This Red’s for you

"The right shade doesn't change who you are. It reminds you."

For years, I didn't wear red lipstick.

I admired it on other women, of course. There was something undeniably captivating about it—the confidence, the glamour, the way a beautiful red lip could transform even the simplest look. Yet somehow, I had convinced myself that red simply wasn't for me.

Then one day, I tried it.

And my first thought was: What have I been missing all these years?

There is something remarkable about finding the right red lipstick. You put it on, look in the mirror, and suddenly something shifts. Your shoulders seem to sit a little straighter. Your face seems brighter. Even the simplest outfit feels more considered. You haven't become someone else; if anything, you feel a little more like yourself.

Perhaps that is the real power of a red lip.

For generations, red lipstick has been associated with confidence, glamour, sensuality, and individuality. When I think of a beautiful red lip, I think of Marilyn Monroe and the unforgettable glamour of Old Hollywood. I think of Tracee Ellis Ross, whose fearless approach to beauty and fashion always feels entirely her own. I think of Sofía Vergara and her unapologetic glamour, and Lucy Liu, whose elegance proves just how sophisticated and striking a red lip can be.

Different women. Different complexions. Different styles. And that is precisely the point.

The idea that there is one universal red lipstick for everyone is a myth. Finding your red is personal. Some of us come alive in a blue-based crimson, while others look extraordinary in warm tomato reds, deep brick shades, rich burgundies, or reds with touches of orange or berry. Your perfect shade may not be the red that looks beautiful on your best friend, your sister, or the woman whose lipstick you admired across the room.

The secret is finding the one that belongs to you.

And once you do, wear it boldly.

There is something powerful about how put together we can feel in red lipstick. On certain mornings, it can become almost like armor—not something we hide behind, but something that reminds us of the confidence already within us. We apply it, take one final look in the mirror, and somehow feel ready to walk out the door and conquer whatever the day has waiting.

For me, a red lip makes me feel like the powerful businesswoman and entrepreneur I have worked so hard to become—a woman who is finally accomplishing her dreams, who refuses to be intimidated by the day ahead, and who is becoming more and more comfortable being exactly who she was always meant to be.

It took me time to arrive here.

There were people in my life, including men I dated, who told me I didn't need to wear red lipstick or beautiful red nail polish. For a while, I listened. I allowed someone else's preferences to influence how boldly I expressed myself, until eventually I began to understand something I wish I had realized much earlier: sometimes the people who ask us to dim our light are struggling with the brightness of their own.

Perhaps my red lipstick was never the problem.

Perhaps my confidence wasn't either.

The attention I received when I felt beautiful, bold, and completely myself wasn't something I needed to apologize for. I had spent too much time allowing the opinions and insecurities of other people to make me question parts of myself that deserved to be celebrated.

Imagine how many years we can waste listening to the wrong voices.

How much time do we spend making ourselves smaller, quieter, or less visible because someone else has decided we are too much? How many beautiful things do we deny ourselves because someone once made us feel that we couldn't carry them?

Sometimes growing into ourselves means questioning the voices we once believed.

Wear the lipstick.

Paint your nails red.

Put on the dress you've been saving.

Walk into the room like you belong there.

Build the business.

Create the life.

Become the woman you've been imagining.

Not because red lipstick will magically give you confidence, but because choosing something boldly and entirely for yourself can remind you that you never needed anyone else's permission in the first place.

Perhaps that's what I love most about my red lipstick now. When I see myself wearing it, I don't simply see a beauty choice. I see a woman who has lived enough to know herself better. A woman building the life she once dreamed about. A woman who has finally decided that the opinions of naysayers don't get to determine how brightly she shines.

So, honey, live your best life.

Wear your red.

And trust me—it gets better.

Because sometimes the most beautiful thing we can put on isn't the lipstick at all.

It's the confidence to finally become who we were always meant to be.