Leave it to a budding style star to throw us for a loop.

Leighton Meester usually prefers a subtle makeup palette, or very little (or none) at all. But for her recent appearance at American Eagle Outfitters in N.Y.C., the Gossip Girl actress and aspiring singer really mixed things up.

The comparison below tells the story. On the left, we see Leighton's usual look. Muted, subtle and very cute! On the right, she's got that eye-shadow thing working, with bold red lipstick to boot. Blair Waldorf has gone goth!

Well, maybe not that far. But which look works better?

Leighton Meester looks better with ...