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10 Gorgeous Red Lipsticks & Lipglosses for Valentine's Day
Some say a good red lip color is hard to find, but I feel like I fall in love with a new red lip color at least once a month! In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, here are ten of my favorite (permanently available!) red lipsticks and lipglosses… What’s your favorite?
- Revlon Provocateur (135) — brightened, medium red with subtle warm undertones and soft sheen
- Givenchy Grenat Initie (307) — medium-dark, ruby red with subtle warm undertones
- NARS Luxembourg — vibrant, pinky-red with a satin finish
- Buxom Scoundrel — medium-dark, cool-toned red with a glossy finish
- Revlon Fire — vibrant, bright warm-toned red
- Marc Jacobs Showstopper (134) — medium-dark red with brown undertones
- Maybelline Signature Scarlet (020) — glossy, warm-toned red
- Urban Decay 69 — brightened, medium-dark red with a cool undertone
- Giorgio Armani Red Fuchsia (503) — bright, pinky-red with fuchsia shimmer
- Fyrinnae Winter Romance — medium-dark red with brown undertones and a soft sheen
A list of red lipsticks in which I don’t own a single one?! Impossible!
My red lipstick collection is so big that there’s no single favorite, but the one I’m currently favoring most is Mary Kay True Dimensions lipstick in Firecracker. Gorgeous, warm bright red. 🙂
WHAT! That’s definitely impossible. 😉
… O_O;
I actually don’t own any of these. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME.
I’m so happy you chose reds such as Luxembourg ! I remember when i was searching for a pink toned red and i stumbled into that gorgeous colour!
Tried to go for a variety of reds! Pinky-reds, blue-reds, orange-reds, brown-reds 😀
Oh, you’re right and these are all beautiful reds! I love darker shades too, while i think warmer shades are not for my NC15 skin! 🙂
@Martyisblue, I personally think warmer reds look gorgeous on NC15 skin, I LOVE how semi-sheer warm reds (like Revlon Lip Butter in Candy Apple) looks on this skintone! <3
Warmer shades should technically go with NC15 complexions, but my skin is warm to neutral. Plus i hate the way warm undertones (in a lip product) make your teeth appear yellow! 🙁
I’m NW15, and, though I LOVE reds, I find it tricky to find a red that looks true red, not dark pink, on me.
I like dark pink, but there are times when only red will do!
Besides, I got tired of people asking me, “Why are you wearing pink lipstick with a red dress/top?”
I thought my red lipstick woes were behind me when I discovered MAC Powerhouse, which (cue angel chorus) looks RED RED RED on me!
But it was discontinued, and then I started boycotting EL brands, anyhow.
Now I’m bent on finding a cruelty-free dupe!
I have actually found that wearing the opposite of your complexion will help pull more neutral. i.e. If you’re warm-toned, try a blue-based red. I’m very cool-toned and find nearly all neutral/cool reds pull cool or even fuschia on me, so I’ll actually go warm if I want a true neutral. If I want a straight up warm red, I have to go nearly orange – Maybelline’s Vibrant Mandarin, for instance, looks nearly red on me!
If you like your pinky reds, you should try Smashbox Be Legendary lipstick in Grenadine. A cool-toned red with subtle pink undertones – one of my favorites! 🙂
Thank you! 😀 I’d buy tons of that kind!
NARS Luxembourg and Revlon Fire gloss have been on my radar for a while now! Great list of reds!
Thanks, Tiffany!
I love red lipstick! My favorites are MAC Russian Red and Revlon Fire & Ice. I tend to go for Russian Red more in the fall/winter and Fire & Ice for spring/summer.
Russian Red is so classic 🙂
Hmmm – my favourite reds? Well, the newest would be Bite’s VIB Rouge which is a Sephora exclusive. I just recently got a mini as my “welcome” to the “We love you because you spend way more than is normal at our stores” club! And I’m going to order the full size (only available online, which is a big jump for me!). Other faves include Clarins Redwood Rouge Prodige and their Red Wine Rouge Eclat. I also really like Guerlain Rouge Automatique in Habit Rouge, but not as much as the others, and Revlon Red Velvet and Cherry Tart Lip Butters,
Oh duh to me – how could I forget my most recent purchase of MAC’s Red Necessity! It is a beauty (its one of the Huggable lip colours). Seeing the photos, Christine, Buxom Scoundrel caught my eye and then I saw your description of it, so it’s not surprising! I will have to check that one out the next time I’m at Sephora.
It’s a really nice, bright bluish red!
