I’d like to think that my day-to-day makeup routine is fairly low maintenance. I rarely venture from the confines of mascara, a swipe of eyeliner (top lid only), and my pot of Smith’s Rosebud Lip Balm.

This spring, I couldn’t get enough of the perfectly done hot pink and fiery coral pouts. I dabbled, but it never really worked for me.

Maybe it’s because I’m a child of the ’90s, but with fall here, and burgundy lips the next big thing, I’m all about it! Inspired by this post from Cupcakes and Cashmere, and armed with this well-timed tutorial from Styleite, I’m vowing to get my pucker in on this lipstick action.

My biggest takeaway? This one simple tip: illuminate and brighten up the skin with a touch of light-reflecting primer or bronzer. While a pale, matte complexion can be lovely, just the right amount of radiance softens the contrast of the merlot lip so it reads rich rather than ghastly.