Trend to Try: Wine Lips

Lips that range from deep cherry to aubergine rocked the fall runways, and the best news is that this trend is extremely wearable. “Wine looks good on a variety of skin tones, making it one of the easiest colors to pull off,” says Creative Makeup Director for Fashion Fair Sam Fine. But makeup artist Kate Lee cautions against making sure you “don’t end up looking like The Cure’s Robert Smith” with a smudged, too-dark shade. How to get it right? “Experiment with different shades on the wine spectrum, then play with the intensity by blotting and layering,” says Lee. Whatever your skin tone and age, we’ll show you how to work your Merlot like you mean it.

“You’re young-throw caution to the wind!” says Lee. Most makeup artists agree that youthful, dewy skin makes wine lips look dramatic but not overly severe. "When you’re young, you can pull off a trendier style, like Camilla Belle's super-dark wine lips. It’s a very bold look, so be sure to keep eyes clean-looking with just a nude shadow and mascara,” says makeup artist Rosie Johnston. To make the color look “worn-in and somewhat vintage, apply lipstick with your fingers and then blot—it will leave a perfectly stained lip,” says Fine.

Rouge Dior in Fantastic Plum ($32; dior.com)

ILIA Lip Gloss in Gypsy ($24; iliabeauty.com starting in October)

Maybelline ColorSensational Lipcolor in Deepest Cherry ($7.50; drugstore.com)

You’ve heard the old adage that dark lipstick makes a woman look older. “To hell with that rule. Wear strong color with confidence!” says Fine, citing Iman, who’s nearly 60 and looks fabulous in dark wine lipstick. “Apply a moisturizing, highly-pigmented creme lipstick with a brush, then put a dab of contrasting gloss in the center to make lips appear more dimensional,” Fine says. Before you’re done, Johnston recommends “blotting gently with a tissue to help stop the lip color from bleeding into fine expression lines around the mouth.” We love Kyra Sedgwick's subtle wine lip that also complements her complexion.

Edward Bess Ultra Slick Lipstick in Night Romance ($32; neimanmarcus.com)

Tarte Glamazon Pure Performance 12-Hour Lipstick in Playful ($26; sephora.com)

Chanel Rouge Coco in Caractère ($32.50; chanel.com)

Sure, you can stick with always-flattering wine shades that are “more of a neutral red or berry shade, which always look good on light skin tones,” says makeup artist Jenn Streicher. Or, you can be more vampy and daring. Fairer skin can pull off any shade of wine-it’s all about how dramatic you want to go,” says makeup artist Mai Quynh. “You can pull a Kate Bosworth, who’s very fair and wears a very vampy deep red.” The benefits of going bold? “Your teeth and the whites of your eyes look whiter,” says makeup artist Kim Bower, who swears by Tom Ford Black Orchid lipstick.

BONUS: See the next slide for Kate Bosworth's exact wine shade!

NARS Semi Matte Lipstick in Scarlet Empress ($24; narscosmetics.com)

What Kate Bosworth wore:
NARS Pure Matte Lipstick in Volga ($25; narscosmetics.com)

Tom Ford Beauty Lip Color in Black Orchid ($48; neimanmarcus.com)

An olive or almond skintone like Rachel Roy's can handle more depth. “Try a true burgundy or a maroon shade-they really flatter medium skin tones,” says Streicher. Keep in mind that even though you may have some golden brown undertones, you should steer clear of brown-based lipsticks. “Opt for fruity dark shades,” says Lee. “That will help you avoid ones that are too red or too brown.”

Lancome L'Absolu Nu in Rouge Resille ($24; lancome-usa.com)

Bite Beauty High Pigment Matte Pencil in Scarlet ($24; sephora.com)

Giorgio Armani Rouge D'Armani Lipstick in 408 ($30; saksfifthavenue.com)

“Dark skin looks great with wine lips, and they’re less of a dramatic statement than on someone with fairer skin because there’s less of a contrast with skin tone. The best shades are deep red, blackberry, and dark plum,” says Quynh. The browner your skin, the better you look when you use lipstick or gloss with a brown undertone like on Selita Ebanks; on lighter skin, it can come off as too severe. “I use browner berries and truer purples on women with deeper colored skin,” says Bower.

YSL Rouge Pur Couture The Mats No. 203 Rouge Rock ($32; yslbeautyus.com)

Urban Decay Super-Saturated High Gloss Lip Color in Apocalypse ($19; urbandecay.com)

Illamasqua Lipstick in Underworld ($22; sephora.com starting in September)

Remember, you may be bold and fashion-forward, but that doesn’t mean your accountant boss will be a fan of your edgy, bold wine lips. You can maintain the wine color, but at the office, it’s best to water down the intensity by playing with the texture like Dianna Agron's glossy berry stain. “Use the sheerest option, like a stain, tinted lip balm, or sheer gloss,” says Quynh. If you already have a not-so-sheer lipstick you love, you can get the look by blotting until you’re just left with a hint of the original, or “soften the impact of a lipstick’s pigment by applying a clear balm to your lips beforehand,” says Streicher.

Buxom Full-Bodied Lip Gloss in Va-Va-Voom ($24; sephora.com)

Pixi Tinted Brilliance Balm in Bitten Berry ($16; target.com)

Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Amore ($22; sephora.com)

When your lips scream color, keep the rest of your makeup a whisper. Make the wine shade less severe on lips by “applying with your finger for a softer, less intense look, or apply from the tube and blot so the color doesn’t appear too deep for daytime,” says Fine. As for your skin, “apply a sheer blush, then lightly dust a natural-looking bronzer onto your entire face so the dark wine lip doesn’t wash you out,” says Quynh. “For your eyes, keep your makeup light-just groom brows and apply mascara.” Sophia Bush's fresh, natural complexion is contrasted well with her pout's pop of color!

After dark it’s time to amp up the drama, like Jessica Alba's heading-turning pucker. Rather than a sheer stain or gloss, you can wear wine lips in full-force. “Line and fill in the lips with a matching pencil, and apply lipstick with a lip brush to achieve a crisp application,” says Streicher. For the rest of your face, use foundation and powder sparingly. “Powder makes skin appear lighter so only use it on your T-zone to kill shine, not all over the face. Add pink creme blush to the apples of your cheeks to add color and sweetness to your complexion-that’s what keeps you looking fresh and modern, not gothic or Elvira-like!” says Lee. As for eyes, take it from daytime to evening with “black-rimmed pencil liner or a small wing of black liquid liner,” says Quynh. “You can also add a little shimmer onto the inner eyelid for some lightness, then finish with mascara.”

Yes, dark shades can exaggerate thin lips, making them look like a flat line. “The darker the color, the smaller your lips will appear, and a matte texture makes lips seem even smaller,” says Bower. But that doesn’t mean that those lacking a voluptuous pout are left out of the trend. Simply “go for more of a soft, stained lip rather than a hard, defined shape you’d get with an opaque lipstick,” says Lee. Or “try using a tinted lip balm” says Bower.

Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer in Plum ($5; drugstore.com)

Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey ($15; clinique.com)

MORE: See our top makeup, hair and skincare picks of 2012 in InStyle's Best Beauty Buys list.