I Never Liked Red Lipstick Until I Tried These 3 Shades From Guerlain

Although I've been doing my makeup for years, there are a few things I feel like I've never been able to master. The first is definitely winged eyeliner — I have downturned eyes, so applying liner on my upper lash line feels nearly impossible — and the second is red lipstick. Although I love the look of bold lip colors on other people, I've always shied away from them because I didn't love the look on me. So, I was hesitant to try the new red lipstick shades from Guerlain until I saw how beautiful the shades were. Now that I've given them a chance, I'm so happy I did.

Guerlain worked with the brand's creative director, makeup artist Violette Serrat, to pull three red colors from the archive (Rouge du Tigre, Rouge Impérial, and Roi des Rouges) and revive them in two finishes: satin and velvet. The shades are all bright, bold, and strikingly beautiful. They arrived at my house just before New Year's Eve, which presented the perfect opportunity to test them out. Although my boyfriend and I decided to stay in for the holiday, we still opted to get dressed up and drink Champagne while watching the ball drop on TV.

First of all, let me say this: applying red lipstick is hard. I typically stick to colors that are close to my natural lip color, so I never realized that getting your lipstick to look perfect was such a process. However, once I was finally able to get my lipstick in place (sometimes it helps to line the shape of your lips first), Guerlain's formula stayed put without the need for tons of touch-ups throughout the day. The formula was creamy and went on smooth, and I had absolutely no issues with smearing or streaks.

The red-lipped look was different from anything I've done before, and not to sound self-obsessed, but I honestly couldn't stop staring at myself in the mirror. I sorely underestimated how much a red lip can instantly change your mood from boring to sexy. I'm not sure if this experience makes me an everyday-red-lipstick convert just yet, but I'll definitely be reaching for these on special occasions. Keep reading to get a better look at the shades and shop them for yourself.