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If there’s one thing that every girl needs, it’s a red lip for the holidays. Every year, starting in November, I can’t help but get excited for an excuse to break out all my favorite red shades. Not that you need an excuse to wear a red lip, of course, but during the holidays it’s basically a rite of passage. People who don’t ever normally wear red are out shopping for that perfect shade that they can wear to Christmas parties, or, better yet, Christmas vacations!
- Pro Tip: If you feel like a full-on red lip is just too intense for you, I included one of my favorite soft red glosses at the bottom of this post.
For someone who normally wears a lot of nude or light pink lipsticks, I have a ridiculous amount of red shades in my arsenal. It sounds excessive, but you never know when a power move may strike. Red is such a power color, but it’s also the perfect color to bust out around the holidays. In fact, even though I love a red lip, I rarely ever wear one throughout the year…but the day after Thanksgiving, I have at least one of these shades with me at all times.
I can confidently recommend these lipsticks to you because I either currently own or have tried all the ones I mention in this post. Additionally, I have also included photo examples of swatches, so you can see what these colors look like for yourself. Okay babe, let’s find you your perfect holiday red!
Below: Rocking some of my favorite holiday red lipsticks
How to Choose a Red Lipstick
Choosing the perfect red shade is difficult. It all depends on your undertones, and if you’re cool-toned or warm-toned. If you have more neutral undertones, you can play around with a wider variety of shades that may look good on you.
As a general rule of thumb:
- People with cool undertones tend to look good in blue-reds
- People with warm undertones tend to look good in orange-reds or brown-reds
For this reason, I broke all the lipsticks down in this post by undertone category. You’re welcome 💋.
Choosing A Red Lipstick Based on Your “Season”
In case you haven’t heard, “color matching” is all the rage right now. If you’re unfamiliar, you are basically classified into either a warm season (spring or autumn) or a cool season (summer or winter) based on the undertones of your skin. From there, you are assigned a “sub-season” – for example, if you are an autumn, your sub-season could be soft autumn, warm autumn, deep autumn, etc.
I fall into the Bright Spring season – therefore, the reds that look best on me are bright with brown or orange undertones. If you are a warm-toned person, you will likely gravitate towards these as well.
If you’re a summer or winter (a cool-toned person), you will appreciate the blue-reds I list. I have also included some neutral reds, because who doesn’t love a shade that flatters everybody?
If you have no idea what your season is or if your undertones are cool or warm, consider getting color matched! Or, if you need a second opinion, leave me a message in the comments ♥️.
Reds with Brown Undertones
Best For: Warm Skin Tones
Shade: Chili | Devoted to Chili
Made by: MAC
Chili and Devoted to Chili are basically the same shade, just different formulations. Both are advertised as “warm, brick reds,” but Chili comes as a traditional lipstick and Devoted to Chili comes as a liquid lipstick with a matte, mousse-like texture, so it’s not drying like the more traditional liquid lippies are.
Shop Chili at MAC | Shop Chili at Ulta
Shop Devoted to Chili at MAC | Shop Devoted to Chili at Ulta
Devoted to Chili (right) by MAC
Since the shades are so similar, you could definitely choose one or the other based on your formulation preference. Or, you could be like me and get both, even though you low-key know it’s somewhat unnecessary but WHAT IF the slight variations in the undertones look better on you on different days and with different outfits and WHAT IF you’re randomly feeling a liquid lipstick tomorrow and…
Shade: Flesh3
Made by: Pat McGrath Labs
Listen…Flesh3 is a darkkkk brown-red. By itself, it’s a little too “vampy” for me, which is I like to mix this it with Patrick Ta’s Silky Lip Créme in shade She’s Independent. (Side note – The websites call this lip créme a pink-beige, but it’s literally brown. Trust me.)
Flesh3 + She’s Independent by Patrick Ta (right)
ANYWAY – this helps to tone down the vampy-ness of Flesh3, making it a little less gothic and a little more soft. Make no mistake, it’s still intense. I keep the rest of my makeup pretty plain and let this pop, because there’s a fine line between looking bold and looking like Marilyn Manson.
But make no mistake – I DO love this combo. In fact, I wore it when I did this photoshoot on the Brooklyn Bridge back in 2022 because it photographs really well.
Reds with Blue Undertones
Best For: Cool Skin Tones
Shade: Ruby Woo
Made by: MAC
Ruby Woo is one of the OG shades that MAC will probably never get rid of. It is a blue-red that stands the test of time. I bought it years ago, before I realized that I look awful in most blue-reds. This is usually the shade I think of when I think “true Hollywood red.”
Nowadays, Ruby Woo comes in multiple formulations: silky matte lipstick, retro matte lipstick, and even a lipglass. Click the respective links to shop your favorite formulation, or shop Ruby Woo at Ulta.
