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Rant & Rave: Red Lipstick

Share: Tell us what you love and hate about Red Lipstick!

my answer: I love how red lipstick can instantly add drama and glam to your look without having to do much else, but they can sometimes be more high maintenance!

51 Comments

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Jip Avatar

I do agree with your comment about adding a polished look without having to do much more. My dislike is trying to find the PERFECT shade.

Gisele Avatar

Totally agree. Some foundation, mascara and red lipstick, and I’m ready to go. 😀
What I hate about it? Well, I’m a perfeccionist, so I have to be extra careful and use a lip brush to wear reds.. 😉

Chanel Avatar

How can someone hate red lipstick lol. I love everything about red lipstick, it’s bold and a easy way to change up a look, and there are so many different shades and finishes of red lipstick so there’s a red lipstick for everyone.

Veronica Avatar

They are higher maintenance than lighter shades (clear lip liner if my BFF), but I have nothing but raves for red. With over fifty shades of red in my collection, it’s my calling card, the look I’m known for! Red lipstick says “look at me” while also saying I don’t care if you aren’t. 😉

Maddie Avatar

Is there anything to hate?! Red lipstick is such an empowering, uplifting color! It’s a wonderful and quick way to transform your look! I love it! I love it Matte because I find it to be more lower maintenence. My faves are the Stila Long Wearing Liquid Lip Colors in Fiery and Beso, but I definitely have other that I love. Those are just my signature ones!

CeeCee Avatar

I have maybe a five or six different shades of red lipstick (not including the MAC red lip trio I just bought) so that when I’m confident enough to wear them out of the house….I’ll be prepared haha. I’ve always loved the look of red lips with something casual like an old tee shirt and jeans with just red lips and mascara. Sigh, I’ll get there eventually

beka Avatar

i love red lipstick and have many, but my long-time favorite is rouge d’armani 400. its a totally classic red, lasts a long time, is comfortable to wear and is super easy to apply. i also recently got one of the lipstick queen velvet rope red lipsticks (i can’t remember the color name) and it has ousted my second place have (guerlain garconne).

Cindy Avatar

I wear red lipstick mostly every day (otherwise I’m wearing neon pink or orange!). I don’t find it high-maintenance at all – once it’s on, it’s ON and it doesn’t come off until I wipe it off. I use a lip primer, lipliner, and a matte red formula works the best for me.

meganlisa Avatar

I’ve been so into red lipstick lately! I think it’s so easy…as long as I apply it carefully and choose one that doesn’t bleed. The only time it’s a pain is wearing it out to a meal (then I need a touch up!). I can wear red with only a little other makeup so wear it often when I’m in a hurry. And I have so many softer reds that work day or night.
But I do think picking the right red for your skin tone is important. Some reds look so bad on me! But I love the ones MAC introduced (ltd edition, unfortunately) this summer, Armani 400, Lipstick Queen (Scarlett Red Sinner) and Smashbox (Legendary). A fun color…

Sapir Avatar

This last weekend I stayed over at my boyfriend and even though I brought a ton of makeup I left my mascara home (WHAAAAAT). We wanted to go out to a local pub and I didn’t know how to pull it off… eventually I put on a noticeable blush (The Balm’s Toile) and a deep gorgeous red lipstick (Mac’s Russian Red 😉 ), let my hair down and that was that. It worked pretty damn well, and I don’t think any other colour lipstick could have done that.

Ammara Avatar

Hey, could the next question be something like ‘how to make a pale lipstick work?’ Because they usually have stiffer formulas that can skip during application, and i’m disappointed i spent money on something that wasn’t great in application. Or maybe you can just give me some advice right here.

Jessica Avatar

I love it on other people. On me? Ick. It’s really unflattering but I can’t explain exactly why. If I want to go bright I look way better in fuchsia. Or I need to go a little goth-ish and pick something edging toward burgundy.

whitelace Avatar

I’ve never been a red lipstick (or nail polish) gal but then I don’t care for red in anything. I sold a red car last year that I bought on a whim. Just couldn’t face the color every day, lol! I have a really pale complexion and it’s just personal choice that I don’t care for red on me. I think it looks severe. I know the right shade is the ticket; the closest I could come to something that dramatic and vibrant is a blue-toned ruby or rose. Even that’s dicey because on me it looks ghoulish!

julieta Avatar

i’,m 21 and i have 6 red lipsticks but still, i have never actually left the house wearing any of them.
i have all the Mac classics; russian red, ruby woo, lady danger, viva glam I, also a few others…
But i guess i’m not confident enough! I want to be, but i’m afraid i’ll look like a clown because people are not used to see me with bright lipstick 🙁 (i only wear either lipbalm or MLBB shades)

julieta Avatar

Anyone else has this problem?
I sure like to collect red lipsticks in the hopes i’ll somehow grow the confidence to wear them, but i feel like people will think i look ridiculous!

