10 Perfect Red Lipsticks + 10 Runway-Approved Ways to Wear Them

Red lips are a perennial classic and we mean perennial — the earliest cosmetic cases date back to Ancient Sumer, circa 3,500 B.C. Back then, social mores dictated who could and couldn’t wear (red) lipstick, which was made from such questionable ingredients as sheep sweat and crocodile excrement in Ancient Greece. (In Ancient Rome, formulas were even shadier: lip dye typically contained a potentially deadly amount of toxins. Yum.)

These days, we’re free to flaunt our red lipstick without fear of poison — though it’s always a good idea to check those ingredient labels — or prosecution. Now, our list of lipstick concerns is fairly basic: Will this shade flatter my skin tone? Will the color fade? Will it end up on my teeth? Will it magnify any telltale crust on my lips? We’re also obsessed with keeping our red lip looks current. (While red lipstick is far too enduring to be considered a “trend,” the way people choose to wear it certainly is.)

That’s where the runways come in. For Spring 2018, models at Chanel, Helmut Lang, Max Mara, Sonia Rykiel and more sported cool (not to be confused with cool-toned), modern takes on the classic red lip. Learn all about them in the slideshow below, internalize them, rock them at all your upcoming holiday parties. Hint: this season, it’s all about blurred edges, high-shine finishes, ombré fades and wearing virtually no other makeup.

Being the bonafide shopping addicts that we are, we’ve also included 10 of our current/all-time favorite red lipsticks, all of them high-quality/low maintenance.

[ Next: The Very Best Lip Balms to Get You Through Winter, According to Happy, Hydrated Reviewers ]


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