Author

Andreea Sandu

Andreea Sandu is a working makeup artist based in Bucharest. She's been doing makeup professionally since 2010, across bridal, editorial, film, commercial work, and runs Lipstick Queen. She started writing on the site after fielding the same questions from clients and friends often enough to just write the answers down: which red won't turn orange on a warm undertone, how to keep lipstick from feathering into fine lines, why a "12-hour" formula rarely survives dinner. Every review on the site follows the same rule she uses with paying clients: wear it first, then decide if it's worth recommending.

422 articles Writing since 2024
How to Choose the Perfect Lipstick for a Fashion Photo Shoot
Various Resources
How to Choose the Perfect Lipstick for a Fashion Photo Shoot

Choosing lipstick for a fashion photo shoot often seems simple until the final images arrive. A shade that looked flawless…

January 20, 2026 5 min read
How to Apply Lipstick on Dark Lips Like a Pro
Lip Care
How to Apply Lipstick on Dark Lips Like a Pro

Most problems with lipstick on dark lips come from the lip color underneath, not from the lipstick. A peach or…

January 19, 2026 12 min read
Beauty Lovers Waste $6.2 Billion on TikTok Makeup Trends They’ll Use Once
Statistics
Beauty Lovers Waste $6.2 Billion on TikTok Makeup Trends They’ll Use Once

From latte makeup to butter skin, TikTok beauty trends burn through billions in purchases that collect dust. Here's the math…

January 19, 2026 15 min read
How to Choose a Lipstick to Match Your Prom Dress
Various Resources
How to Choose a Lipstick to Match Your Prom Dress

Prom night is one of the most memorable evenings of your high school years, and every detail matters when it…

January 19, 2026 6 min read
What Color Lipstick Goes with a Red Dress?
Color Choice & Style
What Color Lipstick Goes with a Red Dress?

Most lipstick problems with a red dress come down to undertone. Blue-red fabric wants a blue-based lip, orange-red fabric wants…

January 18, 2026 13 min read
How to Remove Lipstick from Upholstery Fast
Maintenance
How to Remove Lipstick from Upholstery Fast

Scrape off the wax sitting on the surface, blot with a white cloth, and then use the cleaner the cleaning…

January 17, 2026 13 min read
Why Your Makeup Looks Cakey and How to Fix It
Makeup Looks
Why Your Makeup Looks Cakey and How to Fix It

Cakey makeup can usually be fixed without wiping everything off. Skin needs hydration before the base goes on, and thin…

January 17, 2026 16 min read
Lipstick vs Lip Tint: Which One Is Right for You?
Lipstick Basics
Lipstick vs Lip Tint: Which One Is Right for You?

Nothing on the packaging will tell you much here. "Tint" and "lipstick" are marketing words, and what you actually get…

January 16, 2026 15 min read
The Science of Skin Regeneration: Restore Youthful Radiance Naturally
Various Resources
The Science of Skin Regeneration: Restore Youthful Radiance Naturally

In modern aesthetic medicine, true skin rejuvenation is no longer focused only on surface improvement. Professional cosmetologists increasingly rely on…

January 16, 2026 3 min read
What Is Nude Lipstick? Find Your Perfect Shade
Lipstick Basics
What Is Nude Lipstick? Find Your Perfect Shade

What makes a lipstick nude is how close it sits to the wearer's natural lip color or skin tone. The…

January 15, 2026 13 min read
Mineral Balance and Its Role in Hair Thickness
Various Resources
Mineral Balance and Its Role in Hair Thickness

Hair thickness is often discussed in cosmetic terms - volume, fullness, density - but from a biological perspective, thickness is…

January 15, 2026 4 min read
What Is Frosted Lipstick? A Retro Trend Returns
Lipstick Basics
What Is Frosted Lipstick? A Retro Trend Returns

Editors call it frosty lipstick, or pearl lipstick, and the names are interchangeable. What you get is an icy, metallic-pearl…

January 14, 2026 13 min read
Vampire Makeup Looks That Are Drop-Dead Gorgeous
Makeup Looks
Vampire Makeup Looks That Are Drop-Dead Gorgeous

The National Retail Federation's 2025 survey ranked the vampire as the second most popular adult Halloween costume, behind the witch.…

January 13, 2026 16 min read
How to Become a Cosmetology Instructor
Various Resources
How to Become a Cosmetology Instructor

If you have a passion for beauty, getting paid to teach others can be a dream come true. As with…

