Luck be a Dragon Tonight

The dragon paper decorating Tory Burch store windows right now, in honour of 2012's auspicious sign

A gorgeous dragon in Beijing to celebrate the Year of the Dragon

Brilliant red lanterns adorn a tree to celebrate Chinese New Year

Models backstage at Jason Wu Spring 2012 in matte red lips.  Photos by Kevin Tachman, Olivier Claisse/firstVIEW, IMAXtree and Matteo Volta

Happy 4710 to you!  It's the Year of the Dragon, and whether you celebrate Chinese New Year or not, it's nice to think that this might be an extra lucky year.

A few fun facts:

1. The only mythical creature in the Chinese zodiac, the dragon is thought to be a combination of the other 11 signs, including the teeth of a tiger, the belly of a rabbit, the body of a snake and the legs of a horse.  The dragon is extremely auspicious, symbolizing power, strength and good luck.

2. Reese Witherspoon, Bill Clinton, John Lennon and Salvador Dalí were born in years of the dragon. People born under the dragon are thought to be well-respected, confident, artistic, and natural leaders.

3. Red symbolizes fire and drives away bad luck, and it’s customary during any New Year celebration to wear red and decorate with red paper.

Why not toss on a little red today to breathe some fire into your winter wardrobe?  A bright, matte red lip (as seen on the models at Jason Wu) is an easy, always chic option.  Makeup Artist Diane Kendal for M.A.C. outlined and contoured with Redd Lip Pencil, followed by an application of the red-orange Scarlet Ibis Lipstick. To intensify, Pro Acid Orange Pigment was patted on top OR try the cheap, cheerful (and super-simple) Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Fire and Ice.  Fun!