This post has been requested on many occasions over the past couple of years and finally I’ve got round to it. It’s a top 10 of my favourite lipsticks. All of these photos come from the past year, and I figure if I haven’t worn a colour within the past year, there’s a reason the shade or formula has fallen out of rotation.
So, in no particular order, here are my favourite 10…
NYX Cherry Skies (liquid) – Every time I wear this, I get compliments and people asking me where it’s from. It’s just the most delicious, dark, opaque matte bloody cherry-red. It always makes me feel great and put-together.
Sephora Always Red (liquid) – This is an incredible formula. Totally opaque and a vibrant, almost cartoonish red. I know a lot of people this looks good on, and I struggle to wear reds, or rather I struggle to find reds that make me feel good, and this is definitely one of them.
Illamasqua Moth (solid) – This is a funny wildcard shade. It’s similar to MAC Antique Velvet which I also adore, and before I tried it I would never have thought that such a cold, dark brown would look good on me. I really like wearing it with warm gold tones in my highlight and eye makeup.
Urban Decay 714 (both) – my wonderful friend Anne gave me this lipstick when I visited LA and I honestly can’t thank her enough I like this because it’s also available as a liquid, which, as we all know, is my favourite formula, but it’s good to switch it up with the regular lipstick which I would probably not have bought, as I’d have gone straight for liquid! It’s less in-your-face than Sephora Always Red, and feels authentically red but wearable.
Charlotte Tilbury The Queen (solid) – I like to overlook the slightly fash name and pretend it means general queens rather than the specific queen. This shade is a beautiful, rich, vibrant pink in a really luminous matte. It’s not dry, it’s totally wearable, and the ridged gold tube is totally decadent.
Stila in Bacca (liquid) – I asked a sales assistant in Sephora in New York last year what her lipstick was and a love affair with Bacca was born. It’s a deep winey-purple, super matte liquid and I just feel like it suits my colouring really well.
Stila Patina (liquid) – after being so impressed with Bacca, I branched out to Patina, which is a super dusky pinky-brown. Again, it’s very matte and long-wearing, and it’s a great shade to focus attention on my eyes while giving my lips some colour that’s better than their natural shade.
Hourglass Empress (liquid) – I’m wild about Hourglass’ face products but had never tried their colour cosmetics until I went to buy something else and tried this liquid lipstick. The colour, a really chic, grown-up mauve, is just stunning and totally wearable, and it’s completely opaque but not drying. The applicator is a useful shape and I love the packaging design- the flattened bottle feels super luxurious.
Kat Von D Double Dare (liquid) – If I could only wear one lipstick for the rest of my life, it would be Double Dare. Although, I got a backup tube for when I run out and I just feel like the colour isn’t as perfect, so I’m not sure if they’ve reformulated it (which they did with Lolita, even before bringing out Lolita II, so it’s a possibility). I just feel like it suits me so perfectly and brings out everything nice about my face in one swipe.
Nars Fearless Red (solid) – This dark, bloody red comes in a skinny tube and goes on super smoothly, never dry, and lasts really well. I bought this lipstick when I signed with my agent (I like symbolically marking victories) and I just couldn’t resist the name, so it helped that the colour was so perfect. It’s understated, but definitely red. I find it less statement-making but totally beautiful than a brighter red, and I adore it.
I want to hear your favourite lipsticks! Tweet me at @bethanyrutter, I definitely want to hear about it! Also, I’m extremely up for writing more stuff about beauty, so if there are things you want to read, just drop me a tweet or an email.