Whether it’s a special event or just your everyday style, sometimes playing it safe can be boring. If you’re looking to infuse a little drama into your look, the good news is that this is relatively simple by making a few tweaks. The key to experimenting with these dramatic beauty styles is to focus on one area at a time to let that feature really shine. For example, if you’re doing a bold lip, try a more neutral eye so that they don’t steal the show.

Lip Color

One of the easiest ways to add drama to any look is by changing your lip color. Dramatic shades include dark burgundies, bright reds, fiery oranges, and neon pinks. Using a bold lip color doesn’t come without risks though, as if your lipstick gets messed up it will be a lot more noticeable. To avoid this, use a long lasting lipstick and always use a lip liner. If you’re curious about the lasting effect of any lipstick, try a small swatch on your inner arm and monitor its fading throughout the day. Outlining your lips with a lip liner will ensure that the color won’t bleed out past the bounds of your lips, which would be especially visible when wearing a bold color.

Eyes

If bold lips aren’t your cup of tea, then high drama eyes are another option. If you’d like to ease into the drama, using a liquid eye liner to create a small cat eye or wing is a good place to start. You can build on this as you begin to feel more comfortable with your application in order to up the drama. As always, practice makes perfect and the best time to practice is NOT right before you go out. If you’re unsure about your liquid liner drawing skills, a smokey eye is another option to add intensity to your look. There are countless tutorials and videos online to walk you step by step through the process but the key details are to use a dark eyeshadow and blend, blend, blend! If you’d like additional instruction, most beauty counters will make instructional appointments for a fee that can be waived with a set amount of product purchased—ideally you could learn the process and then purchase the exact products used to ensure you can replicate the look at home.

Hair

There’s a reason why a haircut or color after a break-up is somewhat a rite of passage. It’s a simple and quick way to make a big impact and bring the drama. Whether you choose to cut off a significant length, change the style, or dye your hair an unnatural (to you) color, there’s no question that the way you style your hair can have a powerful effect. If you already have short hair, customizable hair extensions are another way you change up your look in a very noticeable way. The good news is if you aren’t happy with the style, they can be easily adjusted to fit you & the look you envision, without cutting your real hair.