Shade: Uncensored
Made by: Fenty Beauty
For a long time, Uncensored was my go-to red if I wanted a lip stain. It comes in a liquid lipstick and has blue undertones, but I felt like it wasn’t so cool-toned that it looked bad on me.
Shop Uncensored at Sephora | Shop Uncensored at Ulta
I don’t wear this one as much anymore, just because I try to steer myself towards warmer reds, but I recommend it to cool-toned people if they want a liquid lipstick because I always liked the formulation. It’s more drying than the MAC Devoted to Chili formulation that I mentioned earlier, but I remember it not feeling as bad on my lips as some of the other liquid formulations that I’ve tried.
Another perk: The applicator is angled, so I was able to “line” my lips with it before applying the entire lip stain.
- Pro Tip: IMO, the one drawback to almost all traditional liquid lipsticks is they tend to be drying. Make sure you have some chapstick handy!
Reds with Orange Undertones
Best For: Warm Skin Tones
Shade: Renegade
Made by: MAC
One of my favorite things about Renegade is the formulation. It’s part of MAC’s Locked Kiss 24HR Lipstick line, and it does a fabulous job at not budging. If you know me, you know I am always eating, and I really felt like this lipstick did a great job of staying on my lips and not getting all over my face. Plus, I don’t feel like it’s drying, the way a lot of long-lasting lipsticks can be.
Shop Renegade from MAC | Shop Renegade from Ulta
This shade is very bright, and may be too intense for some people. But if you can pull off a loud, orangey-red, then Renegade is your girl. I love wearing this with an all-black outfit and letting the color really pop.
Shade: Fame Flame
Made by: Charlotte Tilbury
Every time I see a Charlotte Tilbury display, I have to stop myself from buying every color. They all just look so beautiful, but this red shade is one of my favorites. Although I’d consider it an orange-red, it’s not as bright as Renegade that I listed up above. In fact, I’d say it’s almost like an orange-y red version of Chili from MAC. Charlotte Tilbury even describes it as a “hot-chili red,” so I guess my judgement isn’t too far off!
This shade is a moisturizing, matte red. IMO, it doesn’t stay on as long as some of the longer lasting lipsticks do, but I do love the color and how it isn’t drying.
Shop Fame Flame at Sephora | Shop Fame Flame at Ulta
Reds with Neutral Undertones
Shade: American Doll
Made by: Anastasia Beverly Hills (ABH)
Is it just me, or are TRUE neutral reds hard to find? Out of all the shades I list in this post, I feel like American Doll is the one with the most neutral undertones.
Earlier, I mentioned how Ruby Woo reminds me of a true Hollywood red, but IMO, American Doll is the Hollywood red for everyone else who can’t pull off blue-reds. In other words, this is my go-to when I want that “Marilyn Monroe” red lip look. It’s one of my favorite reds I own because the neutral undertones make it so versatile in what you can pair it with.
Shop American Doll at Sephora | Shop American Doll at Ulta
Shade: Gutsy
Made by: MAC
Along with Renegade, Gutsy is also a part of MAC’s Locked Kiss 24HR Lipstick line. I first discovered this lipstick in Germany last Christmas, when I realized I needed a bright red lipstick to match my bright red beanie. It’s the color coordination for me. By now, we know I am a MAC stan, so I headed into the nearest store and the sales associate immediately directed me to this color.
Shop Gutsy from MAC | Shop Gutsy from Ulta
Gutsy was also my go-to shade when I needed a red lipstick for a Nashville photoshoot. I wanted something that would: 1. stay on, 2. coordinate with my red top, and 3. work with my skin tone. Gutsy turned out to be perfect!
As you can see in the 2 photos below, Gutsy has pretty neutral undertones, meaning a lot of people can pull off this shade. MAC calls it a “tomato red,” if that gives you any more clarity!
Honorable Mention: Red Gloss
Shade: Hot Cherry Heat
Made by: Fenty Beauty
For those of you who are intimidated by a full-throttle red lip or maybe just want something less intense, I wanted to mention a red gloss that I love. Red is fun, festive, and a power color, but it can also be an intimidating color to wear, especially on the lips.
Enter: Fenty Beauty. I feel like a good red gloss is hard to find, but leave it to Rihanna to do it and do it well. This one adds the perfect amount of color without being too sheer. Plus, the HEAT means it’s a plumping gloss, so expect everyone to want to kiss you under the mistletoe!
Shop Hot Cherry Heat at Sephora | Shop Hot Cherry Heat at Ulta
- Pro Tip: I didn’t include a swatch with this one because I didn’t feel like putting the gloss on my hand did the color any justice. But by now you trust me, right??
