Back when I was 18 and thought I had life figured out ( HA!) I went on a date with a highly questionable dutch guy who always wore salmon coloured shirts and bored me to death. I remember chatting to him over messenger and he told me that there was nothing sexier than a short dress or skirt on a woman. I smugly told him that no, nothing is sexier than a white T-shirt and the perfect blue jeans paired with red lips and showed up to the date wearing just that, with absolutely no intentions to actually date him – I just wanted to prove a point.
Ah to have the confidence of my 18-year old self !
But this is a post about red lipstick, not my questionable dating life in my late teens. But there is a correlation between the embarassing story above and how it led to me opting for a red lipstick on my wedding day, unfortunately not paired with blue jeans nor a white t-shirt.
One week before my wedding day I sent photos to a group of friends ( thank you for putting up with me and my libra-indecisiveness) of me wearing about 10 different shades of red for them to help me chose which one I would come to wear on the day. Needless to say it was the group chat with the least amount of interaction in the history of Facebook messenger.
”M left the group chat”
”K left the group chat”
*the ones remaining are equally interested in discussing the different shades of red as I am*
But I thought it would be nice to share some of the shades which I was choosing from as well as which Red shades I normally recommend when I get questions about it on Instagram. There is something for everyone and if you are a red lip-noob, I would opt for a classic such as MACs Ruby Woo.
For my wedding day I wore a liquid lipstick in the shade Bordeaux from Yves Rocher and I was ecstatic about the choice of red. The only thing is that it was not kissable at all ( in regards to lasting power) and in hindsight I should have probably wore something in the likes of Maybelline Superstay Matte Ink . But I also knew that eventually I would want nothing at all my lips and then the latter choice would have been a bit of a pain to wash off. For those of you who have tried any of the Superstay Matte Inks, you know what I am talking about. That stuff s-t-a-y-s put for yonks and needs to be removed with a waterproof make-up remover.
Anyway, I loved wearing a bold red lip on my wedding day and always feel very sexy when wearing a red shade on my lips.
Just a little disclaimer or two before we move on:
- Nobody needs 5 shades of red lipstick.
- This list is of bold red lip shades, I will have to share another one of sheer/slightly tinted red lip products at another time.
Here are my top 5 red lipsticks and why I love them :
- Chanel Rouge Allure Luminous Satin Lip Colour – in Pirate – A beautiful and rich ( blue-toned) red which looks great on olive skin. A beautiful detail which could also possibly explain the price-point ( well, it is Chanel … ) is the magnetic clic-open case.
- Grand Rouge Mat by Yves Rocher – Nr 156 – The lasting power is not amazing, but the non-drying-yet-matte comfort of it , in combination with it possibly being the most perfect blue-toned shade of red puts it onto this list. I have to add that one of the most inspiring women I have met career-wise had this lipstick as her signature, which made me love it even more. It also smells very nice.
- Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Luminous Modern Matte Lipstick – Red Carpet Red– Creamy and long-lasting formula. Not ”I’m newly single/snog-friendly” per say, but ”going on a date and we have been together for 9 years-friendly” – indeed. Red carpet Red is the deep classic Hollywood-red which nobody can resist.
- MAC Retro Matte– Ruby Woo – My first ever red lipstick back in 2011 when I first discovered YouTube and the Pixiwoo-sisters. MACs bestseller and for a good reason. It is uber matte, super red ( with an orange undertone) and this baby will last all night long.
- Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick – Brick Red – Insanely pigmented liquid lipstick which will seriously stay on for hours on end. I absolutely love the doe-footed wand and the way the product dries very quickly on ones lips.