I love lipstick, but I always seem to have a difficult time picking out a color that’s right for me. Lately, a lot of celebs have been rocking red lipstick—a look I love—but it’s a trend that I can’t seem to pull off. Barely there lip color is the other extreme, but there are so many brands and choices. I did a little research to try and narrow them down.

RED LIPS

Stars like Gwen Stefani and Christina Aguilera seem to have skin made for the red lip trend. Their skin is on the paler side and the red lipstick really pops; it’s a statement. If you have similar skin tones to these gals, experts suggest a red lipstick with a bluish base. MAC Cosmetics makes a great one, Russian Red, which the company touts as an intense bluish red.

For warmer skin tones (think Jessica Biel, Jennifer Aniston) a yellow toned lipstick is recommended. MAC’s Chili Red has a more brownish red look to it.

Or, for those of you who want to try out the trend, but don’t want to invest in a pricier brand, you can pick up some Wet n Wild Hot Red at your nearest drugstore. Marie Clare magazine marks it as one of the top red lipstick shades and it’s only a whopping 99 cents!

NUDE LIPS

When I think of nude lips, I think of expert make-up artist Bobbi Brown who has a great array of neutral toned make-up. Neutrals are sometimes hard to wear because if the tone isn’t right, they can make you look washed out. Bobbi Brown, in an interview with O Magazine, suggests picking the perfect neutral by looking at your own lip color and simply choosing a color that’s a little darker, a little more intense than your own. Seems simple enough, but again—choices, choices… Thankfully, Bobbi Brown has a new collection aptly named The Nude Collection where there are great neutral lipsticks to choose from in the Nude Eye and Lip Palette which include Bare, Beige, Brownie Pink, and Cocoa . Bobbi says on her website: “Nude make-up doesn’t mean monochromatic barely- there makeup. It means makeup that’s right for your skin.”

Here’s a recent example of each trend: Scarlett Johansson rocking red at the 13th Annual Los Angeles Shorts Festival

and Audrina Patridge staying nude and simple at The Red Bull Toasted in Hollywood party last night.

Which trend do you like better? Which one works best for you?

Photos: Fame Pictures

This Sunday be sure to check out Charlotte Ronson’s Fall 2009 Trunk Show at the Blue & Cream store in East Hampton, NY from 3-5pm. They are also having a Spring/Summer 09 Sale so make sure to make good use of that 20% discount! Say hi to Charlotte for us and tell her Beyond Beauty Basics sent you!

Here’s a quick roundup of some of the Bloggerati Buzz to accompany your morning coffee (or OJ). Then after your soaps or meetings, and just before Oprah or falling asleep at your desk, you can circle back to Beyond Beauty Basics for more beauty and fashion fun!

• Daneen at Spoiled Pretty gets an exclusive Beauty Q&A with Khloe Kardashian
• Karen at MakeupBeautyBlog shows you some of Chanel’s vampy nail looks
• Tammy at AMomInRedHighHeels goes backstage for a quick beauty chat with Beyonce
• Amber at BeautyBloggingJunkie tell you all about Sienna Miller’s G.I. Joe premiere smokey eyes look
• Erika at MakeupBag shares with you her Top Fave Summer Scents

If you’re anything like me when it comes to trying out beauty products and get excited when testing out samples of new different brands, then My Pretty Pink Box will make you smile! Wouldn’t you just love getting a little box filled with beauty samples? You get to try out new handpicked beauty items from some up and coming companies as well as known brands. Each pink box comes with fun and girly products to pamper yourself with before you buy the full size!

I just got My Pretty Pink Box in the mail the other day and it even came with 2 full size products along with the samples, and not to mention an online discount to stores like Avon.  The pricing can vary from month to month, because of the contents but it gets announced a few days before each release. By the way, the box is absolutely adorable and I suggest you get yours quick because each month there is a limited amount and they go fast! The next one goes on sale 8/3/2009 at 7am!