Red Lipstick on Hard Days

Some days, I wear red lipstick before I even say a word. Not because I feel beautiful, but because I do not. It is not makeup — It is a signal. A ritual. A kind or armor when the world feels too loud.

Some days, I don’t want to be strong.
I don’t want to fix anything. I don’t want to be needed. I don’t want to smile when I feel like screaming or keep showing up when my tank’s been on empty since Tuesday.
There are days when the tears sit just behind your eyes — not loud, not dramatic, just waiting. Days when getting out of bed feels like peeling yourself off the floor. When the world keeps demanding:

“What’s for dinner?”
“Did you send the email?”
“Where’s the charger?”

— and your soul wants to whisper, “Can someone ask if I’m okay?”

Am I the only one who sees herself in the mirror and misses that woman who used to laugh from her belly, who had plans, who wore heels just because?
Not because she needed to prove anything — but because she felt like it.
Now the woman staring back has circles under her eyes, yesterday’s dry shampoo, and a heart running on fumes.

And on those days?
I don’t reach for a journal. Or tea. Or even prayer.
I reach for red lipstick.
I put it on in silence.
No music.
No smile.
No audience.
Just me, a mirror, and a color bold enough to cover the cracks.
Because it’s not about looking pretty. It’s not even about being seen.
It’s about remembering that inside this tired woman, this overworked, overstimulated, emotionally-spent version of myself…
There’s still a spark.
The ritual matters.

That precise moment when the color touches your lips — it’s like a truce.
A quiet rebellion against the version of you who wanted to give up that morning.
Red lipstick doesn’t solve anything.
It doesn’t write emails or do the dishes or refill your bank account.

But it reminds you that you’re still here. Still fighting.
Still worth showing up for — even if only to yourself.
Maybe your version isn’t lipstick. Maybe it’s perfume. Or those ridiculous fuzzy socks you hide in winter. Maybe it’s dancing in the kitchen while waiting for the water to boil.
We all have something — some tiny, irrational, inexplicable ritual — that reminds us:
“You’ve got this. Even now.”
For me, it’s always been red.
A slash of it across my lips like armor.
Not to seduce. Not to impress.
But to say: “I may be falling apart, but I’m not invisible.”

So if today is one of those days…
If your voice is tired, your hope is quiet, and you feel like the world just keeps taking and taking —
Put on your war paint.
Light a candle.
Wrap yourself in the coziest blanket.
Wear the earrings. Drink the wine.
Play the song you used to dance to in college.
And remember this:
Even when you feel like you’re crumbling, you’re still art.
Messy, sacred, breathtaking art.

Red lipstick will not solve everything, but on the days when I feel invisible, it reminds me that I am still here.

🛍️ Shop My Ritual

These are the small things that get me through the hard days.

🔴 Red That Speaks for Me:
YSL Loveshine #10 Red Crush


💋 When I Need a Classic Bold:
MAC Ruby Woo


✏️ To Draw the Line I Won’t Cross:
Dior Rouge Contour Lip Liner


❤️‍🩹 When I Need to Remember Who I Am:
“You Are Awesome” Wine Glass


🛁 To Start Fresh:
MONARCH Plush Lined Robe


🕯️ When I Just Need to Breathe Again:
Replica ‘On a Date’ Candle


💫 To Hold It All Together:
MAC Prep + Prime Lip


🪞 When I Need to See Myself Clearly Again:
Sensor Lighted Makeup Mirror




With love,
By The Venue