Every woman should have that perfect shade of red lipstick in her makeup arsenal. We all know the color — the shade that brings you instant confidence and countless compliments. But as we’ve all figured out, finding the right shade of red lipstick will depend on your skin tone and coloring. Here’s everything you need to know about finding a hue that suits you.
How To Find The Right Shade Of Red Lipstick
There is a perfect red lipstick for everyone from Helen Mirren to Viola Davis. The endless array of choices can be narrowed down based on your skin tone. Check your inner wrist to determine if you have a warm or cool complexion. Pinky undertones are cool, and yellow tones are warm.
The Best Red Lipstick for Each Skin Tone
Lipstick for Fair Skin
Warm Red for Fair Skin:
Chanel Rouge Coco #440 (Arthur), $45
Chanel Rouge Coco #440 (Arthur) is a warm-toned, medium orange-red with a shiny finish.
Cool Red for Fair Skin:
Dior Rouge Dior #844 (Trafalgar), $45
Dior Rouge Dior #844 (Trafalgar) is a clean orange-red with high voltage.
Lipstick for Medium Skin
Warm Red for Medium Skin:
Chanel Rouge Allure Luminous Lip Color #104 (Passion), $45
Chanel Rouge Allure Luminous Lip Color #104 (Passion) makes your lips a rich tomato red.
Cool Red for Medium Skin:
NARS Velvet Matte Lipstick Pencil, $23
Nars Velvet Matte Lipstick Pencil in Mysterious Red is the perfect punchy blue-red for medium skin tones.
Lipstick for Dark Skin
True Red for Dark Skin:
NARS Velvet Matte Lipstick Pencil in Dragon Girl, $31
A true red always looks amazing on dark skin tones. NARS Velvet Matte Lipstick Pencil in Dragon Girl isn’t too orange or blue. Instead, it’s just an intensely pigmented red.
Pigmented Red for Dark Skin:
Chanel Rouge Allure Intense Long-Wearing Lip Color #99 (Pirate), $45
Chanel Rouge Allure Intense Long-Wearing Lip Color #99 (Pirate) is deeply pigmented, which makes the red really pop.
Keeping lipstick in place is the key to a successful look. After all, you don’t want to be constantly checking or reapplying! The best way to make sure your red lipstick stays put is to apply a lip primer, like MAC Prep + Prime Lip ($23). Simply apply a thin coating over the entire lip area and over lip edges and follow with your perfect red lipstick.
The Best Red Lipliners
Filing in your entire lip with the lip liner ensures that as the lipstick wears, you don’t have a ring around your lip because the liner wears longer than the lipstick.
Chanel Longwear Lip Pencils ($35) are waxy and very creamy. The only downside is you have to sharpen them. However, they include a brush on the other end and a sharper in the box. You can pair these lipliners with just about any red.
Deep and blue-toned reds need the richness of Guerlain Lasting Colour High Precision Lipliner #25 (Iris Noir) ($32). This retractable lip liner is soft, bendable, and easy to apply.
Red is a classic choice to give an edge to a white shirt, a black dress, or even your little red dress. Always keep your coloring in mind and have fun with a beautiful, teeth-whitening red lipstick.
Now that we’ve covered finding the right shade of red lipstick, let’s talk about bright lips! Here’s everything you need to know to score your perfect bright lipstick.
