Now, I don’t need an excuse to wear a red lip any time of the year, but there’s something about the holidays that make people, myself included, gravitate toward a ruby pout. It’s the champagne of lipsticks.It’s festive, sexy, and elegant. You know it’s an occasion when there’s a red lip spotted. So I rounded up 9 of my favorite red lip products for the season.
1. Sephora Cream Lip Stain in ‘Always Red’: These are the first liquid lipsticks I ever used. I got the hottest pink shade, I believe it’s called ‘Whipped Blush’ or something similar to that to match my senior prom gown. And it matched perfectly, by the way. Anyway. I kept buying them because they’re awesome, and now everyone has discovered them. They aren’t drying at all and last all day. And if you do need to reapply, it’s pretty easy to reapply product over top of existing product. It doesn’t get all goopy. And this shade is the most beautiful, true red. It’ll be perfect for parties.
2. Nars Pure Matte Lipstick in ‘Amsterdam’: While most of these shades are bright and merry, I needed to include some of my favorite darker shades as well. This one is a deep brick red, and a standard kind of lipstick. It’s a little thicker than a traditional lipstick, but it’s still a little more comfortable than a liquid lipstick.
3. Nars Velvet Lip Glide in ’54’: These are new to the liquid lipstick scene, and I’ve been testing them out for a while unable to make a decision whether or not I like them. However, I’ve come to the conclusion that I do. If you are looking for a matte, stay all day liquid lipstick, you won’t like these. They don’t last all day. They don’t dry down completely. And they definitely aren’t matte; they offer shine. But the formula is almost gel like, which makes these really comfortable. And the ’54’ shade is a darker cranberry color that would look good on a lot of different skin tones, and I think it’d be amazing for the holidays.
4. Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipstick in ‘Underage Red’: If you want a vibrant, fire engine red, this is for you! This is a traditional style lipstick, so it’s moisturizing and creamy. I tend to wear a lip liner beneath traditional lipsticks to avoid any feather, since creamier formulas tend to move around a little more than liquid or mattes do. But this lasts all day, and when it does finally begin to wear down, it fades evenly. If you have that liner on underneath, you probably won’t even have to reapply. And look at that packaging.
5. Lancome L’Absolu Rouge Definition Lipstick in ‘Le Sepia’: Apologies first and foremost, this isn’t available in the US anymore, BUT you can still get it on Sephora Canada. I didn’t want to include it, but it’s honestly one of my favorite lipsticks that I own (and I have a lot of lip products). It’s more of a pinky red. It’s really subtle, but it’s gorgeous. It doesn’t last as long as the other products mentioned today, but it’s too pretty for me to care.
6. Maybelline Color Sensational Creamy Matte Lip Color in ‘Divine Wine’: Did you think I’d only offer high end picks? Of course not. This line of Maybelline lipsticks are some of my favorites on the market. They’re matte, but they’re comfortable and wear well, especially for being so inexpensive. The ‘Divine Wine’ shade is a deep wine color that leans a lot more red than it does purple. I love this for when I want a look that’s a little more on the sultry side. I will also say it’s very similar to the Nars matte lipstick in ‘Amsterdam.’
7. Milani Metallic Matte Lip Creme in ‘Mattely in Love’: I love these lipsticks. I’ve yet to find a metallic matte liquid lipstick that I enjoy more than these. They really dry down to a matte finish with a metallic appearance. It’s the strangest thing, but they are so pretty and long wearing. I haven’t seen these in stores, but they are availlable on the Milani website, and I definitely think it’s worth it. This shade is a true red with a metallic twist. It’s amazing paired with really simple eyes and flushed cheeks.
8. Maybelline Super Stay 14-Hour Lipstick in ‘Ravishing Rouge’: If I’m correct, this has replaced the same color named ‘Continuous Cranberry,’ which is my favorite red lipstick of all time. So fingers crossed, this is the same. I am still holding onto a bit of the prior, so I will soon see. It’s an amazing red shade. It’s not too deep, not too bright, not shiny, but not too matte that it’s drying. It definitely transfers a bit, but it doesn’t fade.
9. Wet n’ Wild MegaSlicks Balm Stain in ‘Red-dy or Not’: I wanted to include something for those of you who aren’t really into a powerful and dramatic lip color. This is a little more sheer and less fussy than some of the other products. And…it’s $2.99! They minty and really moisturizing. They probably last on the lips the least amount of time out of all 9 of these suggestions, but I love it away. It’s so easy to reapply; I’ve gotten to a point I don’t even need a mirror. This would be a great one to toss in your bag, just in case you need need to switch out your lip color from day to night, or just for a pick me up during the day.
Do you have a favorite red product? Let me know in the comments or on social.
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