The best red lipsticks bolster confidence, ooze glamour, and command attention—but they’re not always for the faint of heart. “A red lip is a classic accessory, but a lot of people are scared to make the plunge,” says makeup artist Jamie Greenberg, whose clients include Chelsea Handler and Jenny Slate. Her advice? “Walk into your fear and watch as everyone compliments your fabulous lip!”
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Greenberg is so passionate about welcoming newbies to the red-lip club that she added The Bloss —The Red One—a subtle, glossy take the hue—to her Jamie Makeup line. “It’s the perfect getaway red,” she says. For everyone else, whether new to reds or practically born with a cherry-hued pout, there’s a red lipstick that will quickly become your go-to. All it takes is some willingness to blot your lips off and try again. Below, find the 15 best red lipsticks for high-gloss glamour, softly blurred color, and more.
In This Article
Best Vibrant Red: Chanel Rouge Allure L’Extrait High Intensity Lip Color in 854
- Why we love it: Infused with ume flower extract to smooth and moisturize, Chanel’s classic red lipstick makes for a highly pigmented, lustrous pout. Plus, it comes in the brand’s signature click case, which turns reapplying into an act of quiet status-signaling.
- About the Shade: A bright, vibrant red
- Finish: Satin
- Key ingredients: Ume flower extract
- Staying power: Long-wearing
- Ease of application: Apply directly from the tube for a quick, powder-room refresh—just be sure to keep a steady hand. For a more precise application, use a lip brush or pair the lipstick with a liner in a coordinating shade.
Best Creamy: Gucci Velvet Matte Lipstick in 500 Odalie Red
- Why we love it: Indeed, this vivid, creamy red feels like velvet on the lips— and in other places, too. It can also be used for a reviving pop of color on the eyes and the cheeks.
- Finish: Matte
- Key ingredients: Oils and gelling waxes, gelling clay
- Staying power: Formulated with intense pigment for long-wearing color
- Ease of application: For best results, try to keep the edges of the bullet sharp: This will allow for precicse, straight-from-the-tube application.
Best Iconic Red: Dior Rouge Forever in 999 Forever Dior
- Why we love it: The long-lasting lipstick wears like a stain. It decks the lips with a coral coat that refuses to budge, yet has the lightweight feel of a bare lip. Plus, it’s formulated with red peony extract for hydrating benefits.
- Finish: Matte
- Key ingredients: Red peony extract, jojoba
- Staying power: Formulated for up to 16 hours of wear
- Ease of application: The application requires a bit more patience than your average swipe-and-go technique—after applying, allow three minutes for the color to set.
Best Drugstore: Maybelline Super Stay Matte Ink Liquid Lipstick in Exhilarator
- Why we love it: In a true ruby-red hue, the drugstore gem has an inky texture with a highly saturated matte finish.
- Finish: Matte
- Key ingredients: Dimethicone, trimethylsiloxysilicate, isododecane
- Staying power: Up to 16-hour wear
- Ease of application: A precision applicator—and the formulation’s easy glide—make the lipstick simple to swipe on.
Best Precision Applicator: Fenty Stunna Lip Paint Longwear Fluid Lip Color in Uncensored
- Why we love it: The bright, universally flattering red dries down with a soft matte finish. And though it feels ephemera—all silky and weightless on the lips—it stays put all day long.
- Finish: Soft matte
- Key ingredients: Isododecane (for glide), dimethicone (for lip-conditioning), trimethylsiloxysilicate (for lasting wear)
- Staying power: Long-wearing
- Ease of application: The lip paint has a precision wand that allows for ultra-easy, precise application. Simply hold the brush upright to define the lips; point it down to fill them in. Pro tip: Shake the tube before applying the lip paint to activate its intense pigmentation.
Best Glossy: Yves Saint Laurent The Bold High Pigment Lipstick in 1971 Rouge Provocation
- Why we love it: With a satiny finish and a buildable formulation, this deep red can be as high-gloss as you want it to be. For more shine, simply layer it on and reap the moisturizing benefits of botanical and grape oils.
- Finish: Satin
- Key ingredients: Red floral oil, grape oil
- Staying power: Up to 10 hours.
- Ease of application: The angled tip of the bullet allows for simple and smudge-free application; the formula also has an easy, seamless glide.
Best Compact: Fara Homidi Essential Lip Compact
- Why we love it: Easy to stash in even the tiniest of clutches, the compact holds a red lipstick with orange undertones and a lip primer. Swipe on the featured Prime Baume to prep the lips with hydrating grip; the whipped color will then glide on seamlessly.
- Finish: Cream to powder
- Key ingredients: Phylcare hyacolor (harnesses hyaluronic-acid microsphere technology to plump the lips), Amazonian cupuaçu butter and meadowfoam (for elasticity), cherry seed oil, squalane
- Staying power: Long-lasting
- Ease of application: Your fingers will do the trick nicely here—no brushes or extra tools are required. Simply swipe on the balm, then follow a stroke (or three!) of the buildable color.
Best Liquid: Rare Beauty Lip Soufflé Matte Cream Lipstick
- Why we love it: Rare Beauty founder Selena Gomez names this bright liquid lipstick as her go-to red. Infused with botanical ingredients, the formulation smooths out the lips while coating them with velvety, matte color that melts into them like butter.
- Finish: Matte
- Key ingredients: Botanical blend of lotus, gardenia, and white waterlily, plus vitamin E
- Staying power: Long-lasting
- Ease of application: The precision, doe-foot applicator makes for quick and easy application.
Best Matte: Violette_FR Petal Bouche Matte in Amour Fou
- Why we love it: The French brand’s signature red—a bright, passionate take on the hue—leaves the lips feeling as soft and supple as a rose petal.
