Her Majesty, the Red Lip: Some of the Prettiest Red Lipsticks in Town
The title of this post is inspired by one of Serge Lutens’ Rose Perfumes - “Sa Majeste, La Rose”. It’s a fitting name for an ode to a veritable queen in fragrance. I feel that a red lip has the same status of royalty in the world of beauty. It’s classic, timeless, and has been interpreted and re-interpreted countlessly over generations. My grandmother would only ever wear it as a demure smudge, my mother likes her red dark and mixed with lots of brown, my sister wears hers on special occasions, and I like my reds as bright as they can possibly come. And if I could, I would wear a red lip every day. There has been so much that has been said about red lips (a personal favourite is Rachel Felder’s Red Lipstick), and my voice is just one of many but for me, a red lip is powerful. The woman who wears a red lip looks the world in the eye to say that she will not be ignored. When a woman puts on a red lip, she tells the world that she is unafraid of judgement and that she will express herself no matter how much anyone tries to diminish her voice, her self-expression, or her strength. When a woman puts on a red lip, she asserts and affirms her existence and her presence in whatever room she is in. I say all this with the qualification that in history (and to this day in certain parts of the world), a red lip can be interpreted in ways that are not favourable to women. Therefore, for me, when a woman puts on a red lip for herself, and because she wants to, she performs a revolutionary act - because while you can interpret a red lip many different ways depending on where you live in the world, one thing is for certain - you cannot ignore it.
This post is one of a series of posts on the red lip - I want to walk you through my favourite red mattes, red satins, orangey-reds, darker reds, etc. Today, I decided to begin with a round up of some of the most beautiful red lippies I own. This is not an exhaustive list - mostly because I forgot to include some and those will be featured in subsequent posts. The reason I want to talk about them is because some of these lipsticks are truly works of art. They are so beautifully designed, the bullets are so exquisitely crafted, and the juice inside is so luxurious on the lips, that it is hard to ignore them. Admittedly, some of these are expensive - and I promise I will have a post soon on affordable (but amazing) reds; but in the meantime, I hope you enjoy just looking at these if you are not thinking of buying, or if you are, then I hope you find a perfect red lipstick here to splurge on.
I’ll first talk about the design of some of these bullets, and the next section will be on the juice inside. I couldn’t get a good photo of the Lisa Eldrige lipstick but will be working on an upcoming post on all her lipsticks - they are beautiful!
Design
Bond No.9
These are luxury lipsticks at luxury’s best. This is a refillable case so you can buy refills and keep replacing them. The case itself is heavy and solid, and a beautiful gold in color as you can see from this photo on the left. The bullet is encased inside this outer frame and is also gold with a key-chain like Bond No.9 NYC charm attached to it. The charm is satisfyingly heavy too. I have it in the shade Park Avenue. This is a creamy, highly pigmented, long-lasting forumula. Just pure luxury. (See swatches of this color below)
Gucci Rouge a Levres Mat Lipstick
This photo does not do this Gucci lipstick justice. This mat lipstick comes in a case that seems inspired by vintage lipstick cases from back in the day. The color is a slightly darker gold, and the bullet has fine vertical lines carved through its length. It fits neatly in the palm of my hand - it’s a relatively short bullet but the attention paid to detail and intricacy here is nothing short of impressive. It’s also a surprisingly light bullet so it’s easy to carry around. I have this in the color Odalie Red (see swatched below) and the mats are a matte (as the name would suggest) but lightweight formula with full opacity.
Le Rouje
This is a french brand producing a small line of makeup - including these exquisitely designed lipsticks. These have a similar feel to the Gucci ones but are even lighter than the Gucci lippies and feel a little less refined and detailed in terms of design. However, these look equally beautiful sitting in your beauty bag or your vanity. The design is inspired by vintage lipsticks it seems, and the lid pops into place with a satisfying click. This is in the shade Jeanne (See swatched below). The formula is very matte, opaque, and pigmented.
