Mission 3: Red Lipstick
The Ultimate Hunt for My Daily Red: A Lipstick Journey
If you resolve to exude confidence, power and femininity in 2024 then this is the mission for you and that’s because in this mission we will explore the color red and not in our closet at least not just yet but on the lips. To be perfectly honest I completed the mission of “finding a red lipstick” last year before I officially started this project so I already own some of the most loved and recommended red lipsticks on they market.
But sometimes inspiration unexpectedly hits and it can cause you to revisit a decision you already made. The inspiration for this mission hit while I was watching a show called Gen V on Amazon Prime and I noticed the main character Marie Moreau, a teenager with the power to manipulate blood, always wore a red lip. But it wasn’t the nighttime red lip colors that caught my attention. It was her daytime red lip colors. The subtle red lip colors she wore were just pretty and surprisingly natural looking. They brought a brightness to her complexion without going overboard. That was it! I was sold! I wanted to find my “everyday red lipstick”.
So First Let’s Breakdown What I Have
My first go at finding a red lip leaned a lot more towards something glamorous. Think textures and shades of red that are perfect for holidays, special occasions, date nights, matte lips perfectly applied with a lip brush for a perfect crisp edge.
After a bit of research online I settled on these iconic red lippies:
Maybelline Super Stay Vinyl Ink Lipstick in Unrivaled, Royal and Wicked
The Lip Bar Non Stop Liquid Matte in Bawse Lady
MAC Cosmetics Retro Matte in Ruby Woo
Although all these colors are beautiful I remember after trying them I thought great I’m covered for Christmas, Valentine’s Day and nights out on the town and I tucked them away in my train case that holds all the makeup I don’t use everyday. What’s troubling is that I have yet to wear any of those lipsticks.
What Should My Everyday Red Lip Color Look Like
Now back to my revelation about finding an everyday red.
In order to stay focused in my search for my “everyday red” I had to compile a list of requirements. These are the qualities I think the perfect everyday lipstick should have.
It must be:
Easy to wear
Moisturizing
Comfortable on the lips
Lightweight
Not emphasize the lines on my lips
I prefer:
To not need a brown liner to pull it off
Have a satin or shiny finish but not glossy
But First, A Run Down of What I Bought & My Thoughts
MAC Cosmetics Powder Kiss Velvet Blur Slim Stick Lipstick
The Powder Kiss Velvet Blur Slim Stick is a newer iteration of the Powder Kiss formula and has all the same claims but also hydrates lips upon application and continually provides 12 hours of non-bleeding, non-feathering, non-creasing wear. I grabbed the shades Nice Spice, a red with pink undertones and Love Clove, a deep red with warm undertones.
Nice Spice is a red with soft pink undertones. I added a brown lip liner even though I can easily wear it without one since this formula has enough coverage to cover any lip pigmentation. If you love pink lip colors this shade will ease you into the red family. Due to the pink undertone I can see myself wearing this in spring, that’s when I like to pull out my pink lip products.
The Powder Kiss Velvet Blur in the Slim stick is the Powder kiss formula I believe delivers on all the claims. It’s creamy, velvety, light as air with full coverage. The first coat covers the lips without falling into the lines however if you go in with a second coat it will accentuate your lip lines. But to its credit it does have this beautiful blurring effect. The super slim tube is great and it’s easy to apply without needing to be perfect. I tried to resist Love Clove because it didn’t really fit the mission of everyday red due to the depth of the color but I couldn’t help myself. It looked so good in the virtual try-on that I had to get it. If you love vampy, deep purples, browns or even black lip colors? Then you’ll like this one. This one gives you depth but the warmth stops it from looking goth or ghoulish. This may not be a exactly what I was looking for but I really like it. It’s a keeper!
MAC Cosmetics Powder Kiss Lipstick
I was drawn to the Powder Kiss Lipstick as a formula to try because MAC describes it as weightless yet buildable, hydrating, blurring and smoothing to lips. The fact that this formula is designed to create this hazy lived in effect upon application was very appealing as well. I decided to the shade Devoted to Chili because it’s a nice warm brick red.
The Powder Kiss formula is weightless and buildable but I don’t find it hydrating. I would call more moisturizing. The texture is creamy, blurring and gives you that worn-in I’ve had this on for hours finish immediately after application. And that is what that makes the application look effortless, easy to wear and more like an everyday red. I can’t say that I found the claim that it does not accentuate lip lines to be true. After wearing it for a few minutes I found that the color did bleed into the lines in my lips. The shade Devoted to Chili is more on the bright side of brick red. In some lighting it can lean a little on the orangey side. And because of that I felt I needed a brown lip liner to tone down the starkness of the color. Although I don’t hate it the fact that it accentuated the lines in my lips is a bit of a problem so for that reason it doesn’t quite meet my criteria for my everyday red.
