The best of: 5 brands’ top red lipsticks

Red lipsticks are among the most subjective beauty buys one can make. Finding ‘your’ red can take much trial and error. Here are five of the best red lipsticks money can buy to help make your decision…

The Christmas One

This red is bright, festive and bubbly, gorgeous on most skin tones and really easy to wear. Rouge Allure’s formula is hydrating and long-lasting, so you rarely have to top up and will never feel dried out.

Although, yes, it’s limited edition, there are plenty of divine Chanel Rouge Allure options to turn to when this goes off sale, including personal favourite of mine, Pirate. (The French pronounce it ‘peer-aht’ as opposed to ‘pie-rat’ like I often do, sorry France).

Chanel Limited Edition Rouge Allure in shade Rouge Spectaculaire

€41 from arnotts.ie

The All-time Best One

Is there a more iconic red than MAC’s Ruby Woo? I really don’t think so. The perfect Retro-Matte formula lasts through dinner, into dancing, and probably will still leave stains on your face cloth. For a true (erring on the blue side) red, this is the way to go.

MAC Retro Matte lipstick in Ruby Woo

€20 from brownthomas.com

The New Cult One

Pat McGrath refers to herself as ‘mother’ in the make-up world, and as we know, mother knows best. Her Matte Trance lipstick in shade Elson, below, is a pleasure to own, to wear and to apply. Owning a piece of McGrath’s eponymous collection feels like you’re happily engaging in some beauty witch craft. Just magic.

Pat McGrath Labs Matte Trance Lipstick in Elson

€38 from patmcgrath.com

The Old Hollywood Icon

Fire and Ice by Revlon is the grand dame of lipsticks. The fiery red shade has been a consistent best-seller for years for Revlon, and shows no signs of waining in popularity.

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Fire and Ice

€11.49 from boots.ie

The Sell-out One

This shade, 400, is Giorgio Armani’s biggest-selling lipstick and with great reason. The magnetic closure is luxurious, the shade is elegant and expensive, and the formula leaves lips feeling hydrated but without the worry of feathering. It also strikes the perfect balance between shine and matte.

Read more: National Lipstick Day: IMAGE staffers all-time favourite lipsticks

Read more: 8 of the best new long-wearing, moisturising lipsticks

Read more: Five Must-Have Matte Lipsticks For Autumn

Photo from Jason Lloyd Evans