The most iconic and basic makeup item to own is a red lipstick, Marilyn was known for her unforgettable matte fire red lips, Dita von Teese swears by her red lipstick with a blue undertone, Taylor Swift seems to be unable to live without her orange toned red lipstick.
A red lipstick is never just a red lipstick, there are endless possibilities to choose from: the kind of undertone, the finish, the formula and so on.
I change the type of red lipstick i prefer depending by the rest of the makeup i'm wearing or the occasion; recently i became obsessed with really dark almost berry toned red lipsticks while usually in the warmer months i usually go for a more orange toned one or for a more sheer formula.
If i had to reduce my winter red lipstick selection to 7, these would be my personal favorites, i own and i have tested all of them.
1) MAC in RUBY WOO is probably the most well known lipstick of the brand, it's a neural toned fire red, it looks good on all skin types and it's the perfect classic red. The finish creamy but it doesn't move around especially if you use a lip pencil before applying it. 18€
2) RIMMEL SHOW OFF in ATOMIC RED looks like the cheaper cousin of the YSL lip stain, it's a brilliant product. It looks like a lipgloss and it even has that kind of applicator but once it's on is very pigmented and has that wet finish that is so popular this season. It's extremely pigmented and it doesn't dry out the lips if i had to point out one thing is that you need a ferme hand to apply it properly, due to the lipgloss like applicator. 10€
3) YSL LIP STAIN is a very controversial product, even if the formula is the same not all the stains of the line are the same; some of the colors are absolutely amazing, incredibly pigmented, they last for so long but some others are just rubbish and i mean when it comes to a 32€ lipstick not many people are willing to take the risk. For example i own N6 and N5, the first one is a stunning fire red and it works brilliantly, the other one is a dark pink and it's rubbish with capital R.
If you are lucky enough to get a good one you will absolutely love it, i would recommend trying it if your beauty store has a return policy.
4) GIORGIO ARMANI in 408 is such a stunning berry toned red, it has a matte finish and it's very very pigmented. The Armani's lipstick are pretty pricy but they are really good quality, the selection of reds they have produced is really great any lipstick of their line is really great. 25€
5) MAKE UP FOREVER in N48. If i was aloud to write a poem about this lipstick i would, that's how much i love it! I am literally obsessed with this baby and if you follow me on Youtube you will be already well aware of that. I went to Sephora to buy another lipstick but the sales girl talked me into buying this one and i am so glad she did; it's the most stunning dark violet red but due to his creamy formula the coverage is very build-able, if applied with a bush it can go from very sheer to full on coverage, like i wear it. For honesty sake i have to point out that this lipstick moves around like crazy; one of the down sides of his creaminess, if you don't want to end up looking like a clown, i would not recommend eating while wearing it, but it's worth the starvation , i promise. 20€
MAKE UP FOR EVER Rouge Artist Intense 48 0.12 oz
6) MAC in VIVA GLAM N1 is the first lipstick ever created for the Viva Glam line, a limited edition collection that devolves all the profits to the research for AID. It's completely matte and quite dark but not like the Make up Forever one. It's one of my top favorites. It dries out the lips a little bit but it doesn't move around at all; if you don't like the matte finish you can always put a lipgloss on top. 18€
7) RIMMEL by KATE MOSS in 107 is a cheaper dupe for the Mac Viva glam n1, it looks pretty much the same, the only difference is that the Mac one is a tiny little bit darker. It completely matte, just like his high-end cousin and it had a very pleasant smell. I really really like it. 7€