January 13, 2026 4 min read
Lipstick Standards Mature Women Actually Need (And How Laura Geller Meets Them)
Various Resources
Lipstick Standards Mature Women Actually Need (And How Laura Geller Meets Them)

For many women, the moment lipstick stops feeling reliable isn’t dramatic; it’s gradual. A favorite shade begins to bleed. A…

January 12, 2026 10 min read
Makeup Looks with Brown Lipstick for a Chic Look
Makeup Looks
Makeup Looks with Brown Lipstick for a Chic Look

Brown lipstick goes wrong mostly because of the shade. Someone picks a chocolate that runs too cool for their skin,…

January 11, 2026 16 min read
Retro Revival: Stunning 60s Makeup Looks
Makeup Looks
Retro Revival: Stunning 60s Makeup Looks

Twiggy's eyes get most of the credit for 60s makeup, though the decade started somewhere else entirely. Central Casting's 2021…

January 10, 2026 13 min read
Makeup Looks with Pink Lipstick for Every Mood
Makeup Looks
Makeup Looks with Pink Lipstick for Every Mood

Most makeup looks with pink lipstick come down to how much you put around the pink. A pale one can…

January 9, 2026 16 min read
What Is Cream Lipstick? A Complete Guide
Lipstick Basics
What Is Cream Lipstick? A Complete Guide

People usually land on cream lipstick because their lips are dry, or because a matte feels like too much effort…

January 8, 2026 12 min read
Makeup Looks with Black Lipstick That Wow
Makeup Looks
Makeup Looks with Black Lipstick That Wow

Most black lipstick looks people actually wear aren't full black. Wednesday's hair and makeup designer Tara McDonald told Netflix Tudum…

January 8, 2026 16 min read
Makeup Looks with Red Lipstick for Any Event
Makeup Looks
Makeup Looks with Red Lipstick for Any Event

A red lip works best when nothing else on the face is fighting it. Keep the base simple, keep the…

January 7, 2026 15 min read
Cool vs Warm Red Lipstick: How to Pick the Right One
Basic Application Techniques
Cool vs Warm Red Lipstick: How to Pick the Right One

A red that looks right in the tube can look wrong on your mouth, and the pigment underneath is usually…

January 7, 2026 12 min read
How to Apply Lip Gloss Over Lipstick for Shine
Basic Application Techniques
How to Apply Lip Gloss Over Lipstick for Shine

Lipstick goes on first. Blot it, add a thin dab of gloss at the center of the lips, and press…

January 6, 2026 12 min read
How to Wear Black Lipstick Without Looking Goth
Basic Application Techniques
How to Wear Black Lipstick Without Looking Goth

Black lipstick doesn't hide much. Dry patches show through it, and so does an edge that wanders even slightly. Most…

January 5, 2026 14 min read
What Color Lipstick Goes with Blue Eyeshadow?
Color Choice & Style
What Color Lipstick Goes with Blue Eyeshadow?

Coral, peach or soft pink is where I'd start, so reach for coral, peach or soft pink first. Orange sits…

January 5, 2026 13 min read
What Color Lipstick Goes with Purple Eyeshadow?
Color Choice & Style
What Color Lipstick Goes with Purple Eyeshadow?

A nude, pink, mauve or berry lip is the best lipstick for purple eyeshadow in most cases, and the exact…

January 4, 2026 13 min read
Red Lipstick Meaning: What It Says About You
Lipstick Basics
Red Lipstick Meaning: What It Says About You

The usual red lipstick meaning is some mix of confidence, power, femininity, allure and defiance, and the mix changes with…

January 3, 2026 16 min read
What Color Lipstick Goes Best with Gray Hair?
Color Choice & Style
What Color Lipstick Goes Best with Gray Hair?

Gray hair has its own undertone, and that's the thing that actually decides which lipstick looks right, not skin tone…

January 3, 2026 15 min read
What Color Lipstick Goes with Brown Eyeshadow?
Color Choice & Style
What Color Lipstick Goes with Brown Eyeshadow?

A lot of people find one lipstick that looks fine with brown eyeshadow and wear it for years without testing…

January 2, 2026 13 min read
Benefits of Lipstick: More Than Just Beauty
Lipstick Basics
Benefits of Lipstick: More Than Just Beauty

Lipstick leaves a wax-and-oil film with pigment in it on the lips, and what that film does depends mostly on…

January 2, 2026 15 min read