The Best Red Lipsticks

I’ll play with nudes and dabble with brights but I always, always come back to red. Red has so many connotations - it can make one seem confident, daring, even dangerous if those old 1940’s movies are to be believed. It seems kinda crazy that I haven’t done this before, but today’s blog is all about my favourite reds. Some are old, and some are very new. Next week I’ll be following this up with one of my fave makeup artist’s top 5 reds, so stay tuned!

Huda Beauty, Heartbreaker

Ruby Woo, MAC Retro Matte Lipstick
The baddest, and the matte-est, until all the other brands caught on. It’s a blue-based red, making it ideal for making your teeth look whiter! The great thing about this red, is that it does it all - you can wear it heavy, or blotted out and super light, or wear it with a slick of gloss and you’ve got something sultry on your hands. However, with the new onslaught of ‘velvet’ finish lipsticks I’ll definitely be looking for a similar shade that’s not quite as drying on the lips (MAC’s matte formulas are known for being ultra dry). That said, it’s easy to see why Ruby Woo is a modern classic.
Below left.

Heartbreaker, Huda Beauty Liquid Matte
Described as a pinkish-red, I beg to differ, as it’s almost pinky, but actually, far more orange-y, to me - and on me. This liquid matte formula glides on, is buildable and has really good staying power. I feel like this is the kind of red to wear when you really need to wake up your skin but don’t want to go for an in-your-face shade. I think this would look amazing on any skin tone, year-round.
Above, right.

Quiet Riot, Esteé Lauder Pure Color Envy Paint On Liquid Lip Color
If I hadn’t seen my makeup muse @Violette_fr using this on her YouTube channel on someone with the same skin tone as me, it might have taken me a while to try it. Once I bought it however, I love, love, loved it! In these images I’ve used it to create a very crisp outline, but since then I’ve been using it for ombré and diffused liner looks and it’s so versatile. It’s also really easy to build for more impact. I’ve had a lot of compliments while wearing it - for some reason people seem to think it makes me look very dramatic and put-together. I’ll take that! I think this would look stunning on darker skin.
Below, left.

Say My Name, L’Oréal Paris Infallible Matte Max Lip Colour
This is a great option for those who want to wear a softer, more diffused look, and it works on any skin tone, due to its build-ability - is that a word? For a soft look, I’ll just apply, smudge my lips and go, but for more impact, I’ll use a deep red lip liner first and blend it in. Because it’s so soft to the touch, you can probably get away with a quick kiss or two…
Above, right.

Relentlessly Red, MAC Retro Matte Lipstick
Okay, so this one’s sat right at the bottom because, well, technically, I’m not sure it’s really a red. In these images - as you can see - it looks pretty darned pink, right? I’d always thought of it as a kind of watermelon red - I’ve been wearing it for a few years - but right here, it looks positively pink. On the MAC website, it’s described as ‘bright, pinkish, coral matte’, even though it’s in their ‘reds’ collection… Either way, I imagine this would look stunning on women with darker skin, and could look super-pretty blotted allll the way out to a stain on pale skin

That oh-so-pinky Relentlessly Red…

What’s your fave red? I’d love to know!