I’m glad the World Cup only happens once every four years, because it has the tendency to tear families apart and fracture decades-old friendships. We here at FDHQ are not immune to its charms.
(Charms is an umbrella term that includes the appreciation of the poetry in motion that is world-class football, as well as the flagrant debasing of the sport by engaging in the shallow objectification of really ripped and sweaty men who run around in shorts.)
Griss and I are lucky to get along like a house on fire because we have overlapping personality traits (we both like horror movies, dislike conflict, and are a lot friendlier than we look); but since the start of the World Cup, a toxic continent-sized gulf has emotionally distanced us. We no longer make eye contact or talk to each other because she and I support teams who also happen to be arch-rivals: Germany and the Netherlands.
One of the most basic things that a person can do to support their favorite thighs football team is to wear the national jersey. We’ve both done that, but we wanted to kick it up a notch by wearing lipsticks in shades that reflect those national colors. It’s a simple and subtle way of quietly cheering, “Hup, Holland! Hup!”, and whatever cheer it is that Germany fans scream to spur their team into action. For this World Cup, she went with the MAC Diva for Germany and I opted for Make Up Store Lipstick in Redelicious for the Netherlands.
L to R: MAC Diva, Make Up Store in Redelicious
We’ve already talked about the MAC Diva, and rightfully so: it’s a gorgeous matte red that has become the entry-level vampy lip color. It makes you look like a glamorous daytime vampire, and I mean that in a really good way! The deep berry red is a hat tip to the gradation of reds on this year’s German jersey (a color which, in turn, was taken from the German tricolor).
Meanwhile, the Redelicious from Make Up Store is a positively happy orange-red. It comes in a long-lasting and hydrating creme finish that feels more like lip balm than lipstick. While nowhere as bright as the neon-orange that is traditionally associated with the Netherlands, this is a more sensible orange option for my particular skin tone. If you can pull off a brighter orange, do it while orange lipstick is still in season!
If you’re supporting a team that associates itself with the color red on its flag, lucky you! You can wear any red-based lipstick in a shade that closely resembles your team’s specific red. If you support countries with jaunty-colored flags like Brazil or Argentina that feature no reds, you have two options: wear yellow/baby blue lipstick, or implement yellow/blue into your eyeshadow.
It’s been an absolutely riveting tournament so far. I’m in a pretty good mood at the time of writing because the Netherlands wiggled their way past Mexico into the quarterfinals this morning. But being a lifelong KNVB fan has made me suspicious of optimism, so I will do as I would every other major international football tournament and not get my hopes up to avoid disappointment. Who are you supporting during this World Cup, and how are you showing your support?
