Makeup Move

1. Choose The Right Red:
"The best way to choose a red lipcolor is to swipe different shades on a white piece of paper to see the true undertones of the color," she says. "Cooler-toned reds are great for light-skinned ladies, medium skin looks awesome with true fire-engine reds, and dark skin looks amazing in blood reds." If you're too nervous about choosing the right shade, fear not! "There are a few cases of universal red shades," adds Carmindy. "Like Sally Hansen Color Comfort Lip Color in Soft Red. I helped Sally Hansen design that shade to work on everyone. And, if you don't want to commit to a full-on red lip, try a red gloss that will wear more sheer."

2. Don't Let It Bleed:
We hate the way a really red lip always ends up feathering and making us look like we've been on a bender. To stop the bleeding, Carmindy advises, "Rim the outside of the lips with a highlighting clear lipliner like Guerlain Cupidon lipliner. For long-wearing lipstick, dab on a lip stain like Benetint, line the lips and fill them in with a matching red lipliner, and then apply lipstick."

Richard Chai, Roksanda Ilincic, Tory Burch, Karen Walker—designers from New York and London all the way to New Zealand have been bringing back the really red lip. Sure, we have Mad Men to thank for this classic beauty move's world-wide return, but since we're kind of tired of that whole retro reference, we're using the runways as our inspiration du jour. Keep in mind though: The red lip may seem like a fairly straightforward concept, but choosing the wrong shade can have disastrous results (ashy skin, yellow teeth, think serious Mommie Dearest moment). To avoid such pitfalls, we've asked our makeup artist/guru friend Carmindy to school us on the art of The Perfect Red Lip. And if you want more beauty tips that won't make your head spin, be sure to snap up Carmindy's third book, "Crazy Busy Beautiful," which hits April 1.