When rocking a bright lipstick, your M.O. should be to keep the rest of your makeup simple so it doesn't compete with the bold hue on your lips. And although it's fine to go bare-faced at a summer picnic, you might need to bend the beauty rules a bit when it comes to getting glammed up for a big night out.
Take a cue from Alicia Keys, 30, who opted for heavy black winged liner to complement her fruit-punch lips at a charity event in London Wednesday night. Notice that she's not wearing eyeliner along the bottom of her eyes, which is one way to soften an otherwise dramatic effect.
Cat-eye liner seems difficult, but it can be easy to execute if you have the right tools. Choose a liquid liner with a medium tip and (with a steady hand) drag the brush along your lashline from the inner to the outer corner. When you get to the end, follow your eye's natural shape and bring the line slightly up and out past your eye just a few millimeters. (A little can go a long way!) Feel free to go light at first, as you can always make the line bolder once you have the outline done.
Us recommends: Make Up For Ever Aqua Liner Eyeliner in Mat Black, $23 at sephora.com.
To copy the singer's pretty pink pout, opt for a long-wear formula. (It is summer, after all!) Skip the lipliner and instead trace the outline of your lips with a concealer to prevent the color from bleeding. Slick on a candy-colored hue, blot, and you're good to go!
Us recommends: Bare Escentuals Pretty Amazing Lip Color in Ambition, $16 at sephora.com.
