“I got that red lip, classic thing that you like.”
Taylor Swift | Google Images
As Taylor Swift emphasises in her song, ‘Style’ the red lip is a classic fashion statement and every make up bag requires the crimson cosmetic. However, with the huge range of shades, brands, textures and styles how does one acquire the perfect red lip? I ventured to Sephora in Madrid to pick and choose a few favourites.
Miss Swift herself stated in an interview that she favours Mac’s Ruby Woo, which won Teen Vogue’s Beauty Award this year. A firm favourite amongst the public and make up artists alike, this heavily pigmented lipstick is a traditional medium red colour and has a completely matte texture.
At the higher end of the cosmetic market, we have Yves Saint Laurent’s Rouge Pur Couture. I sampled number fourteen as I found it was a very similar shade to Ruby Woo but had a slightly shimmery, hydrating finish. For a deeper red shade, perhaps more suitable for the evening Chanel’s Rouge Allure Velvet lipstick in the shade La Fascinate was a hands down winner for me. This was the first Chanel lipstick I bought and it glides on effortlessly, giving a matte yet creamy finish, and an intense scarlet colour.
YSL Rouge Pur Couture | Sidra Imtiaz
After finding the conventional red and an evening alternative, I decided to find something a little more youthful and fun. Sephora’s Rouge Cream Lipstick in It Girl caught my eye. It was a bright orangey-red – perfect for brightening up any look and a slight differentiation to the customary red lip look. Another fun discovery was Too Faced liquefied lipstick. I selected the shade Melted Velvet to sample as it was darker than the other colours I’d trialed. It was more of a pink-red blend and was applied with a sponge applicator, leaving a glossy finish.
I then explored further into textures by sampling two different lip pencils. Initially I picked up Nars ‘Dragon Girl’ which is a thick, bright red pencil, matte and easy to apply. I then compared it to Mac’s Pro Longwear pencil in the shade He Said She Said. This colour was different, a sultry burnt red yet the matte finish was the same. However, as the Mac pencil was not as creamy, it lasted the longest and was actually quite difficult to remove! It definitely lives up to its name as the Longwear pencil.
Pro Longwear Pencil | Sidra Imtiaz
I’ve included a range of colours and styles here, and hopefully you’ll be inspired to purchase your own red lipstick. Here are swatches of all the shades I sampled, which can be purchased online at http://www.sephora.com
What’s your favourite lipstick? Do you believe in the timeless trend? Let us know by tweeting us at @RoosterGNN using the hashtag #lipstick
From top to bottom – Mac Ruby Woo, YSL Number 14, Chanel La Fascinate, NARS Dragon Girl, Sephora It Girl, Too Faced Melted Velvet, Mac He Said She Said | Sidra Imtiaz