Red lipstick is a statement piece. It’s classic, glamorous, and a confidence booster. It can also be intimidating. But it doesn’t have to be. Reds are a lot easier to pull off than most people think, and they suit everyone.
Here, five top beauty bloggers share their favourite options for newbies, as well as their all-time favourite red lipstick shades:
Paris B @ My Women Stuff
All-time favourite: Guerlain Rouge G Garconne 25. It’s deep, intense, long lasting and the perfect red to complement any look!
Best for newbies: this is a tough one but I’d suggest for someone afraid of wearing red lipstick to try something from the Clinique Chubby Stick lip balm or Chubby Stick Intense in a colour like Mightiest Marachino. The texture is sheerer while having slightly bolder colour so they can ease into a brighter lip shade and when they feel comfortable, go for a full, pigmented red lip 🙂 My texture preference is for Chubby Stick Intense 🙂
Arianne@ Glitter Geek
All-time favourite: MAC Lady Danger. This orange-red just gives me life! It makes me feel sassy and confident, and the matte texture stays on all day. I don’t mind that it isn’t the most comfortable formula because I really do love it.
Best for newbies: for a starter red, I think a stain texture is best, and it’s quite a pretty effect. You can use any red lipstick for this. Apply by stamping it on your lips and pressing/blending with a clean finger. Blue-based reds are universally flattering and teeth-whitening, so I pick Revlon Raspberry Bite.
Allison @ Never Say Die Beauty
All-time favourite: Givenchy Rouges a Levres Lipstick is my all-time favorite, oldie-but-goodie primarily because of the gorgeous 1930s-inspired silver bullet packaging. It harkens from the era of Hollywood glamour when women would pull out and apply their lipstick in restaurants and nightclubs. And the Givenchy red would be perfect for that because it has a built-in mirror. I just adore it! Unfortunately, this particular lipstick is no longer available so I hold onto it as a “museum piece”, lol!
Best for newbies: Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick F-Bomb is my current fave because the shade is perfect for me: a true red with just a hint of blue. The color pay-off is just fabulous color! The formula is comfortable to wear and fairly long-lasting.The good news is that it’s widely available and such a great shade for most skin tones.
Ling @ The Best Beauty Blog
All-time favourites: I love my red lipsticks so choosing my favourites is so difficult! Drugstore lippies include : NYX Apple and Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate in 10. Luxe red lippie, Sisley Hydrating Long Lasting Lipstick in L33 Rouge Passion.
Best for newbies: Lancome 163M Dans Ses Bras, a vibrant coral watermelon red, is quite a safe one for newbies.
Marina @ Makeup 4 All
All- time favourites: I love a good red lip! I have quite a few red lipsticks that I love, so it was very hard to pick up only one, hence here are my three favourites. I personally am not a fan of metallic or shimmery reds, so all of mine have a satin or matte finish. So, here we go:
Daniel Sandler Red Carpet Red: the name speaks for itself, this is a show-stopper lipstick. I always get a lot of compliments whenever I wear it. I also love that you get an excellent quality product with an affordable price tag.
Ellis Faas L101: Ellis Red is one of the best reds on the market, I have it in an classic opaque formula, Creamy Lips, this is the darkest and the most full-on one from the selection. But it feels light and comfortable on, and you can’t compete with that design.
Lancome L’Absolu Rouge 160 Rouge Hypnose: Lancome lipsticks are among my favourites, they are a cult classic. L’Absolu Rouge has creamy and smooth finish. Black lacquer packaging, with signature golden rose, and a click mechanism – it makes this lipstick a worthy member of every collection.
Best for newbies: I am actually very proud and happy that I was the reason why some of my friends tried red for the first time! So, hopefully, some readers of “Beautiful With Brains” will find my tips useful:
If you feel uncomfortable wearing red out, start wearing it at home by yourself, and later with close friends around to get used to it.
Try and find your red, there are tones of different variants! You go with your girlfriends, and you can always ask a sales assistant to help you out.
Don’t go for full-on opaque shade at first, you can try glosses or sheer textures at first.
I personally would go for a luxury red lipstick. Why? Because when you spend money on something – you appreciate it, and it is special. Because, let’s face it when you get the cheapest red it will be much easier to ignore it.
YSL ‘s Volupte Sheer Candy in 06 Luscious Cherry combines all of the tips above. It is sheer, juicy red that looks amazing on the lips, plus what girl doesn’t want a luxurious beauty product in her makeup bag?
Have you tried any of these? What’s your favourite red lipstick?
These ladies had great picks!! It is my duty to get every woman of color I know (and don’t know) into a red lipstick. So many of us think we can’t wear them but we can!
Brittany, that’s a great mission! Best of luck with it! Everyone can wear red lipstick, and everyone should.
I had actually contacted a dark-skinned blogger, but unfortunately she couldn’t get back to me in time.
Which ones do you recommend?
Thank you! The funny thing that my girlfriends who are very pale think the same 🙂
Marina, you’re welcome and thank you! I can so relate to them. I have pale skin too and for the longest time, I thought I couldn’t pull off red lipstick. But when I tried it, I loved it. It just goes to show that you never know what will suit you until you try it. Hopefully, this post will get more women start wearing red lips too. 🙂
Thanks again, Gio, for including me in this great roundup of blogger recommendations for reds. Brittany above had a great point. For a red that looks fabulous on women of color and not-so-much color, check out Milani’s Color Statement Best Red. Gosh, I could go on about reds all day and I haven’t even started with the liquids!
Allison, my pleasure! Thank you for taking part in it, and for your recommendation for women of colour too. And feel free to go on about reds here as much as you like. 😉
Ooo this was a fun post with great suggestions! I think the only true red I ever wore was a Dior ages ago. I just can’t see myself wearing them these days but I haven’t said my last word! 🙂
Icaria, glad you enjoyed it. And do try and wear it again. Reds can look weird at first if you’re not used to them, but they are actually very flattering and a real confidence-booster. 🙂