The Red Lip

There ain't nothin quite like a classic red lip, eh? I've been having quite a moment with Mad Men recently, and with the final season premiering last night, I decided to pay a little homage to the wonderfully done makeup on the show. I was especially loving the first couple seasons of the show, when the makeup was very early '60s - matte skin, a dramatic cat-eye, and of course, a red lip.

When seeing the women on the show with their perfectly done pouts (I'm looking at you, Betty), I was reminded of how beautiful a good red lip can be. It's timeless, elegant, and holds up at almost a completely different class to any other color, in my opinion. And as I'm a red lip lover myself, I decided to round up a three of my current favorite red lipsticks - pros and cons included.

NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella - If you're looking for a true red lip, look no further than at this beautiful colored pencil. The formula of these are spot on, it doesn't budge for hours, and the texture is just as the name suggests - velvety. The con: application isn't exactly a breeze, especially if you've got quite the jittery hand on application. The way I go about applying it is first carefully lining my lips and then filling it in.

MAC Ruby Woo - One of my favorite MAC lipsticks of all time, this one's a little more bright and orange toned than the NARS, I think this is a great, fun alternative to a classic red. I also love the matte texture, as it is long-lasted and highly pigmented. The con: This tends to dry my lips out a bit, but I find that when I apply a thin layer of lip balm underneath, I like the way it feels a lot more.

Loreal Colour Riche Caresse Aqua Lacquer Lip Stain in Endless Red - Okay is that the longest product name ever? These are close to the YSL lipstains, except I actually like these ones more. They go on the most unique texture - liquidy and glossy, but not sticky. Then, it dries to more of a stain and leaves one sexy color on my lips. I like to wear this one during the day, as it tends to fade away into a more wearable red lip. The con: honestly, I can't think of anything I don't like about this product. Now that I say that, I need to grab some more colors... a coral lip is on my list.