Think of Hollywood glamour and one thing that always comes to mind is a showstopping red lip. Whether that’s on a red carpet or as the focus of a minimal make-up look, a bold lip never goes out of fashion.
From liquid lipsticks to bullets and balms, reds can come in many undertones and finding the right one for your skin tone is crucial. As a very general rule, if you’ve got fair skin, opt for something quite warm, like a copper, medium skin looks great with terracottas or poppy reds and darker skin tones suit auburn or ruby.
Reds can seem daunting if you aren’t used to wearing bold colours, but they don’t have to be. In fact, a red lip with some blusher and a slick of mascara creates a chic, sleek make-up that is low maintenance, quick to put together and lower key than you think.
Ready to try something more glam? We don’t believe in the old rule of eyes or lips – why not do both? Channel the golden age of Hollywood with a liquid liner cat eye and fluttery lashes, or create a monochrome look with a pink or red eyeshadow to match your red lip.
A struggle that many people find with bold colours, like red, is transfer onto cups and glasses and a lack of longevity, which is why choosing the right product is so crucial. For lipsticks that aren’t fully transfer proof – which is the majority of them – a great tip is to apply the lipstick, blot it with tissue to create a stain and then go back in with the same colour to add more intensity.
How we tested
We put these red lipsticks through the ringer to see if they were comfortable to wear, how strong the pigment was, whether they were easy to apply and, most importantly, their staying power. We applied each one in the morning and wore it throughout the day to see how it would fare through breakfast, lunch, dinner and multiple cups of tea before needing to be reapplied. These are the ones that stand out.
The best red lipsticks for 2022 are:
- Best overall red lipstick – R.e.m. Beauty liquid lipstick in Meryl: £18, Rembeauty.com
- Best red lipstick for quick application – Revlon colorstay matte lite crayon in Ruffled Feathers: £9.27, Amazon.co.uk
- Best red lipstick balm – Trinny London lip luxe in demon: £22, Trinnylondon.com
- Best refill red lipstick – Charlotte Tilbury hot lips 2 red hot Susan: £29, Charlottetilbury.com
- Best liquid red lipstick – Dior rouge forever liquid lipstick in shade 626: £34, Johnlewis.com
- Best dual ended red lipstick – Sculpted by Aimee lip duo in double trouble: £17, Boots.com
- Best red lipstick stick applicator – Bobbi Brown luxe defining lipstick in terracotta: £32, Lookfantastic.com
- Best matte red lipstick – Nars powermatte lipstick in too hot to hold: £26, Narscosmetics.co.uk
- Best high street red lipstick – Maybelline superstay vinyl ink in red hot: £11.99, Superdrug.com
- Best luxury red lipstick – Pat McGrath mattetrance lipstick in Elson: £35, Selfridges.com
- Best red lipstick for pigment – Vieve modern matte lipstick in muse: £21, Cultbeauty.co.uk