hair to that fake red color. It's so pretty the way it is. You can, however, enhance the color. I recommend using John Frieda's Radiant Red line. It's a really subtle enhancement. If you really feel like your hair has faded, go to a nice salon to get your color. Cheaper red haircolors often look more maroon, and fake. Red hair also looks really nice with some subtle blonde highlights to brighten it up.

Makeup- Try a tinted moisturizer instead of foundation. It will even out your skin tone, without looking cakey, and your natural freckles can come through. Use a light concealer under your eyes, and wherever you need it. Again, go for something not too heavy. Heavy makeup is not the friend of the fair-skinned.

As far colors go, go for the most sheer, light shades you can find. You will benefit from layering on more of a light shade, rather than just dumping on a bright color. Steer clear of red undertones.

For eyeshadow, go for the colors named things like sand or bisque or warm. Go for neutrals and golds. Gold shimmers will play up the golden highlights in your hair. I have also seen a sheer pastel lavender eyeshadow look pretty. Again, the secret is starting with a light dusting and building up.

Stick with warm browns for your eyeliner and mascara, anything else will look too heavy. You may choose to go with a brown-black for special occasions, but if you're fair-skinned don't go darker than that. While most people look better with eyebrows a shade or so lighter than their hair, redheads tend to benefit from the opposite, taking the brows half a shade to a shade darker to avoid looking too washed out.

Peaches and beiges are great choices as far as blush and lip color goes (peach is a great eyeshadow too), you can even push the oranginess to a terra-cotta color. Thankfully, orange and peach tones seem to be in vouge for everyone, so it's a bit easier to find. Steer clear of blue-red lipstick tones. Redheads can pull off a bit of bronzer too, just keep it in the golden shades, and use a light hand with a big fluffy brush.