All About Reds

If you spend some time in the cosmetics community, you will hear this drumbeat of "Everyone has a red."

It's true. Everyone does have a red!

But for lipstick fanatics, we don't have just one red. We have several. I went through my collection and compiled my favorite reds of all time.

Nyx Matte Lip Cream in Monte Carlo is one of the best drug store lipsticks I've ever used. It's pigmentation is off the chart, it feels weightless on the lips, and the color itself is close to perfection.

Monte Carlo combined with a neutral eye and pale pink blush.

And then there's Nyx Round Lipstick in Bloody Mary.
I love how Bloody Mary kicks up this neutral look it still looks classy without going overboard.

Nyx Round Lipstick in Bloody Mary

I believe this is the part of my lip swatching fun that was starting to take a toll on my lips; you can see some of the dryness catching in this next lipstick (not cute, but, I'm just keeping it real). This Hourglass lipstick has a very similar application to Nyx's Monte Carlo.

Hourglass Opaque Rouge in Icon

And here we have my all time, number one favorite red lipstick ever created. Stila's Stay all Day Liquid Lipsticks are smudge-proof, longwearing lipsticks that dry down to a magnificent matte finish without accentuating dryness. They're also seriously pigmented so only a little drop of this stuff is enough to cover your lips. I do need to use a lip brush with this one, though, because the formula is a bit unforgiving in that it leaves one heck of a stain.

Stila Stay all Day in Beso: Instantly classy.

Beso is one of those lipstick colors that you just can't go wrong with. It's a perfect red for any kind of outfit or occasion. Okay, maybe not any. I'm sure there are occasions where you don't want to wear a bright red lip. But not many!

This next one is a near-dupe for Stila's Beso, but it's pinkier and the formula has a tendency to be a bit more problematic than the Stila's Stay all Day. Sephora's Cream Stain in 03 Strawberry Kissed is really a gorgeous lip stain, but it's not without its problems. It has a tendency to accentuate dryness and the formula is a bit unforgiving if you make a mistake and need to reapply: The formula balls up and makes it difficult to spread.

Sephora Cream Stain in 03 Strawberry Kissed

It's a lovely color, and I still reach for it quite often. If you're careful and just use barely enough to coat your lips, you will get fantastic results.

And here we have the last lipstick in my favorite red lip collection.

Adora is one of those shades that is incredibly unique--you likely won't come across another red like this. It's a metallic cherry red that gives off a subtle gold duochrome. This is a fantastic red that I reach for whenever I want to kick up my makeup a notch.

Kat Von D Foiled Love in Adora