casse-croute: hot now 1

After seeing on my Sunday night Twitter feed that Taylor Swift's newest album was dropping at midnight, I popped onto iTunes the next morning for a sampling. A quick listen of "Blank Space" was enough for me to purchase the album—her official pop debut—and I've been blasting it since. Taylor's been on my radar from the beginning (I remember listening to just-released Fearless with my friend Kelsey all the way from Iowa City to Minneapolis for a football game in 2008), but I've always maintained a skepticism of her—sub-par live performances, awkward dance moves, phony surprised face—you know. But with 1989 I can't deny the girl's got game. Her ability to offer smart and articulate criticism on The Voice adds to her credibility, and this Rolling Stone article cemented her in my mind as an untouchable talent. In addition to fascinating personality details and a peek inside her surreal life, the piece reveals that when Jack Antonoff, who collaborated on the album, sent her a track for "Out of the Woods," it took her just thirty minutes to slingshot back essentially radio-ready vocals. Crafting catchy, relatable lyrics is her THING, and she does it to the tune of millions of dollars per week. So in homage to the country crossover, I rounded up six industry favorites and best-sellers to recreate her signature red kisser. I only have one true red lipstick in my makeup drawer, purchased for a specific date party in college that hasn't seen much airtime since, and most days it's just hourly application of Burt's Bees. But I love the punctuation a classic red lip adds to a night-out look, especially when worn with all black or jeans and a tee. And it always makes my eyes seem instantly bigger and brighter. As fair-skinned Swift proves, any complexion can make the fiery shade work—and her lyrics reveal that sexy celebs like Harry Styles have the hots for it (proof!). That's pretty strong incentive to swipe on some color come Saturday night. Til then, I'll be singin' along with Swift.