Open yourself up to a new eye shadow option: a totally flattering, desert-y and organic red

If asked the most unflattering eye shadow color imaginable, many people would probably say red. However hard it may be hard to imagine, reddish hues of eye shadow and liner are actually a super flattering shade for many, especially those with contrasting green eyes. Stila’s global creative director Sarah Lucero is both a fan of colorful shadows (“a beautiful trend backstage”) and of rougey and orangey tones, specifically: “brick, orange and rust shadows have a diffused softness to them if you blend well—almost a vintage photo effect feeling,” she says. “My favorites to wear are orange and red shadows with a matte finish worn solo on the lids as a sheer dusting of color.”

Unlike what was seen on recent (bold) runways of Donna Karan, Miu Miu and Marni, the look can actually be quite delicate. And it’s very precise—Lucero specifies that wearers should spend extra time focusing on perfecting the evenness and polish of their foundation and skin, “otherwise the red eye shadow may start to compete with redness in the skin and discoloration under the eyes, then the entire look will end up looking blotchy.”

Once the complexion is clean and clear, the cosmetics queen suggests applying the pigment of a warm red-brown eyeliner pencil such as Stila’s Kajal Eye Liner in Tigers Eye with a brush onto the top and bottom lash line, “leaving a tinted watercolor version of the orange-brown tone.” This, paired with a wash of reddish matte shadow; soft, dark brown mascara; caramel or rosy-nude cheeks and lips, plus enhanced brows (Lucero recommends Anastasia Tinted Brow Gel in Espresso or Caramel) creates a warm and—perhaps surprisingly—organic look.

Of the liner technique, Lucero says, “I tend to do this look often on shoots and on myself daily as it plays up eyes by adding structure and shape.” So don’t be afraid of the red-hot tones or of getting it absolutely perfect as “imperfect is the new perfect when you wear earthy, desert, canyon-like colors on your eyes.”