red lip classic thing that you like
mulling over the power of a bold red lipstick
If Taylor Swift has taught us anything, it’s that a red lip is a classic thing that you like. Having a signature style element, like a classic red lip, is not only high impact, but also highly satisfying and empowering.
Taylor’s signature? She wears her red lip everywhere—on any stage, in the streets, at football games, and for red carpet looks. It’s so signature that when her makeup artist finally showed her hand and shared with the public the exact shade and brand (Pat McGrath’s Elson 4), the internet went feral. You still can’t find it anywhere because it sells out as soon as stock is refreshed.
Not every signature style element is makeup related, though. Take Diane Keaton. Her hats, turtlenecks, and baubles give her a perfectly chic layered look, and she’s maintained and evolved this signature style element for decades. Recently, I was reminded why her entire wardrobe for The Family Stone goes on my vision board every year. Say a friend tells you she wants to go for a “Diane Keaton” look for a dinner date—you know exactly what to expect. A chic version of your friend will be strutting all night, looking impossibly chic, even if she’s a little toasty in all those layers.
Signature style elements, whether they’re a perfect bold red lip or an effortlessly chic layered look, can feel transformative. Having a cohesive, reliable, and time-tested thing to incorporate into a look is comforting. That’s not to say having a signature style element prevents you from stepping outside your comfort zone. In a way, having a consistent element as a through line (invisible string?) anchors your style in a way that allows its evolution to reach higher heights.
Twiggy’s bold eye makeup looks and Audrey Hepburn’s sleek ballerina-esque silhouettes were consistent over the course of many years, but that consistency elevated their style thesis. Adding a red lip, for me, can even help me when I’m trying a new trend or experimenting—like, yes, I may be wearing a wide leg jean/boxy cashmere sweater combo that my little skinny-jean-raised-Millennial heart shies away from, but I’m wearing a red lip with the ‘fit, so I’ll be okay.
In other words, a signature style element is an essential part of the style equation. And, to me, despite societal dismissal of fashion as frivolous, the style equation is a very important equation. When we think about style, the surface level is expression, i.e., what we’re drawn to—“I like this style of skirt because it accentuates my legs” or “this lip color looks good on my olive skin tone.” On a deeper level, style elements can signal power, political beliefs, coming of age, freedom…the list goes on.
Stating the obvious: style is a “statement” in every sense of the word. Did you know that Elizabeth Arden was rumored to have handed out red lipstick to suffragettes during a 1912 march? I love this myth so much. Also, think about a drag queen’s or experimental theater performer’s subversive use of makeup to perform and story tell. Hell, even an emo teen finding their way through adolescence with the very best drug store black eyeliner says something about power and play and self-actualization. I’m pretty sure every Millennial woman’s pinterest board has at least one mid-2010s pin with the quote (allegedly said by Marilyn Monroe?): “put on some red lipstick and live a little.” It’s become trite and “basic” but it still strikes a chord.
All this is to say, I’m a red lipstick fan. I feel compelled to convince you to find and wear with some sort of regularity your perfect go-to red lipstick, because (and I’m not exaggerating) a red lip can change everything.
A red lip is versatile. I wear it with a white tee shirt and a neckerchief. I wear it to formal weddings. I wear it to work with a cashmere sweater. I wear in the dead of winter and height of summer. I wear it when I’m home here in Seattle, when I’m visiting family in Texas, when I’m abroad in Japan.
A red lip pulls an outfit together. A red lip signals confidence. A red lip completes a makeup look. A red lip is memorable, but if worn every day doesn’t become stale or over done. A red lip is a classic thing we all like. A red lip is sass. A red lip is boldness. A red lip is power.
A red lip can be part of a mask—I wear it some days when I feel down and need to literally tease out a smile. A red lip can be disarming—I used to wear it in my former life as a lawyer in private practice. As a 5’11 woman, I thought a 3” heel, a pencil skirt, and a red lip would be disarming. I was right sometimes, and when I wasn’t, I still looked chic. A red lip can be empowering—when I feel impertinent and brazen, I wear an impertinent and brazen red lip.
A red lip means you leave a mark where you go—the lip of your coffee cup, the straw of your diet coke, a cheeky kiss on a handwritten note, your dog’s white fur when you kiss him on the head, your significant other’s cheek. Beso, bijou, kiss kiss. You were there.
I’ve long said that if I hear someone say they can’t wear red lipstick it’s because they haven’t found the right shade. One of the ten commandments of my spiritual style doctrine is THERE IS A PERFECT RED LIP SHADE FOR EVERYBODY. For me? I have olive overtones and rosy pink undertones, which means a red-orange lip for me. And, because I love you and we don’t gate keep here, I’ll share with you some specific recs for my fellow red-orange lipstick lovers, as well as a few cool-tone shades. But, really the most important question is: have I convinced you yet?
I hope I have. I hope you are reading this and thinking to yourself, I am going to lean into my power and wear _____. Even if the answer is not a red lip, it’s something signature to you.
My favorite red lipsticks (in no particular order):
Bite Beauty’s Amuse Bouche Maple (RIP Bite Beauty)
L’Oreal’s Color Riche collection in Eva’s Red (my very first true red lipstick love; discontinued color)
My favorite red lipsticks I shouldn’t wear because they aren’t exactly the right tone for me but I love anyway, so I recommend them to anyone needing a more neutral or cool-tone red:
MAC’s Ruby Woo (you might remember my obsession with this color from this piece I wrote last year)
Pat McGrath’s LiquidLust in Elson 4 (literally what Taylor wears and is always sold out, but the MOST PERFECT shade of cool red IMO)
Charlotte Tilbury’s Matte Revolution in Hollywood Vixen, Pizzazz, or Cinematic Red
Beauty YouTuber Kackie created this excellent video on how to find the perfect red lip based on your specific coloring (if one hasn't done/cannot afford color analysis). It works, I tried!
https://youtu.be/TwO8yzSs1lk?si=bPxVYQtYBP8ry2dp
Very timely. :)