Thanks to MonalisaRomano17 and Eternal Nexus Warrior for reviewing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

PhilMex: Colour Matters

"I had a great time," Rosa said. "Thank you."

Dakila smiled, though he was a bit distracted by Rosa's lips. It had always freaked him out to see women with red lipstick, and that was all that Rosa seemed to wear. It was the only problem he had with her.

Rosa noticed something amiss, and her smile fell.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing's wrong," Dakila replied, perhaps a little too quickly. Rosa narrowed her eyes, and Dakila relented. "It's just… red lipstick's always been a bit of a turn-off for me. My mother always told me that only trashy women wear red lipstick."

"So… you think I'm trashy?"

"N-no, I j-just… I-it's a bit uncomfortable, a-and…"

Rosa just shook her head, a disbelieving look on her face.

"I guess I have no one else to blame," she muttered. "Goodnight, Dakila."

Dakila watched her go into her apartment before he smacked his forehead. He screwed up.

…

Dakila went to Rosa's apartment the next day with a small bouquet of flowers to apologise for his mistake the previous night. The moment the door opened, he had another taste of his foot.

"Rosa, are you alright?" he asked. "You look pale."

Rosa narrowed her eyes.

"I tried some lighter lipstick," Rosa said. "Since you said I looked trashy with my usual lipstick."

Dakila stared at Rosa before he hugged her.

"I'm so sorry," he said. "I shouldn't have said that. But… To be honest, I don't think you should go for lighter shades. Why don't you try going natural? You look beautiful."

"Oh, I got a bad scratch, so I needed to wear foundation, and it doesn't work if I just wear the foundation, so for a while, I'm going to wear the makeup more often."

"Like I said, you look beautiful. And it's just a scratch, isn't it?"

Rosa sighed, shaking her head.

"You just don't get it," she muttered.

This wasn't quite the way I wanted it, but oh well. I just got the idea when I spoke to a few colleagues about lipstick. Specifically, which shades can work. One of them bought a purple shade a few years ago that didn't work for her, so she gave it to me, and it actually suited me pretty well. My lips are a naturally dark shade of pink, so I have to go with dark coloured lipstick. I can't wear the nude colours at all because they make me look sick. Same with clothes and nail polish. Pastels are not suitable for me.

And while I prefer going natural, I acknowledge that many women like to wear makeup because of the confidence boost it can give them. And while I don't mind putting on the makeup, I hate having to take it off, so I only reserve it for special occasions.

And I've seriously heard people say that red lipstick makes you look trashy, but it just so happens to be a shade that looks good on me. It's all about skin tone and the lips' natural shade.