I always forget about Clarins’ Rouge Prodige range, which is really nice!
I LOVE the Gloss Prodige line, but Clarins needs to expand its shade selection in that product!
In my dreams, they’d offer a true red and a pinky orchid, at least.
So glad you mentioned the Bite VIB Rouge red lipstick! I really, really like this on me, and I normally don’t go for such blue based reds. I ordered the full size, as well!
Bite Beauty “Pomegranate” lipstick is another great red. It’s a fairly true red, but reads a little cherry on me, which is why it hasn’t replaced MAC Powerhouse in my heart.
Fortunately, I have a couple of backups of Powerhouse, but I’m insecure, so I’m still looking.
High on my list to try are Paula Dorf Legend and OCC Stalker.
Thank you for this post Christine! Same here, I don’t own a single one and red is my favorite!
No problem! What are your top three favorite reds?
I’m a huge MAC fan, so they would have to be Russian Red, MAC Red, and Viva Glam 1. I also really love the new Viva Glam Rihanna. 🙂
I love VG I!
You put the best one first in my opinion! Provocateur is such a lovely color.
It is!
So happy to see Revlon Fire on the list! My favorites are: Maybelline Colorsensational Vivids in On Fire Red, NYX Xtreme Lip Cream in Absolute Red, Revlon Super Lustrous in Mulled Wine (sadly, discontinued), Sleek Vixen, Rimmel Kate Moss in 09 and 11. And more I am forgetting. 🙂
So many reds, so little time 😉
I just recently purchased Fyrinnae’s Winter Romance, and it’s gorgeous! Those Lip Lustres have such a wonderful texture. I tried 3 of the minis and I’m looking forward to trying more colors.
Yay!! Which others did you try?
Sharing a few of my favorites. 🙂
Bobbi Brown High Shimmer Lip Gloss in Black Ruby
Burberry Lip Cover in Claret
Chanel Rouge Allure Luminous Intense in Pirate
Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet in La Desiree
Guerlain Gloss D’Enfer Maxi Shine in Red Pow
Guerlain Rouge Automatique in Vega
Guerlain Rouge G in Gisela
Guerlain Rouge G L’Extrait in Luxure and Orgueil
Tom Ford Lip Color in Cherry Lush
Thanks so much for sharing your favorites, Precious! Looks like I have shopping to do!
I keep looking for Revlon Fire with not luck (the don’t seem to sell all the Colorburst Lipgloss shades in Canada) but I’ll keep looking. lol
I should say in my area. 😉
Do you think it may be listed under a different name? You may also want to try ebay or Amazon.
It sucks that they don’t sell all the shades in Canada!
These are all over the place in Saskatchewan! Stores like Walmart, Shoppers Drug Mart, Superstore… where do you live?
I’ m one of those who finds a “good” red hard to come by… While I do like red lipstick, I find getting the right one next to impossible; as soon as I find one that “works”, I’ll stumble upon one that’a even better, or it ends up DC’d. Most reds don’t look like they do in the tube, so although I’ll see one that looks good, and even swatch it, but it ends a completely different color on the lips-too pink, too orange, too light…
Maybelline Red Revival is my current “favorite”, but I think I can do better. So far, I have NARS Fire Down Below & Mascate on my radar. Mascate seems to be a nearly exact dupe of a long-ago favorite, but I wear red lips so rarely, I still need to justify the cost!
Can’t wait to hear what you end up going with in the end, Amy!
Sometimes I feel like Goldilocks when it comes to red lipstick & blush, LOL! I’m probably going to do another purge over the Summernof my lip products, so I may need to replace some reds.
Both the Nars you mentioned rank high in my stash. FDB always garnered compliments, mostly from women, but I’ve always worked in a predominantly female environment (health care). I wound up giving FDB as presents quite a bit. Mascate pulls a bit bluer, FDB a bit browner on me. (I’m neutral to cool/ lighter side of medium. My MLBB shades are Dolce Vita + Bobbi Brown Slopes. I only say this, bec. I always try new lippies on a young coworker, who is a gorgeous lighter skinned Haitian woman. Nars Autumn Leaves has mild orange in a brandy on me, but on her it is in the CORAL family! OMG, how the natural lip color changes the look. I find Mascate formula definitely more drying than FDB. Mascate ranks higher on the drama scale than FDB. There’s something neutralized about FDB that tones it down + makes it less ‘contrasty’ with my skin. Try them both, if you can.
Milani Best Red Color Statement Lipstick! And of course,Mac Ruby Woo.
I have to try Best Red!
