Rocking a red lip is one of the most fun things a gal can do with her makeup repertoire. If you’ve been scared to do it because you tried it in the past and looked like a clown, you may just need to find out which red lipstick shade is right for you. Also remember to take it easy on the eyes and blush when you’re wearing a red lip (unless you’re doing on-camera or on-stage makeup – that’s a whole ‘nother thing). Here are my top 10 favorite cruelty free red lipsticks (in no particular order)! 1. Illamsqua Howl – My most recent find! I bought it at Sephora and wore it to my trip to LA Love & Leashes, which I’ll tell you more about later. I’m wearing it in the pic above. You probably can’t look away from the cute puppy’s face, so I understand if your eyes never make it to the lipstick! 🙂 You can also watch my silly little Illamsqua Howl video on Instagram. Sephora calls is a matte terra cotta – it’s definitely on the warmer, tomato-ish red side. It wears well, but does dry out the lips a little bit (not crazy dry like the long wear types). 2. Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar in NSFW – A true balanced red. You only need to dot a TINY bit on your lips with your finger or a lip brush. Then smooth it out to the edges. You will be surprised at how long it lasts (possibly all day) and it doesn’t make your lips dry and flakey like most long wears do.

3. Milani Color Statement Lipstick – Milani has several reds to choose from. They are inexpensive and you can even pick a couple up to try different red shades. I find that most tend towards the blue-red, cherry-red, more cool skin tone family (although they do have some lovely orange lipstick shades that work better on me). See my review of the reds and oranges here. My favorite is Ruby Valentine. They are very moisturizing and not terribly long wearing, which is fine by me when I have chapped lip issues. Plus, you got to take that stuff off if you’re planning on kissing someone for Valentine’s Day! 🙂

4. “Venetian Red” by Senna Cosmetics – one of my favorite warm reds! Sorry for the crappy cell phone pics. If you want to see better photos click here.

5. “Boss Lady” by Lippy Girl – a sheer, warm, moisturizing red (looks almost coral/orange on me because of my yellow undertones) – and its vegan too! The sheerness of this lipstick makes it a good choice for red lip newbies. It’s less scary! 🙂

6. “Margi” by Jane Iredale – a true red that looks a little blue on me (I have yellow undertones). 7. Marvelous Moxie ” Live It Up” by bareMinerals – A bright, cherry red. Creamy, super-saturated, ultra-pigmented color. 8. “Bold” by Vapour Organic Beauty – a classic red with blue/cool undertones 9. “Radiate” by Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics – A bright “electric” coral red. Again, you only need to dot a TINY bit on your lips with your finger or a lip brush. Then smooth it out to the edges. 10. Hourglass Cosmetics Opaque Liquid Lipstick in “Icon” – A true red with tons of pigment and staying power! See it on Karen from Makeup and Beauty Blog here. What are your favorite red lippies? Let me know in the comments below. And check out the other beauty blogger faves by clicking on the icons below. Happy Valentine’s Day!



