I struggled with the idea of writing a fashion how-to. There are very few things in life I claim to be an expert in, and there are so many great fashion blogs out there already, would I really have something to contribute? But I find every time I wear this look I have people ask me how to do a perfect red lip. And after a Twitter conversation about red lipstick with the brains behind What Would a Nerd Wear, I knew it was fate.

There are as many different ways out there as there are shades of red, but I find this method lasts me all day with almost no smearing and very little touch-up.

You’ll need…

A lip brush (mine is from an old kit)

A lip stain (mine is Very Sexy Muse from Victoria’s Secret)

Red lipstick (I use Clinique #95 Red Hot)

Lipgloss (I’ve got Delux Beauty Crush Lip Gloss in Sweet Plum)

Start with a clean lip.

Apply a good coat of lip stain and LET DRY 2-3 minutes, otherwise the lipstick won’t go over it nicely. I use this is place of lipliner and find it holds up better and looks more natural as the lipstick wears off.

Apply a coat of your red lipstick. There’s lots of debate on using a lip brush or even your finger but I just apply straight from the tube. Then I smooth it out with a lip brush, I also think it helps it to stick but this could just be my imagination.

Apply a coat of lipgloss with your lip brush, starting in the center and blending out to the edges. If your lipgloss comes in a tube, I suppose you could apply it directly from the tube but the lipstick will turn your gloss red. Plus, I feel like I get better control with the brush. The gloss holds the lipstick in place and also keeps you from getting smears on your hair/face/clothes/glasses/boyfriend.

And that’s it! Around lunchtime I touch up any spots that are starting to get light and apply another coat of glass but it usually lasts all day with no worries.

What do you do? Any secrets you can share? Post in the comments below! 🙂