From this list, I only own a sample size of Fyrinnae Winter Romance, which is nice, but not my favorite red (I prefer their Sweetest Poison). I also own NARS Dragon Girl, which is listed as a darker dupe to Luxembourg.
My favorite reds would be NARS Dragon Girl (though sometimes it turns hot pink on my lips) and MAC Fire Sign.
I don’t think I’ve tried Sweetest Poison! Hmm!
It took me ages to figure out how to make red lipstick work for me, but I have a couple of favorites now: NARS Autumn Leaves, and Bite Beauty Apricot. Orangey-reds all the way for me.
So glad you found ones that work well for you, Thea 🙂
The Revlon one would be my favorite – it looks so yummm! I amn’t much of a red lip person, so I would probably go with a lip pencil or a gloss..something that’s easier to wear than a proper red lipstick 😀
What gloss or pencil would you go with?
Yay! I love these posts 🙂
Someday I MUST try Fyrinnae and Buxom. I must!
Can’t wait til those Revlon matte and lacquer balms finally turn up here!
I hope they arrive soon!
I have been loving wearing red lipstick lately. I had never even tried it before a few days ago and I decided to step out of my comfort zone and try something new and now I am obsessed. I will have to check out a few of these to start growing my red lipstick collection :).
What was the first red you wore?
I agree … I’m forever finding fabulous new red lip colors! My stash includes way more variations of red than I have opportunities to wear, so an occassion that calls for a red lip is always a treat. My go to is a classic: MAC Viva Glam I.
VG I is amazing! I love the brownish tone to it.
Urban decay Manic!! Not a true red but hey, it sure makes me feel like it is 😀
Works for me 😉
Hnnng, beautiful.
🙂
I LOOVE red lip colors!
I don’t even want to think about how many red lipsticks I own (how’s that for denial?). I have true reds, deep reds, berry reds, burgundy reds, and even one or two with slight coral leanings.
In fact, just this morning I bought an OCC Lip Tar mini in “Psycho” on EBay.
Berry reds and burgundy reds don’t even count in the “red” pile 😉 Think of it that way!
Amazing!
Which is your favorite red?
what gorgeous shades! I was looking for some good red shades for valentines! Great post!
Thanks, Angie!
Givenchy Grenat Initie is my all-time favorite red! I cannot begin to count the number of red lipsticks I’ve bought and tried trying to find the perfect one… this one is HG for sure! Runner up would probably be MAC Dubonnet.
Happy to hear it is a HG!
Loved ur list Christine. A few others would be MAC Viva Glam Rihanna, MAC Charmed I,m sure, UD F-Bomb,Chanel Pirate….
Almost put F-Bomb on the list!
Revlon fire is my favourite may have to purchase it for Valentines Day. Dont own any very many lip colours just own M.A.C. Russian Red which i hate.
Ooh! Why do you hate Russian Red? The color or the quality?
The colour just doesn’t suit me its way to harsh on my skin, also very drying on my lips. But to be honest if I wear lipsticks I tend to stick to light pinks I’m not very adventurous!
I’ve gotta say, I LOVE the Revolution lipsticks! F-Bomb is my go-to classic red 😉
xx -b.
Nice pick, Brittany!
I love this post! I love reading about reds even though I can’t wear them every day…
Smashbox Legendary is one of my favorites. And I know some people won’t like this choice but I love RiriWoo. I love the color and finish. Also Dangerous from the MAC Retro Matte collection (I like matte reds!). And YSL Rouge Volupte Rouge Muse (17). And the Armani and UD ones you mentioned….
Definitely sounds like you’re a matte fan 🙂
Yeeeees I love that UD 69 along with Lipstick Queen Sinner Red and WnW Stoplight red.
I have to try Stoplight Red! Thanks for the suggestion, Kica!
Guerlain Rouge G Garçonne is my one and only.
Garconne is lovely! I keep forgetting that’s permanent.
My favorite is MAC’s Ruffian Red. I’m so sad it’s LE! I know it’s very similar to Russian Red, but there is just that slightest difference in undertone that makes it look amazing on my lips. <3
Definitely a lil’ different, Jenny! 🙂
I have two reds that I always reach for: BITE VIB Rouge Lipstick, and NARS Cruella. They’re my favorite. Although, when I want something that’s a super statement red lip, I go with Rimmel 111 Lipstick with Maybelline Signature Scarlet Color Elixir on top. I’ve gotten so many comments when I’ve done that.
I’ll have to check out #111!
No matter how many reds I come across, I always go back to my first, Ruby Woo!
