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The 10 Best Red Lipsticks For Every Skin Tone
Feature: Long Read
Words by Jennifer George, Nasreen Osman
Red lipstick has a first-class qualification in elevating beauty looks. Once you've found a formula and colour that ticks all of your boxes, it's like the start of a beautiful friendship. Gone are the days of a ‘one size fits all’ approach, there’s a red lipstick to suit everyone. For guidance on choosing the most flattering shade for you, follow the make-up artist rule of thumb and let your undertone be your guide. If your skin has a yellow undertone, look for warm red shades with a hint of orange; if your skin is more pink, a cool red with a blue hue will suit you better.
Kiss goodbye to lip line bleeds, post-snack disappearing acts and undertone nightmares – we've picked 10 of the best red lipsticks suited for all.
Best Coral Red Lipstick
NARS Explicit Lipstick in Mischievous, £34
Guaranteed to bring the sunshine on even the drizzliest of days, a coral tone is perhaps the perkiest of all of the reds. The new precision-tip on NARS’ Explicit Lipstick bullet means you can define, contour and fill in lips easily with the long-lasting formula, enriched with seed oils and hyaluronic acid to guarantee a comfortable finish.
Best True Red Lipstick
Celine Le Rouge Celine in Rouge Triomphe
A universally flattering lipstick doesn't exis... oh hello, Celine. Finding your signature shade is like discovering gold, luckily, we’ve done the digging for you. Celine’s first foray into make-up brings this beauty of a bullet: chic gold packaging, a satiny soft finish and a classic colour designed to signify the allure of Paris.
Available In-Store Only
Best Brick-Red Lipstick
Pat McGrath Labs Mattetrance Matte Lipstick in Obsessed!, £37
A nod to the 90s (but not quite as on-the-nose as brown lipstick), a brick-red pays homage to the decade whilst also being a warm and wearable colour. Make-up artist Pat McGrath knows a thing or two about which shades suit which skin tones, and this richly pigmented red should sit pretty on everyone, but looks particularly stunning on those with yellow undertones. The finish is matte, but not at all drying.
Best Orange Red Lipstick
Estee Lauder Pure Colour Explicit Silk Matte Lipstick in Temperature Rising, £34
An orange red lipstick offers a bright and cheerful option whilst still being wearable, and tends to boost the brightness of your complexion too. Estée Lauder’s subtly orange-y shade Ulterior Motive comes in a refined and slim bullet, which means you can be nice and precise with your application of the creamy formula.
Best Red Lipstick for Dark Skin
Westman Atelier Lip Suede Matte Lipstick in Pip, £45
Darker skin tones can pull off bright shades beautifully, but a deep and rich colour can really complement the wearer too. This vibrant yet rich red shade from Westman Atelier is a bit of both, plus it’s super pigmented for a bold finish. Uniquely formulated to appear matte but act like a hydrator (thanks to a blend of peptides and vitamins) it should feel light but sit tight for hours on end.
Best Red Lipstick for Fair Skin
Prada Beauty Monochrome Hyper Matte Lipstick ‘R27’, £37
When Prada Beauty launched, they answered make-up lovers’ prayers with a fantastic matte red lipstick. The Monochrome Hyper Matte Lipstick in ‘R27’ delivers rich pigment in a refillable bullet that is packed with bifidus extract and jojoba oil, leaving a comfortable, moisturised feel on lips. Expect intense colour in one stroke with a non-drying matte finish – you may not need to reapply it but with its striking, sophisticated design, you’ll want to put it on display anyway.
Best Red Liquid Lipstick
Gucci Beauty, Gloss à Lèvres ‘Teresina Red’, £33
There are so many benefits to using a liquid lipstick – precise application, long-lasting formulas and little risk of transferring. The Gucci Beauty Gloss à Lèvres in ‘Teresina Red’ gives you all of this and more. It’s formulated with a blend of hyaluronic acid, ginger roots and capsicum extracts to leave your lips coated in hydration and looking instantly plumper. Plus, it delivers a sheer finish with long-lasting shine, so you can control the saturation of the colour. Layer over bare lips for a subtle gloss effect or embrace an intense red hue by swiping it over lipstick.
Best Berry Red Lipstick
Hourglass Unlocked Soft Matte Lipstick ‘Deep Berry’, £37
If you’re looking for a lipstick that does it all, the Hourglass Unlocked Soft Matte Lipstick is the one. This lip hero glides onto lips seamlessly with the help of lip-conditioning and priming ingredients, making it a great choice for when you need all-day coverage without the risk of feathering or bleeding. It also envelops lips in a full-coverage, buildable formula, so you can choose just how deep of a berry tone you’d like to sport.
Best Cherry Red Lipstick
Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Beauty Icon Lipstick ‘Cinematic Red’, £27
No lipstick hall of fame could exist without a Charlotte Tilbury lip bullet. The Hollywood Beauty Icon Lipstick in ‘Cinematic Red’ delivers a vivid cherry pigment with the hydrating, matte finish you know and love from the Matte Revolution line. But there’s more. This modern lipstick is formulated with 3D-effect pigments to help define and contour your lips, working hand in hand with your beloved Lip Cheat liners.
Best Deep Red Lipstick
Christian Louboutin Rouge Louboutin Velvet Matte ‘Retro Berry’, £73
Name a better combination than a red lip with red-soled heels – we’ll wait. The legacy of Christian Louboutin continues to live on through this red lipstick, inspired by the signature red-sole. Encasing passion, power and the quintessential French style, this moisturising red lipstick is both enriching and bold. The sophisticated complex of natural oils and seed butters make this non-drying, highly-pigmented formula a must-have in your lipstick wardrobe.
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