I’ve always believed you’re either a red lipstick person or you’re not. I am not a red lipstick person. It doesn’t work on me and I don’t love it, but it looks so good on women who love it and are comfortable with it. What I love about red lipstick in general is that it doesn’t matter what color your skin is or what shape your lips are, you can find a red that works for you. This look on Katherine is really so simple and perfect for a date night or Valentine’s Day.

Skin

I used a full coverage foundation to even out the skin and applied concealer under the eyes. With a red lip, or any statement lip color, you want to start with clean, even skin. I set everything with a skin-tone correct powder. I added a pink blush to the apples of her cheeks to warm up the complexion.

Eyes

I kept her eyes simple, applying a light bone color all over the lids. I applied three coats of super black mascara to the top lashes and a coat across the bottom lashes. I brushed up her brows and used a brown shadow to fill them in. If you want a more defined look, you can finish the brows with a clear or tinted brow gel.

Lips

Step one in finding your perfect red lip is to think about the formula and texture. If you want a strong look, choose a dense, creamy formula. Matte formulas will last the longest, just make sure it doesn’t dry out your lips. If you want something a little more forgiving, go with a red stain. You only need to apply a little bit to the bottom of the lips and then just rub your lips together. You can even apply any extra to the cheeks.

When it comes to color, there are a lot of options. If you have pale skin, bright pink or blue-red tones tend to look best. For warmer skin tones, try an orange-red and for deep skin tones, try a brown or brick red.

If you can apply directly from the tube, start there and use a lip brush to define the edges. You can use a lip pencil after you apply to clean up, tweak and better define the lip, but make sure the color matches. Whatever you do, keep the color within the natural lines of your lips.

On Katherine, I used a pink-toned red lipstick and applied it with a lip brush.