The best part about Ruby Woos is just how long-wearing it is!
It looks like Fyrinnae is closed.
They usually open up a few days later!
The Givenchy one is such a sexy shade of red!
It is!
Wow. I can’t believe that I own none of these… Need to get my shop on, I guess. Of course, I do have wwwwaaaaaaayyyyyy more red lipsticks than any woman could possibly need. My favourites include Guerlain Liu and Garconne (I’m shocked there’s no Guerlain on your list!), Armani Maestro #400, Le Metier Madaket, Tom Ford Reckless… Honestly, I could go on. I have a bit of a red lipstick problem, I think.
I keep thinking Garconne is limited edition, so it didn’t show up when I went to look through permanent reds!
For me, I’d say my favorite reds right now are Ruby Woo, Role Play by OCC, Dragon Girl by Nars, and the Bite VIB Rouge one. Some of the ones on the list are looking pretty tempting though.
I see you love your blue reds 😉
I own way too many reds (yes, even in my small travel train kit). My favorites include Guerlain KissKiss Lipstick in 120 Rouge Infini (discontinued, was my HG red as a bottle blonde), Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense in 21, Shu Uemura Rouge Luster (LE), Guerlain Rouge Automatique in 120 Coque d’Or, Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in Candy Apple, Urban Decay Super Saturated High-Gloss Lip Color in F-Bomb, and MAC Pro Longwear Lipglass in Driven by Love. Well, those are the ones that are currently traveling with me, anyway. 😉
I love Coque d’Or and Luster!
Those two are really pretty and I love how the gold shimmer looks on both!
I own one red lipstick. Giorgio Armani in 410!
Nice choice, Angela 🙂
My favorites are Hourglass’ Icon lipstick (and gloss and lip pencil), definitely the Givenchy Grenat, Revlon’s colorburst matte balm in Standout, Dior’s Diorific lipstick in Marilyn and especially the Bite VIB Rouge lipstick. Still, I have so many other reds that I love too, it’s hard to choose. 🙂
Seems like a lot of people like the Bite VIB Rouge Lipstick! Now I feel like I should have tried it (donated it).
My favourite red lipsticks are Rimmel No. 10, Catrice Step Red Up and My Red Card, and Essence Stay Matt lip cream in Silky Red (which you need only a tiny bit of, and is very opaque). Some darker reds I like are Sleek Cranberry and Seventeen Rich.
I have so many red lipsticks and lip creams, and many of them I’ve never tried – it is the one colour I’m always tempted by. I don’t wear it that often, but when I do, I feel amazing!
I’m always searching for the perfect red; for me, that’s a true red with a slight pink undertone or a slightly darker blood-red/crimson. I can’t decide if most reds are cool or warm, since some famous lipsticks that are described as “cool-toned” seem quite warm to me. I honestly don’t like it when they are too cool or warm. If I have to decide between two reds, I’ll go for the colour closer to neutral.
I haven’t tried Essence before, but I think I’ll have to look for Silky Red! Thanks for the rec!
LOVE me a good red! Some of the ones I wear are:
MAC in Viva Glam I
MAC in Riri Woo
MAC in Studded Kiss
Revlon lip butter in Red Velvet
Revlon Colorburst Matte pencil in Standout
Revlon Matte in Really Red
Revlon Ultimate Suede in Catwalk
Maybelline Color Sensational in Red Revival (why does this one never make anyone’s list?)
Still looking for the perfect browny-red! They brown-toned ones never seem brown enough for me…
VG I isn’t brown enough for you, Clio? That would have been my go-to rec for a brown-ish red, lol!
so I dont own any thing that was mentioned.. 🙂 oh well.. I guess It time that I tried those brands..
Ooh! How interesting.
What reds do you have that you love, Andrea?
Great choice of reds as usual! All of these are on my wishlist except for the ones I already own. 🙂
Which ones do you have?
I’m not a red lipstick girl, but I’ve fallen in love with MAC’s Red Necessity.
That’s a nice pick for someone who may not be fully into reds!
I know I’ve already posted several times in this thread, but yesterday I found a new red lipstick love that I feel compelled to rave about.
It’s from Paula Dorf, and it’s called “Legend.”
Legend is *almost* a dupe for my beloved MAC Powerhouse, though Legend is deeper and slightly cooler. Lend applies smoothly, feels comfortable, and lasts well. The only thing I even mildly dislike about it is its plastic/wax taste, but that’s not persistent or obnoxious. I’ll gladly put up with it, for this ravishing color!
Keep sharing, Carla! You never know who might come back to this post 🙂