Wear the Red Lipstick 💄

Originally published on LinkedIn, 19 March 2026.

I’m not a psychologist. Let’s just start there!

I’m just someone who wears a red lipstick… and absolutely loves it.

But here’s what I do know.

Every time I’ve stepped into something that matters — a stage, a big meeting, a podcast, or one of those moments where I need to feel like that girl that's got her shit together — I reach for a red lip.

Not because I have to. Not because it’s expected. But because of how it makes me feel.

Powerful. Bold. Unapologetically me.

It Was Never About the Lipstick Though

Because let’s be honest… this isn’t really about lipstick, is it?

Red lipstick has a bit of a reputation.

Too bold. Too much. Too “look at me.”

And so many women avoid it for exactly that reason.

We go for the safe option. The lighter colours. The gloss. The thing that blends in. The thing that doesn’t say too much.

The thing that keeps us… comfortable.

But I always come back to this question:

Who decided that being seen was something we should be afraid of?

The Thought We Don’t Always Say Out Loud

I notice it all the time.

When I wear a red lip to the school run, to the shops, just on a normal Tuesday — people notice.

Some smile. Some compliment. Some look a little confused. Some… judge a bit.

But the ones that stay with me most?

Are the quiet ones. The ones that feel like:

“I wish I could pull that off.” “I wish I was brave enough to do that.”

And I don’t hear that as criticism. I hear it as someone holding themselves back.

You Don’t Need Permission, Babe

Here’s the truth.

You don’t need a reason to show up as yourself. Not a big event. Not a special occasion. Not someone else telling you it’s okay.

If you want to wear the red lipstick to the school run — do it. If you want to brighten your day with a bit of colour — do it. If you want to feel a little bit more you — do it.

You don’t need permission to be bold. You don’t need permission to take up space. You don’t need permission to be seen.

There Is No “Right” Red

Yes, technically there are different shades.

Blue-based reds. Warmer tones. All the things the beauty world tells us we should know.

But honestly? That’s not the point.

There isn’t one “perfect” red.

There’s just the one that makes you feel something.

And sometimes finding it is a bit messy. I’ve mixed liners, tried about a hundred shades, and still switch it up depending on my mood.

Because this isn’t about getting it right. It’s about expressing yourself.

And also… not everyone even wants a red lip.

Some of us love a nude. Some of us feel our best in something soft, subtle, barely there. And that’s just as powerful.

This isn’t about saying you should wear red. It’s about knowing that if you want to — you can.

On the school run. At the food shop. On a random Tuesday when you just feel like it.

No rules. No occasion needed.

It Shows Up in More Ways Than We Think

And it’s not just lipstick.

I remember one of my own team once saying she’d never wear a red nail because she “didn’t have the confidence”.

And I remember feeling a bit sad hearing that.

Because it’s just a colour… but somehow it was carrying so much weight.

It made me think — when did something as simple as a colour become something we feel we have to earn?

Maybe it’s a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation.

Do we wait until we feel confident to wear the bold thing…Or do we wear the bold thing, and let it help us feel more confident?

This Is Bigger Than Beauty

At Mooeys, we’ve always been about more than treatments.

We’re about creating spaces where you don’t feel like you have to shrink, tone it down, or fit into someone else’s idea of who you should be.

You get to come as you are.

Whether that’s bold and bright. Or quiet and understated. Or somewhere in between.

This “red lipstick” thing? It’s just a tiny example of something much bigger.

It’s about identity. It’s about confidence. It’s about choosing yourself.

So… Would You Wear It?

Genuine question.

Would you wear the red lipstick?

And if the answer is no… why not?

Is it because you don’t like it?

Or is it because of what someone else might think?