The right red is hard to find, but if you think this color won’t work on you, remember that celebs as diverse as Dita Von Teese, Cameron Diaz, Penelope Cruz, and Jennifer Hudson have all managed to rock red lips. If you have blue undertones to your skin, stick with reds that lean towards purple or magenta; if you have yellow undertones, go for brick or burgundy shades. Start with a good foundation, keep the eye makeup minimal, and you're on your way to old-school glamour. Here are our top finds in this season's reds.
Pick a Color
A good way to see which camp you fall into—the blues or the yellows—is to test two classic NARS Semi-Matte Lipstick (1) shades, Scarlet Empress (left) and Shanghai Express (right) ($24 each). If Scarlet Empress looks better on your skin tone, opt for bluish reds, if it’s Shanghai Express, stick with brownish reds.
Make an Impact
Clinique’s new High Impact Lip Color (2) in Red-y to Wear ($14) is a fun, bright shade that veers towards hot pink. Pair it with a ‘50s party dress and enjoy the moisturizing feel and SPF 15 protection.
Glamazon
MAC may be the master of red lips, as their original Viva Glam Lipstick (3) ($14) launch proved in 1994. Guess what? The first color is still a winner, a matte, brick red that carries a lot of retro Mad Menappeal.
Girls on Film
Red lipstick conjures up old school glamour, and what better way to do that than invoking La Dolce Vita? Vincent Longo’s Lip Vinyl (4) in Fellini Red ($24) will make you feel like an Italian screen siren. Bonus: the foam applicator makes this red nearly foolproof.
Rocky Road
If you really want to vamp it up, put on your platform stilettos and do up your pout with Too Faced’s Lip of Luxury (5) in purply Drop Dead Red ($18). This is a red along the lines of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, so be prepared to strut your stuff.
Riche Girl
And of course we can’t forget the many affordable drugstore options. Our fave discovery was L’Oreal’s Color Riche (6) ($8.95) in the new celeb-centric line: “Penelope’s Red,” named after Spanish beauty and L’Oreal spokesmodel Penelope Cruz.
MAC Attack
So after trying all these reds, what did we buy? We went back to MAC for their new Crème Sheen lip color (7) in Dare You ($14), which offers just the right balance between saturation and sheen, staying power and moisturizing ability. Dare you wear it all the time? You bet.
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