- Finish: Matte
- Key ingredients: Isododecane, dimethicone, trimethylsiloxysilicate
- Staying power: Long-wearing
- Ease of application: The formula glides on easily, then stays put with a weightless feel. To apply it the TikTok-viral, ombre way, apply the lipstick to the bottom lip, then to the top one. Add a bit more color to the corners of the lips, then use your fingers to blot and blur the edges.
Best Single-Coat Coverage: Pat McGrath Labs MatteTrance Lipstick in Vendetta
- Why we love it: It only takes a single coat of the oil-infused powder formulation to cover the lips in a slick of color. The tube—decked with a golden pair of lips—provides a fittingly grand presentation for the lightweight, hydrating formulation that dries down with a soft-focus effect.
- Finish: Matte
- Key ingredients: Isononyl isononanoate (for skin-softening), aluminum starch octenylsuccinate (an anti-caking agent), mica
- Staying power: The lipstick isn’t explicitly billed as long-lasting, but try this pro makeup-artist trick to lengthen its stay on your lips: after applying, pry a tissue apart, then use one of its sheets to blot the lips. Dust some finishing powder on top of the papery veil.
- Ease of application: For a blurred, stain-like effect, use your finger to roll the color onto the lips. For more of a statement lip, apply the color directly from the tube.
Best Satin: Ilia Color Block Lipstick in Tango
- Why we love it: Infused with a blend of plant-based oils and butter, the formulation delivers intense hydration with a satiny pop of true, deep red.
- Finish: Satin
- Key ingredients: Apricot seed oil, castor seed oil, mango seed butter
- Staying power: Formulated for all-day wear
- Ease of application: For intense color, apply the shade directly from the tube. Alternatively, use your finger and blot it on for a softly blurred, matte-stain effect.
Best for Fuller-Looking Lips: Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in Cinematic Red
- Why we love it: The creamy formula is infused with 3D glowing pigments, which make the lips appear fuller, wider, and subtly lit-from-within.
- Finish: Creamy matte
- Key ingredients: Antioxidant lipstick tree, 3D glowing pigments, vitamin E, waxes
- Staying power: Formulated for a 10-hour wear
- Ease of application: With a unique, square-angled shape, the lipstick’s tip was designed for easy, precise application.
Best Brick Red: Merit Signature Lip in Tiger
- Why we love it: Before Merit’s just-debuted matte lipsticks was its satin Signature Lip. With the hydrating feel of a balm and the color payoff of a traditional lipstick, Merit’s lipstick-balm hybrid has a sheer finish after a single coat. For a more intense color punch, simply layer on a few more swipes.
- Finish: Satin
- Key ingredients: Squalane and sunflower seed oil, papaya fruit extract, raspberry oil
- Staying power: Long-lasting
- Ease of application: This lipstick applies with the ease of a balm. Swipe it onto the lips directly from the tube, then repeat as necessary to create your perfect shade of brick red.
Best Long-Wearing: Lancôme L’Absolu Rouge Moisturizing Cream Lipstick in 143 Rouge Bababoum
- Why we love it: Formulated to stay on the lips from morning till evening—and well into the night—this classic, cool red feels silky on the lips thanks to moisturizing rose balm and hyaluronic acid.
- Finish: Creamy
- Key ingredients: Rose balm, hyaluronic acid
- Staying power: Up to 18 hours of wear
- Ease of application: First, make sure the lips are nicely moisturized. Then, apply the lipstick directly from the tube, starting at the center of the lip and working outwards. Blot off any excess, then enjoy 18 hours of statement-making lips.
Best Blurred Effect: Saie Lip Blur in Classic
- Why we love it: Plumping and moisturizing, Saie’s shine-free, blue-red hue is formulated with berry fruit wax to give it a softly blurred finish.
- Finish: Matte
- Key ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, olive oil, berry fruit wax, jojoba esters
- Staying power: Long-wearing
- Ease of application: For precise application, use the edge of the bullet’s micro-stilo tip to outline the lips before filling them in. For a more blurred effect, use your finger to dab and blend the lipstick after it’s been applied.
How to Pick the Best Red Lipstick for Your Skin Tone
To choose the best red lipstick for your complexion, “look at your jewelry,” Greenberg suggests. “If you gravitate toward silver, it might mean your undertones are cooler. If you tend to go for gold jewelry, your undertones are likely warm. If you rock both gold and silver, you’re lucky! You can wear any red.” She adds that blue-based reds tend to flatter cooler skin tones, while orange-based hues complement warmer tones.
What to Look for in a Red Lipstick
Along with color, “there are a few things to consider when choosing your red lipstick—the finish, longevity, and application, to list a few,” says Lisa Aharon, Rachel Brosnahan’s go-to makeup artist. “Do you prefer a matte, satin, glossy, or sheer finish? Is it a long-lasting formula that you’re after, or something balmy that you don’t mind reapplying more often? Is it preferable for you to use a crayon, a liquid, or a classic bullet for ease of application? It’s a good idea to experiment with different finishes, formulas, and applicators to find what works best for you.”
What are the most iconic red lipsticks?
If you’re looking for an enduring classic, “Dior 999, MAC Ruby Woo or Lady Danger, NARS Velvet Matte Pencil Dragon Girl, and Chanel 444 Gabrielle are classic reds,” says Greenberg.
Aharon concurs, adding that Ruby Woo is a “timeless, blue-based red that suits a variety of skin tones,” while the NARS formulation is a “vibrant, blue-toned red pencil that provides long-lasting matte finish.” Aharon also describes Dior 999 is “an iconic and classic shade of red,” and says that Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in Carpet Red is “a true Hollywood red with a matte finish. It gives Old Hollywood glamour,” she says.