Photo: Thinkstock

I'm still searching for the perfect red lipstick that's not too blue, but not too orange—and I have a makeup bag stuffed with different variations of crimson to prove it. Instead of tossing the tubes that didn't live up to my expectations, makeup artist Kristofer Buckle suggested that I custom blend them in the microwave. "You can bump any shade into your comfort level by adding other colors," he says. While I'm no cosmetic chemist and even less a chef, I'm willing to head to the kitchen in the name of beauty research (and finally finding the ultimate red). You can steal his step-by-step:

1. Wind your lipstick all the way up and cut off the bullet with a butter knife. [If you want to soften the color, repeat the same steps with a lighter tone or nude. For more drama and intensity, add a deeper, blue-based shade in the same color family.]
2. Place the bullets in a small glass bowl or dish and pop them in the microwave for 10 seconds.
3. Repeat until the lipsticks are pliable (but not melted), then mix them together with a knife.
4. Scoop out your new homemade shade and put it in a small plastic jar or this purse-sized pill case from Walgreens, 99 cents.
   

Not only will this end your hunt for the ideal red (or pink, or coral, or...you get the picture), but you'll create a color that's unique to you.

What do you think of this DIY idea? Will you try it?

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