Mariah Carey would rather “play up her eyes” than wear red lipstick.

It’s widely known that the ‘All I Want For Christmas is You’ hitmaker never wears the bold colour on her lips and her longtime make-up artist, Kristofer Buckle, has revealed why.

He said: “Red lips are a holiday staple, but not for Mariah. She prefers to play up her eyes with strong eye shapes and soft lashes.”

Kristofer - who has also worked for Blake Lively and Kelly Ripa - explained that whenever he does Mariah’s eyes, he always uses similar “shape themes” that her fans will have seen time and time again because she is a “living legend”.

He added: “Mariah is a living legend, so I always keep familiar shape themes on her eyes and play with slight colour and texture differences."

In 2015, the 50-year-old superstar herself said: "Personally, I won't wear a red lip. Every time somebody puts red lipstick on me it’s a disaster.”

Elsewhere, Kristofer recalled the time Mariah cut a gown into a mini dress whilst wearing the designer piece.

He told Page Six Style: “I’ve watched Mariah take scissors and cut a designer beaded gown into a mini dress while it was on her … because that’s what she wanted to wear. I’ve learned [from her] that your style is yours.”

Kristofer has worked for Mariah since 1994, and recalled how one year she treated her team to a “midnight sleigh ride” in Aspen during the festive period.

He remembered: “One of my favourite Christmas memories was when Mariah took us on a midnight horse-driven sleigh ride through the woods in Aspen. We were all cosy under heavy wool blankets, and Mariah made sure there was hot cocoa as we made our way under the moon through the snow.”