A Really Rad Red Lipstick. And Other Ways to Get Brighter Teeth

Tue, 4 September 2012 10:34AM

Look at what one red lipstick can do:

Alessandra Mastronardi

Rachel Weisz

Red lipstick should really come with a cape. It has serious superpowers.

For instance, it makes you instantly look red-carpet fabulous. No matter if you’re wearing a fairly simple white dress. Or have messy hair. And it lights up your face and it whites up your teeth.

Just make sure, though, that it’s a blue-red lipstick. Blue-red-schmoo-red, I hear you say. But the thing is, if you slap on a brown-red lipstick, it will just make your teeth look even more dull and dirty. Whereas cool, blue tones counter any such yellow teeth tendencies.

My favourite blue-reds, for the record, are: M.A.C Lipstick in Ruby Woo, $36, M.A.C; Estée Lauder Signature Hydra Lustre Lipstick in Rich Red, $42, from department stores; and, Rimmel London Kate Moss Lasting Finish Lipstick in #1, $11.95, from pharmacies.

But I’m not going to lie. If your teeth look like they’ve been coloured in with a Crayola, it might be time to take more serious action than buying a new lippie. In that case here’s what you need to do:

• Talk to your dentist about a custom-fitted bleaching kit. I’ve done this twice now over the past few years and it’s so effective that it makes the $400-or-so cost a great investment.
• Don’t underestimate the power of a good ol’ clean. A firm-bristled toothbrush will remove the day’s surface stains, while dental floss will get into those dark nooks and crannies. If you find that your teeth appear to be yellowing throughout the day, you could try also brushing in the afternoon; just use a soft-bristled brush this time, so as to keep the surface enamel in tact (you don’t want to wear this down, as the dentin, which is yellow in appearance, will make matters look worse).
• You can also add into a brightening or whitening toothpaste, which uses a mix of buffing particles and chemical ingredients to deep-cleanse stain-prone teeth.
• Limit coffee, red wine, cola and berry juices, which can all stain the surface of teeth. Or at the very least, drink them through a straw, or swish water around your mouth afterwards. Another neat trick, if you’re a serious red-wine lover (uh, who isn’t?), is to try Wine Wipes, $13.95, a tub of 20 orange-blossom-flavoured mini towelettes that have been formulated to both remove red stains and cleanse the palate. All without leaving an aftertaste that will interfere with wine drinking. After all, we wouldn’t want to miss out on those red wine antioxidants, would we now?
• You could also try this ye olde worlde beauty tip: mash up some strawberries and massage the pulp into teeth. Apparently the malic acid in the strawberries has a lightening effect.

 

What about you, Primpers? Got any teeth-whitening tips?

And what are your favourite red lippies right now?

Kat x

Posted by: Katrina Lawrence

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Tags: alessandra mastronardi, estee lauder, mac, rachel weisz, red lipstick, rimmel, teeth, teeth whitening