Ain’t nothing like a classic red lip—no dispute there. But it’s more tempting than ever to shake things up. Here, find a few super-easy ways to remix the universally-beloved red lip—trust that if Marilyn Monroe were alive today, she’d be all over ’em.
1. Glitter Bomb Them
Since her majesty Pat McGrath unveiled her #LUST004 lip kits—teaming creamy matte lip shades and micro-fine glitter together—sparkly lips have been seen *everywhere*—from the Versace runway to the VMAs red carpet (on Naomi Campbell no less). As conceptual as they are, they’re relatively easy to achieve. Just paint on your red lip, apply a thin coat of gloss, and then press the glitter carefully on the lips. If you don’t want to go full-pout with the sparkles, try the “crescendo of glitter” McGrath applied at DKNY Spring 2017.
2. Brush on Blush
Since you can take your beloved matte red lip to the next level by making like makeup artist Mark Carrasquillo at Creatures of the Wind Spring 2017, who patted on a layer of hot pink blush to 1) give the lips a powdery effect and 2) provide a long-lasting finish so it doesn’t move all day.
3. Add a pop of orange
Give your red lip an unexpected pop of color (and contour your pout in the process) by dabbing neon orange onto the center of the lips and blurring it out as seen at Jason Wu Spring 2017. Yes, it’s statement-making, but also wearable as you can dial the tangerine accent up or down as desired and applying it with your fingers gives it a more lived-in feel.
4. Paint your bottom lip Pink
Turning a red lip on its head is easy— just add an entirely different shade on the bottom lip. Inspired by Michelle Pfeiffer in Scarface, the models had cherry-red upper lips and hot pink bottom lips. Because the shades are so complementary, it’s an easy-to-pull-off, two-toned combo that’s decidedly unexpected and cool.
5. Add all the gloss
Lip gloss catches a bad rap, but seriously, the right gloss can make your lips look more voluminous *naturally* and the high-shine finish is just plain sexy. We advise following the lead of Aaron de Mey at Nina Ricci Spring 2016, who added a slick of red gloss over a Coco-Cola red lip for a light-catching, shiny-new-car effect.