MAC Cosmetics LustreGlass Sheer Shine Lipstick
I was instantly drawn to the LusterGlass Sheer Shine Lipstick because MAC describes this formula as having sheer coverage with a shiny high gloss finish that is comfortable, weightless, moisturizing, buildable and makes your lips look healthy and full. It’s also long wearing with 6 hours of shine and 8 hours of color. This is the most promising of the lipstick formulas and that’s why I bought three lip colors from this collection. PDA a brick red, Business Casual a warm nude red and Spice It Up a berry brown.
Upon application the MAC LustreGlass Sheer Shine lipsticks are creamy and balmy and lightweight. It hugs your lips with sheer coverage that is buildable but it feels less lightweight when you build it up. The shade Business Casual is described as a warm red nude and I think that’s a reasonably accurate description. The shade does give the face a nice lift and the sheerness of the formula ensures all these shades are not overwhelming. I think this one will be flattering to a lot of skin tones due to the warmth. If you like nude lipstick but don’t care for the slippery feel of lip gloss and new to wearing red you may want to try it. I like it, but due to the sheerness I have to wear a brown lip liner with it. PDA is a brickyard red and the amount of red in this one is a step above Business Casual. It’s just pretty with some nice depth but not too much to the point where it feels like an after dark shade. And finally, Spice It Up is a brown berry. This is the only one of the three LustreGlass lipsticks I bought I feel I can wear sans lip liner. The brownish berry undertones makes it a wearable red that has punch without looking like too much. They are all winners.
Merit Signature Lightweight Lipstick
The Merit Signature Lightweight Lipsticks caught my eye immediately when they launched in 2022. Actually when I decided to take on this mission this was first lipstick I went out and bought. Merit claims these lipsticks to be hydrating, buildable, with a satin finish and of course lightweight. Back when they launched I would have copped a nude shade but this time I got Tiger which is described as a brick red.
Merit Beauty Signature Lipstick in Tiger is a little balmy, creamy and is all that Merit claims. It’s soft, pretty and looks very natural. If you are really shy about wearing red and want to dip your toes in the shallow end of the pool this is the formula and color that makes it doable for those who like no makeup, makeup looks. This is is definitely everyday red approved.
MAC Cosmetics Cremesheen Lipstick
The Cremesheen Lipstick is yet another texture I thought was perfect since it’s described as creamy, balmy, comforting, hydrating, medium buildable coverage with a semi-gloss finish. I got the shade Dare You which is described as a deep brown red.
Dare You’s deep brown red is daring. It’s deep without leaning into vampy. Upon application I noticed that it takes a little bit of effort to apply on the lips. It’s not as creamy as I would expect a product that has crème in the name to be but it is smooth. The coverage is medium I could still see my natural lip color with one layer. It builds upon itself easily and I obtained full opacity with two layers. It has a nice sheen to it not glossy and is hydrating on the lips. I wouldn’t say it’s balmy. It’s stiffer than that. The color is definitely deep but I don’t detect that brown in it all. It didn’t last through a meal and some of it even ended up on my chin. I would say it is the most daytime appropriate red since it has punch much like a traditional festive red. If you want an alternative red to the traditional reds this might be your color. So if you want a rich red lip color that with some shine and doesn’t feel festive but makes a statement you will like this but I would suggest carrying it with you for a night out since it does not have longevity it claims.
Since Money is Important Let’s Count the Damage
What did I spend on this mission? Let’s add it up..
1 Signature Lipstick in Tiger from for $26.00
2 Powder Kiss Slim Stick lipsticks on sale for $19.60, originally $28.00
1 Original Powder Kiss lipstick was free with my order, originally $26.00
1 Cremesheen lipstick was on sale for $16.10, originally $23.00
3 LustreGlass Sheer Shine lipsticks on sale for $16.20, originally $26.00 but I got mine My total including tax was $117.59. I was fortunate I caught MAC Cosmetics in the post Thanksgiving sale and I also used Rakuten to get an additional discount and some cash back.
So to wrap all this up. I never in a million years thought I would be wearing an array of red lips on a daily basis. But this mission was fun and enlightening. I am pleased with my selections some a little more than others but I have worn them all and can see myself wearing them in the future. Now I consider the Search to Find an Everyday Red MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!
How do feel about red lipstick? Is it too much? If not sound off and share your favorite red.