I’ve always loved red lipstick. My grandmother, Doris, always wore a nice red lip. She preferred Fire and Ice by Revlon. Growing up, there were different trends in lipstick- the super gloss of the 70’s, the frosted lip of the 80’s, the nude and chocolate lip of the 90’s and so on. I tried them all, but I love coming back to the classic red lip.
Fire and Ice has too much of a warm undertone (yellow tones in the red) for me. I prefer the cool toned reds (blue tones in the red). How do you know which red is for you? Best way is to try them on in store. Take selfies and then compare them. Warm tones tend to work with people with darker skin, but the photos you take will show you which one is better for you. Take a look at the pictures below for examples. Russian Red is the cool toned red and Lady Danger is the warm toned red.
Once you know if you prefer warm or cool, then it is way easier to buy a red from any brand. Then you need to decide if you want matte or gloss finish and the level of pigment. That is purely a matter of preference.
I have some links in a variety of price points below. These are all cool toned reds, for reference.
Best Overall Red Lipstick
MAC Lipstick in Russian Red (See above for picture) $19.00
Best No-Transfer Lipstick
Revlon ColorStay Overtime Lipcolor in Nonstop Cherry $10.99
Best Drugstore Lipstick
Revlon Lipstick in Love Is On $8.49
Best Sheer Red
Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey $19.50
Best Bargain Lipstick
Colourpop Lipstick in Fred $8.00
The Real Deal- Authentic Vintage Red
Besame Cosmetics in Victory Red $19.00
Happy Shopping!
Love, Kim and Benji
