What can I say, other than you can stop searching, I have found the perfect red lipstick that can actually also be called a lip stain 🙌🏻 It’s Poutsicle from Fenty Beauty by Rihanna 💄It just arrived today and it took all of about 15 seconds to know I discovered a makeup product that was perfectly suited to me; my aesthetic, personality, style, and coloring. The only other red shade of lipstick that comes close to this one for me is Tatcha’s Holiday Edition Lip Mask in Red Camellia, which I still love and will ABSOLUTELY purchase again this Holiday Season, in fact, multiple purchases of it, like enough to last throughout the next year.

The challenge for most women when looking for the perfect shade of lipstick in red is that there are so many shades, tones, and hues, and it is notoriously difficult to figure out how to determine which is the right one for you. You know what i’m talking about, are you a Summer, Spring, Winter, or Fall, question. I go back and forth so much on this; one minute I think i’m a Winter, the next i’m sure i’m a Summer. Ultimately, I end up just applying makeup on my face and making a decision on the spot as to whether it’s the right color for me, especially when i’m looking for lipstick colors.

Finding the perfect red lipstick is akin to finding the perfect little black dress, in fact, that combination is gorgeous. You can’t beat the perfect LBD with the perfect red lips, it’s timeless. And, did you know, women have a longstanding love affair with berry, or cherry, red lips? The story goes the first known red lipsticks were made by crushing gemstones and wearing them on the lips in Mesopotamia over 5,000 years ago. Let me say that again, OVER 5,000 years ago!!!!

Why Is Red Lipstick So Popular

"There is a shade of red for every woman." - Audrey Hepburn

That kind of says it all, doesn’t it? But, there is more. In 1912, when women started to march in order to gain attention for equal rights (including the right to vote), they wore red lipstick to gain more notoriety and attention to their cause. “This was seen as the mark of the independent emancipated woman, which at the time was thought to be quite scandalous,” says Gabriela Hernandez, who started her Bésame Cosmetics line with a lipstick from 1920. I feel like we should ALL be wearing red lipstick, including men who support us, every day, given the shit that is going on with women’s rights right now.

As red lipstick became a symbol of the American suffrage movement, it began to gain popularity internationally. As women's rights movements spread across the world, British suffragette leader Emmeline Pankhurst also donned a red lip, which helped spread the symbolic action among her fellow activists.

So, whether we knew it or not, red lipstick is embedded into a woman’s psyche, it makes us feel sexy but powerful, the ideal combo, if you ask me.

Does The Perfect Shade of Red really exist?

The answer is yes and no, there is not one perfect shade of red lipstick, there are many. Many shades for each of us, but also many different shades for women to choose from, some better than others. The first thing is you must choose a red that has the undertone that matches your coloring. For example, when I do choose a season for my skin to go by, it’s usually winter, which is a bluish pink undertone, therefore, the right red lipstick color for me should have a bluish pink undertone. There is a lot more to it than that, but you get my point.

What Makes Poutsicle so Good?

Which brings me back to this amazing lip stain from Fenty Beauty by Rihanna. I’m assuming it has the undertone that’s right for me, but ultimately, I just know how much I love it and how good it looks on me. But, that isn’t all. It glides on and the idea is that you can wipe it off and it leaves a great stain that lasts all day and looks so so natural. It’s definitely a new favorite for me and I highly recommend it.

What about you? What is your favorite red lipstick?