HEY THERE, FRIDAY

Can we talk for a second about how much I absolutely Lisa Eldridge and her makeup tutorials? You name the makeup trend, she's tackled it, done a magazine cover featuring it, and then come up with a handy video to show you how to recreate it on your own. I've sung her praises before when I talked about rocking red lipstick, and if you haven't installed her wisdom as your go-to makeup-guru-fictional-bff, well, you're missing out.

The trend this winter/spring/summer has been all about lips. Maybe it's because I'm getting older (and more confident, heyo), but I'm obsessed with the bold lip trends. Orangey, red, super-dark... bring. it. on.

Nervous about trying dark lips? You have every reason to be nervous, but there's also absolutely no reason why you shouldn't try this at least once. Lisa's video below shows you how to create the look and pull it off.

I think there are two main tips to making dark lipstick work (which Lisa talks about in her video, but I'm going to emphasize here anyway), and really, these rules work for any lipstick. 

1. When doing your makeup for statement lips, do your foundation & concealer first, then your lips. Then, follow with blush/bronzer and eye makeup. 

Why do it this way? Lipstick can be weird. Some shades make you look naturally flushed, while some wash you out completely. Some shades look great with a bold eye, some shades look best with a single coat of mascara. When you're wearing a statement lip, it's best to center your look around it, instead of applying it at the end like an afterthought. 

2. Make sure to eliminate all redness from your face and around your lips. 

Tricky places this shows up? Around your nostrils, in the corners of your eyes. Statement lips will sometimes cause blemishes to look redder, scars to seem more prominent... get friendly with your concealer, and blend, blend, blend. 

Now that you've got the dark lips down, what do you put on your fingertips? Amp up the contrast with a pale, summery hue on your nails.

I recently tried Essie's "Nice is Nice," and I have to tell you - I'm obsessed! I've gotten so many compliments on the color. Who knew that purple would become a manicure staple? 

What's your go-to mani shade for summer? Are you going to try the dark lip trend?

"You won't believe me, but it's Covergirl. And it's almost a week old!" 

She couldn't remember the exact shade, but I was on a mission. This florist friend of mine whose manicures are always jealousy-inducing, had found an amazing shade of summer red, with the staying power of  a salon manicure.

Here's the catch. Maybe my nails reject the concept of nail polish entirely, maybe my cuticles need some extra TLC (or a better base coat), or maybe I need to stop messing with a perfectly good manicure, but for some reason the Covergirl polish on its own wouldn't commit to my fingertips. I loved everything about it, including how fast the formula dried (two coats, five minutes), but I needed a way to make it hang around longer.

Covergirl Outlast Stay Brilliant in Ever Reddy

Enter Revlon's Colorstay Gel Envy Diamond top coat. Part of a newly-released gel set from Revlon, this top coat doesn't require a light to set. Obviously, the gel formula is meant to work in coordination with the other gel-themed items in their collection, but I noticed a significantly longer wear time when the color was coated with this baby.

Rose Gold Crystal Wrap-Around Ring Via Wanderlust + Co.

 And there you have it! Happy manicuring!