The Red Lipstick Hall of Fame: Part I

I know for a fact that I am not the only woman who has long wandered the vast desert of red lipsticks, searching for "the one" - the one that isn't too orange, isn't too blue, isn't too pink, the one that looks glamorous enough for a night out on the town with a date or for a special party but could also be worn straight out the door for no other reason than it just makes you look great.

I also know that I am not the only woman who has bought, sometimes at ridiculous prices, the red lipstick that, in the store, appeared to be "the one," only to come home and find out that I was dreadfully, horribly wrong. I know now (as should you) that most department stores will take back these bad decisions - even if used - particularly if you are willing to exchange it for something else. The best advice for anyone searching for a red lipstick is to do it during the day, try one on and then step outside and look at yourself in natural light. SMILE. If you like what you see, you're in business. That said, several years of research has led me to develop what I will affectionately refer to, going forward, as The Red Lipstick Hall of Fame.

My current favorite, which has sent all the other reds rattling around in my makeup bag to the Makeup Purgatory of my bathroom drawer, is Giorgio Armani Rouge d'Armani #400. It's a true red with just enough blue, just enough pink and no orange whatsoever. The texture is a dream and it lasts, while maybe not the advertised six hours, longer than most products with this texture. Availability on this is pretty good now, although when it came out a few months ago I was waitlisted along with a lot of other people. It should be available on their website, if not at your nearest department store.

If this red doesn't strike your fancy, runners up that I've tested, purchased and used during the past couple of years that are also worth mentioning are:

• Chanel's New York Red, a gorgeous color although its texture is a bit on the dry side. I used this faithfully, day and night, until Armani #400 came out. Also by Chanel is Rouge Allure Lacque #75 in Dragon, a notable exception to my no-lip-gloss rule. The color is divine, and you can glob it on if you are a fan of the I-just-ate-some-greasy-fries look, or you can blot it so it comes up more as a stain (my personal preference). 
• Nars Red Lizard is quite cherry and quite matte...a lovely, lovely color all the way around though some may find it a bit dry.
• At the drugstore, you can find Max Factor's #44, an inexpensive alternative and quite a nice red with a good texture. Revlon's In the Red, also available at drugstores, and Mattese's Approachable, available at Ricky's, are both brick reds that I would highly recommend. In fact, I mentioned Approachable on Facebook the day I found it, and at least three friends are still using it!
• If you have a darker complexion, you can skip all of the above advice and go straight to MAC's Ruby Woo. I have long wished I could wear this color, but alas it looks terrible on me, as I am fair-skinned and light-eyed; however, on darker complexions this shade is a knockout. I have literally stopped Asian and African-American women on the street or in stores and asked them what lipstick they are wearing, and in many cases this has been the answer. 

While we're on the topic of MAC, you may be wondering why more of them are not in my Hall of Fame. Much has been written about MAC's reds (Russian Red, MAC Red, Brave Red, etc.). Women everywhere, Madonna and Gwen Stefani included, have sung the praises of Russian Red in particular. If it works for you, that's great, I've just never found that they've worked for my complexion or coloring.  

Let me know what your votes are for your personal Red Lipstick Halls of Fame, and in the meantime, I hope you're wearing them during the day! Red lips are not just for evening...they are for any strong, sexy, confident woman, and if you think you are none of these things, I swear, red lips will turn you into one!