Veronica Avatar

Honestly, I think a lot of it is learning to not care about what other people think. My coworkers didn’t see me with heavy makeup for years, and then one year I was like, “EFF IT” and started wearing bright lipstick to work everyday. Now I’ve got a reputation. 😉

My suggestion would be to wear it around the house all day, then start practicing with people close to you. Family, friends, etc. If they ask, tell them you’re trying something new. Then practice with strangers – go grocery shopping in red lipstick! You could also build your way up with a transparent red – something like Guerlain’s Kiss Kiss or Lipstick Queen’s Saint lines – and get used to wearing something in the middle ground first. Once you grow comfortable and familiar with your face wearing shades like that, then you can move on to deep reds. 🙂

Ryou Avatar

Julieta, I think it’s important to consider what you actually WANT to wear, not what you feel other people think you should wear. I see make-up not merely as something to make me look good, but something I can use to express myself.

I would suggest wearing bold lipsticks around the house just to have you get used to how you look with them on, and perhaps start wearing sheer reds outside (Revlon Lip Butter is perfect for this).

PJ Avatar

I like a semi matte brick red in the winter time, when a like to of with a retro glamour look, but otherwise, I don’t really care for it.

Laura Avatar

I find them high maintenance as well. I love the look of them, but I don’t like worrying about bleeding or fading the entire time I wear it.

A. Mar Avatar

I love red lipstick. If there’s an ‘every day’ lipstick for me, it would be one of the many reds I own. The only part I can say I dislike is that I feel red requires a pretty precise application. However, give me a red lipstick over any other color and I’ll be happy.

septhyneriadi Avatar

I love red lipstick (on people)! I find it makes you look polished without adding a lot of stuff. But for some reason red lipstick is not flattering on me. I tried different shades, when swatched it complements my skin tone beautifully but when i put it on my lips, it just looks wrong

Kath Avatar

Red lips for me is the easiest way to look glam and polished and powerful. But for daily wear it’s hard for me because I only like matte/satin reds (creamy ones don’t stay put as much) and those finishes tend to be unforgiving on my lips when worn for too long.

Ryou Avatar

I love a good statement lip, especially red lipstick! It’s definitely a go-to, and I prefer even my non-statement lipsticks to have at least a bit of red in it, as I really like how it looks against my coloring.

Angela Avatar

I didn’t own a red lipstick up until I watched Claire Marshall’s favorite lipsticks video (http://youtu.be/iZBlZIQK5bs) and immediately realized I NEEDED Mac’s Lady Danger. I purchased it along with Mac’s lip liner in High Energy. With the lip liner underneath the lipstick stays on ALL DAY without feathering, even after eating greasy chicken for dinner.

Carmen Avatar

Red lipstick can be very elegant and chic but also can make you look cheap and tacky. Therefore, the right shade is crucial to avoid looking tarty but also the right texture. I don’t like shiny red lips because I think they make you look very drag queen. On the other side, matte red lips are much more classy, like Coco Chanel.

Arielle Avatar

I love how red feels so glamorous yet hard femme at the same time. Plus it’s a bold color that doesn’t garner stares or glares like some orange/purple/etc.
I don’t like how it often stains though. Fine if it stays on my lips but if it gets outside due to bleeding or smearing then you have a big red stain on you.

Natalie Avatar

I love red lipstick! My absolute favorite (after trying many many many different kinds) is Revlon’s Super Lustrous matte lipstick in Really Red. It’s a great daytime red!

Helene Avatar

I love red lipsticks. Love them. For me there are no cons. I think there’s a red for every occasion, from very sheer to the super opaque of Ruby Woo or the Illamasqua reds that I forget the names of. Red is my most used colour,

Lenore Avatar

Since I have uneven lips (narrow upper lip, and wider lower. Not fuller, wider) it looks kind of weird with lipstick only on my lips, that’s the hard part about red lipstick. So I always have to use a lipliner to even them out and THAT is high maintenance! But I do LOVE me a red lip 😛

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