YSL
Rouge Pur Couture Satin Lipstick Collection
This is a limited edition design and the colors are perfect. To me, these bullets feel a little inspired by the hearts in playing cards. They use pale pink, navy blue, red, and gold to create a fun pattern on each of these lipsticks and every side of the bullet is slightly different from the other. Lips, hearts, and these colors! What’s not to like. They are not too heavy, nor too light. Perfect little pops of more playful luxury in my purse. I have this in the color 119 Light my Red (swatched below). The formula is highly, highly pigmented, and very creamy with some shine, and the lasting power is not bad - not as long as matte lipsticks but quite long for creamy ones.
Charlotte Tilbury
I think we can all safely say that Charlotte Tilbury packaging is generally really beautiful and her lipsticks are no exception. The one on the left is from her Hot Lips 2 collection and the leopard print is vintage, and 90s, and modern, all at the same time. The lipstick on the right is from her regular line and both these bullets bring old-school Hollywood glamor to mind. If you were just in it for the beautiful packaging, these would be no-brainers. But the juice inside is also really, really good. I have these in the colors Red Hot Susan and Tell Laura (swatched below). The formula is matte for both of these, but not an extreme matte - a bit of a creaminess to these. It takes me at least two swipes to get full opacity.
It’s hard to say anything more than what has already been said possibly everywhere on the internet about Tom Ford makeup. The packaging is classy with a little bit of an edge, and somehow a little audacious sometimes. I love everything Tom Ford, and this lipstick, Lost Cherry - a limited edition release - is a cherished possession. The shiny,slightly darker red bullet is outlined with a rose-gold inlay. It’s nice and weighty when you pick it up and very satisfying to pop open and apply. The formula is creamy/satin-y with a subtle shine when worn. You can see the full color with at least two swipes - one caveat is that on my lips, the lasting power is not very high.
Hourglass Confessions Ultra-Slim High Intensity Lipstick
These, to me anyway, appear inspired by fancy ciggerette holders. This a slim, delicate bullet but don’t let the delicate appearance fool you - this is a heavy one. The material it is made of is of very high quality and very weigthy in my hand. These are refillable, so you can buy this beautiful, pointy case and keep filling it with whatever color you want. I have this in the color I crave. (Swatched below). The formula is rich, highly pigmented, creamy, and it lasts.(swatched below).
Dior Diorific
While these are usually only available during the Holidays (coming up soon!) I think this packaging is a work of art. The matte fluid (left) is like a little treat that you twist open and apply - on both cheeks and lips. The lipstick case (right) is beautiful to look at, light when you hold it, and ergonomically satisfying in your hand. The gold is a classic gold - not too light or too dark. The colors I have are 004 (matte fluid) and 550 Desirable. The formula for the fluid is matte but with a slight sheen. This isn;t a very opaque formula and you will need a few swatches if you want to build it up. The mat lipstick formula also needs at least two swipes to achieve its full opacity but is more pigmented and creamy. This is definitely a creamier matte.
From L t R: Pat Mcgrath Labs 211 Obsessed, Dior Diorific Matte Fluid, Rouge Hermes 53 Orange Rouge, Dior Diorific Mat 550 Desirable, Tom Ford Lost Cherry, Charlotte Tilbury Red Hot Susan, Charlotte Tilbury Tell Laura, Lisa Eldridge Velvet Morning, Le Rouje Jeanne, Gucci Mat Odalie Red
Note: The lipstick on the extreme right is YSL’s Rouge Pur Couture Satin Lipstick in 119.
Swatches
As the swatches below show, these lipsticks vary in terms of how cool and warm they are, what their opacity is, and their exact shade. Some may look similar in shade - and they are - but I think that for me, they all wear a little differently on my lips.
In natural outdoor light
In indoor light - under a lamp (Same order as above)
In natural outdoor light
In indoor light - under a lamp (Same order as above)
So this is it - my first roundup of the very pretty red lipsticks that I have and that I love. As I mentioned earlier, I will be doing a series of posts on red lipsticks and I hope that you enjoy them. I think one doesn’t have to necessarily go running to buy these lipsticks or be a regular wearer of red (like me!) in order to appreciate how beautiful these bullets are and how carefully the red pigments inside them have been formulated and designed. Let me know if you have any questions. I have linked them (where possible) to websites where you can go purchase them if you want to but I will not earn anything if you do. This post was a labor of love and I hope the beauty of these lipsticks gives you as much joy as it does to me.
