BeautySlides: Which Lip Color Was Tops in 2007, Ruby Red or Nearly Nude?

We are well into the fall/winter season of fashion and beauty, and when we started out with the new trends way back in September we saw red lips everywhere from Gucci to Valentino a la homage to Veronica Lake. Lancome couldn't even handle the onslaught that came with the limited edition red lipstick simply called Behnaz, which has reported to sell on EBay for upwards of $100. But designers sent us mixed messages, as the polar opposite of the scarlet mouth, the nude lip, presided at big-time shows like Carolina Herrera, Derek Lam and Marc Jacobs. Let€™s ride the crimson tide and see which lip trends our favorite celebs decided to follow, or not, this year.

So who was In the Red in 2007? Rihanna rocked red lips like no one else at the World Music awards in Monaco. The green dress, the dark hair, the painted lips, she was all about maximum impact and all I could think was, oh my god this is what red lips are supposed to look like! Then there was Cameron Diaz at the Golden Globes in her flowing, one-shoulder Valentino number. It was like bursts of color all over her, everywhere you looked, first the mysterious dark hair, then the piercing blue eyes, lower to the cherry-stained lips, and then the white dress. Everything about her was striking. And I loved, loved, loved Heidi Klum at the Primetime Emmys, she was draped in red from head-to-toe and looked practically edible.

But it was at the Oscars where all the style heavyweights puckered up in favor of red. Nicole Kidman, her BFF Naomi Watts, Gwyneth Paltrow and Rachel Weisz (who looked like a goddess) all dressed their pouts in scarlet flair.

And let€™s not forget to tip our hats to our year round red-lippers like Dita Von Teese, Christina Aguilera and Gwen Stefani, who seems to be have been red-lipped since day one.

It shouldn€™t shock you that Angelinia Jolie€™s lips remained in the nude this past year. Really, could you imagine that smacker in anything other than something sheer? Smart girl, that Angelina, she knows what works perfectly for her. Also, opting for nude was one our fave celebs, Eva Mendes. It suits her style of being a classic, natural beauty whose palette choices stay mostly in the warm, gold tones to complement her skin tone. And who could forget Reese Witherspoon at the Oscars? Fresh on the heels of her breakup from Ryan Phillippe, she astounded us with her understated glamour. Great indigo-colored gown, loose, flowing hair and simple palette for a face that screamed (however demurely), €œI don€™t need that much to be this fabulous.€� Go Reese!

What did my bees do this year? Tell us if you were in the red or went in the nude, or maybe you went both ways. Let us know!

Rebecca Suhrawardi Austin, a fashion writer from New York City, is a graduate and former Board Member of the Fashion Institute of Technology. Previously with the fashion departments of Interview Magazine and CosmoGirl!, Rebecca has worked with such talent as Nicole Kidman, Maya Angelou, Joss Stone and Jennifer Jason Leigh.

Photos: PR Photos