Three Different Ways to Wear Red Lipstick This Spring

Think of red lipstick like your favorite LBD. The way it looks totally depends on how you style it. Throw on a leather jacket and ankle boots and a simple black dress looks cool and casual enough for a night out. Wear it with a pair of sparkly shoes and statement earrings and it's fancy enough for a wedding. Red lipstick has the same transformative qualities. And there's no better proof of that than comparing how three different women wore it on the same night. On Tuesday, Emma Watson, Karlie Kloss, and Scarlett Johansson all wore a fiery shade of red lipstick to their respective events—and all of their looks were completely different.

Classic. When most people think of red lipstick, this is how they picture itit—sharp, sophisticated, and teeming with elegance. Watson's bright red shade is applied precisely (you probably couldn't find a stray edge if you tried), while her voluminous updo, dark brows, and feathery lashes all evoke those Old Hollywood connotations of glamour and beauty. The trick is to leave no feature untouched. Watson's not wearing a ton of makeup, but every inch of her face is impeccably groomed and perfected.

Fresh. Blush, liner, mascara, and lipstick—that's basically what makes up Kloss's look (other than her bone structure, that is). Unlike Watson, Kloss' lipstick isn't so exact. The edges are soft and blurry, probably smudged with a cotton swab, to create an effect that was less manicured and more nonchalant. And paired with a simple hairstyle that's been parted in the middle and blown-out smooth, it's an easy look could be worn to work, brunch, or just because.

Edgy. Red lipstick can also be rebellious (think Madonna, Debbie Harry, the back-up dancers in a Richard Palmer music video). Johansson shows that all it takes is some heavy black underliner and a punky hairstyle to take red lipstick from pretty to pretty freakin' badass.