It’s been an exciting few years for redheads: The gorgeous Julianne Moore won her first Oscar for Still Alice, Joan Holloway made her grand exit on the finale of Mad Men, and the Titian-haired sisters Adrienne Vendetti Hodges (pictured left) and Stephanie Vendetti (right), founders of the website How to Be A Redhead, nabbed a book deal of the same name. As these women prove, the redhead is almost always the most striking woman in the room, yet the beauty industry doesn't typically cater to her. Finding makeup that complements her often fair, freckled, and sensitive skin, as well as her strawberry to copper-hued tresses, is not an easy task. So, in 2011, these sisters decided to change that.
“We felt like there wasn’t an outlet for [redhead] women to go to and feel like they’re trendy and beautiful, and get really great advice," Adrienne tells us. "I’m two years older than Stephanie, so we’re very close and as kids we used to joke that we knew how to be redheads because we were so into beauty products. We used to joke that we were going to come out with a book on how to be a redhead, and it was always on the backs of our minds. So, after college we were like, ‘You know what? We’re going to do it!’ We started it as a little blog, and in just two weeks' time we were overwhelmed with so many people writing in and all the people who are passionate about being redheads.”
Clearly, there was a gaping hole in the market, but since How to Be A Redhead’s inception (or was it its influence?) many makeup companies have started carrying shades that flatter more than just blondes and brunettes. We asked the sisters, who have since added L’Oréal brand ambassador titles to their résumés, to recommend the “redhead-friendly” (their term) products they swear by, including a brow gel they developed with Billion Dollar Brows. Plus, they've got tips on everything from wearing the right blush to making your freckles pop. Read on, redheads: You’re in for a treat.
SPF
“We apply this right after we cleanse and apply oils or face lotion. SPF is the first step in our makeup process because we always want to protect our redhead skin. We burn so easily. It comes in a pump tube, and the product itself is clear. It literally disappears into the skin and feels, almost, like a powder. We don't even realize we have SPF 30 on our faces. It’s a miracle!” — Stephanie
Loose Power
“You hardly feel like you have makeup on, and it gives great, natural coverage. Usually, redheads have noticeable veins on their eyelids and underneath the eyes. With a few swipes of this powder all over the face, the skin looks perfect. It’s a wonderful base.” — Adrienne
Make Up For Ever, $29.00, available at Sephora
Liquid Foundation
“It’s very rare for redheads with fair skin to find the perfect foundation. The pigments are either too red or too gray, but these are the perfect shades. And, there are up to five different shades for fair skin. I love it because it doesn’t cover my freckles.” — Stephanie
"A great tip is if you want your freckles to pop, apply the foundation. Then, dip a Q-tip in water and gently dot on your face to expose your freckles. That way, you have coverage and expose your beautiful ‘sun kisses.’” — Adrienne
The sisters actually recently did a YouTube video with Clinique about this product because they love it so much. Adrienne uses "Alabaster" and Stephanie uses "Fair."
Clinique, $27.00, available at Clinique
Concealer
“Redheads usually have very sensitive skin, so when it comes to concealer, it’s essential to find one that doesn’t irritate the eye area and gives good coverage. This is definitely one of the best we’ve tried, and believe me, we’ve tried hundreds. We love Tarte, and the founder is a redhead! So, we’re always partial to the line.” — Stephanie
Tarte, $25.00, available at Tarte
Eyebrows
"The best part about this product is every type of redhead, whether strawberry-blonde or auburn, can use it. The color is universal among redheads.” — Stephanie
Billion Dollar Brows, $18.00, available at How To Be A Redhead
Mascara
“Redheads [often] have coarse hair, so eyebrows and lashes are similar. It’s our personal preference, but we don’t use an eyelash curler, and that’s why we love this mascara. It curls our redhead eyebrows and adds color!” — Stephanie
“We have this mascara in brown and black. We love to apply black to the top and brown to the bottom, so our eyes don’t look too harsh.” — Adrienne
COVERGIRL, $7.99, available at COVERGIRL
Eyeliner
“We love a gel liner! The look is so classic. We have this eyeliner in almost every shade and have fun with it. We love expressing our fun, redhead personalities! If you’re a redhead without green or blue eyes, use Emerald Seductive or Downtown Blue to line the top lid of the eye.” — Adrienne
Lancôme, $25.00, available at Lancôme
Blush
“For some reason, society has told redheads not to wear blush. Don’t listen! The trick is to find the right shade for you. MAC has a great redhead-friendly shade called Gingerly. We think MAC must have chosen the name for a reason. The color has hints of pink, but its base color is almost the shade of a bronzer. It’s gorgeous with fair skin and any shade of red hair.” — Adrienne
MAC, $22.00, available at MAC
Bronzer
“This may sound crazy, but it’s the best kept secret. It can be difficult to find a bronzer for redheads, because most are too dark or too shimmery. You don’t want to cover your porcelain skin or freckles with a harsh bronzer. That’s why we love using Maybelline’s Fit Me Pressed Powder in one of its darkest shades, Soft Honey. Because it’s actually a pressed powder, it doesn’t have shimmer and it’s really natural-looking. We lightly apply it to the apples of our cheeks and our temples.” — Stephanie
Maybelline, $7.99, available at Maybelline
Red Lipstick
“Many redheads think they can’t wear red lipstick, and that couldn’t be more false. Find a shade like Jungle Red with blue undertones. The warmth is beautiful with every shade of red hair and skin tone.” — Stephanie
"If we could choose one red lipstick for every redhead to wear, it would be this brand and shade. It’s beautiful." — Adrienne
NARS, $27.00, available at Sephora
“We also love the NARS Velvet Matte Dragon Girl Lip Pencil. We apply the liner before the Jungle Red lipstick.” — Adrienne
NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Dragon Girl, $26, available at Sephora.
Orange Lipstick
“This was one of the first lipsticks we experimented with. Actually, NYC designer Dana-Maxx [Pomerantz] — a beautiful redhead — wears this color all the time. We first met her in 2011, and loved the contrast with her red hair. We’ve worn it ourselves ever since. If we see a redhead and we love her makeup or bold lip, we always ask what color she’s wearing. And, we are always asked by others about our lip colors, too. We’ve had plenty of people approach us and say, 'I can’t wear a lipstick like you.' We always recommend to start with Lady Danger — it’s the perfect amount of bold, no matter the season.” — Adrienne
MAC, $16.00, available at MAC
Pink Lipstick
“Not only does it apply like silk, but the color is so vibrant! The shade is deep but cheerful, and looks stunning with fair skin and red hair. Jessica Chastain wears a color similar to this, and we love it on her!” — Adrienne
Yves Saint Laurent, $36.00, available at Sephora
Berry Lipstick
“This is the definition of a redhead-friendly color, and it also smells, subtly, like berries. It is a lip glaze, but the color matches a redhead’s skin tone beautifully and can be worn casually or when going out.” — Adrienne
Aveda, $18.00, available at Aveda
Nude Lipstick
“Julianne Moore has a line with L’Oréal Paris [that includes] a gorgeous shade called Julianne’s Nude. It’s so stunning with red hair, and we’re guessing it was made specifically to flatter Julianne’s red hair and fair skin. It’s in our purses at all times!” — Adrienne
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