Red lips seem a little high maintenance, but actually it’s the opposite. Even if barely have time to do your makeup, throw on a red lip and you look like a million bucks. That’s if you follow some important steps and avoid common mistakes. First off, make sure your lips are moisturized. You don’t want to bring more attention to cracked dry lips. I like to put some foundation on my lips first, but you can also use some powder. Whatever you do, don’t apply the red over a fresh coat of lip balm because you will end up looking like your 9th grade science teacher who always had lipstick on her teeth. A red lip liner is a must with a red lip. For years I have been lining my lips and then using lipstick but turns out you have to do the lip liner last. Try using a lip brush and take it with you in your purse. Et voila!

That said, I also like to take a backup nude lipstick in case of emergency, in case I’m going to dinner and basically smear off my red lips. Do the same, because you probably shouldn’t re-apply at this point and just switch to something more subtle.

Aline Agopian