To me, nothing is more glamorous or sophisticated than a red lip. It has been practically immortalized as the highest standard of glamour, thanks to Hollywood's leading ladies. Many have gone so far as to incorporate it as part of their signature look, celebs like Marilyn Monroe, Gwen Stefani, Dita Von Teese and Christina Aguilera.

Recently, I've been taking cues from these silver screen goddesses and have painted my lips red for almost any occasion I can think of. One such occasion was a night out on the town with some gal pals, I used my Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella as an accent to my simple yet stylish outfit of jeans, white tee and black blazer. Many friends and strangers felt the need to come up to me to congratulate me on being so bold to wear such a daring colour. I doubt Gwen Stefani would have receive such judgment in the exact same situation.

Shouldn't it be acceptable to wear red lips any time, day or night? There are lots of hues that compliment every skin tone and textures that can be more or less intense. When it comes to selecting the perfect shade for you, it all depends on your skin tone. If you have a warm undertone to your skin, you'll want to select shades with an orange or tawny base and if you have a cool undertone, you'll want a blue-ish undertone in the tube. There are also shades that can be universally flattering, one of the most popular being Russian Red by MAC. There are also a multitude of sheer shades from tints and gloss like the best-selling Benefit Benetint that give you that fresh, "just bitten" look. With the slew of shades and textures, it would seem that a red lip could be worn for any event imaginable, no excuses! Not to mention wearing red on your kissers makes your teeth seem whiter. Bonus!

• Arielle Paech's blog