When you want to exude confidence and classic femme vibes, look to the red lip. The bold hue makes you look very intentional and pulled together, even if you are just wearing sweats and a messy mom-bun.
Finding the perfect red lipstick can be tricky, though. To help, I’m posting up pictures of my whole face (not just the pout) wearing some of my favorite red lip colors including three highly revered shades: MAC’s Ruby Woo, possibly the most classic of cult classics; NARS Dragon Girl (I hear this is Taylor Swift’s go-to red); and Stila Beso, a long wearing liquid lip.
But why stop there?! I will also be demo-ing these popular shades’ supposed dupes, one of which is pretty spot-on.
And for those days when you don’t want all of the attention that comes with a bold red lip, two of my favorite subtle reds. Perfect for a laid-back pop of color.
Let’s get started.
To ensure I am giving the truest representation of these lip colors, I opted to do all of these using only natural light from a window in my son’s room. Yes, what you see looming above is in fact a florescent light nestled into a drop ceiling. Please send help.
Similarly, there was no editing or filtering on these images. Partly to help you, and mainly because when I stare at pictures of myself too long, I begin to develop face dysmorphia. Or maybe it’s just the selfie lens on my iPhone that makes me look like an alien masquerading as a Russian mail-order bride with Alan Rickman’s nose (may he rest in peace).
This is real life and some real gorgeous reds.
To begin, let’s look at MAC’s Ruby Woo. This has been a long-standing classic red lipstick that is flattering on many different complexions. The drawback is that it is a very matte formula which can be drying to the lips. It takes a bit of tugging to apply, but it lasts a decent amount of time for a traditional lipstick.
This here shade is the alleged drug-store dupe of Ruby Woo, Wet-n-Wild Megalast Lipstick in Spotlight Red. Was it a close match? Not in my opinion. It had way more pink in it than Ruby Woo, making it a closer match to NARS Dragon Girl. Wear was as to be expected from a lipstick and it was more moisturizing than the MAC Ruby Woo formula.
Speaking of NARS Dragon Girl, here she is in all of her glory. This shade is from the Velvet Matte Lipstick Pencil line, and as you might imagine, it comes in a pencil form. Of all of the bold reds I tested, this formula wore off the quickest. It’s also really pretty, with a definite magenta pink undertone going on. Like I said before, this is a celebrity favorite and one worn by Taylor Swift quite a bit back in the day.
My toddler must have wanted a better look at this drugstore dupe of Dragon Girl. We both agreed that this NYX Matte Lipstick in Bloody Mary was just a bit too pink to be accurate, but it was a pleasant formula. Actually, now that I look at the pictures I think the Wet-n-Wild Spotlight Red might be a pretty good match for Dragon Girl.
Moving right along, we have Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Beso. This is more of a true red than the others, although I do think it leans slightly orange rather than blue. The pigmentation is intense and it really does stay on quite a while -at least through lunch, although I would encourage a touch up at that point. Don’t be a pusher.
I think I’m trying not to laugh here. Maybe at my toddler’s head doing a front row photo bomb. Maybe because of all the money I will be saving on this solid Beso dupe. While this isn’t exactly a drug store item, this Sephora Cream Lip Stain Liquid Lipstick in Always Red is quite a bit cheaper than the Stila Liquid Lip and it lasts just as long.
Before we move on to the subtle shades, I wanted to take a moment to hit you with these super-even swatches. Ooh, so pretty!
Okay, so these are like wild card lip colors here. Just go with me for a minute. When I was putting together this collection of favorite reds, I couldn’t dismiss my favorite sheer reds, for those days when you want a pop of color without all of the drama.
This is Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment in Cherry. I’ve had it for quite some time and it’s perfectly silky and shiny with a light lemon flavor. You don’t even need a mirror to apply this sweet shade.
Unfortunately, it appears that this shade is no longer available in the US. Seriously, Fresh? I can’t even… If you ever come across this shade in some random TJ MAXX scenario, scoop it up.
This is Glossier’s Generation G Sheer Matte Lipstick in Zip. It is a poppy red shade that you can build up for a more intense color. However, the original idea behind this stick was to provide a sheer matte color to give you that undone blotted look. I love it for that. It isn’t as moisturizing as the Fresh Lip Tints but it isn’t drying either.
Whew! I am exhausted and I bet you are too if you’ve made it this far. I hope this roundup has turned you on to some lovely red lip colors. What are some of your favorite red lipsticks?
This post contains affiliate links. If you are interested in an item and use my link to make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you for your support!
