12 Brown Girl Approved Red Lipsticks For Valentine's Day

Because finding your perfect shade shouldn't be that hard.

Exuding confidence, poise and a dash of sex appeal the red lip has always been the staple accessory for the Valentine’s Day look.  From a romantic date with bae, to a romp around town for GAL-entines, brown girls everywhere are ready to rock rojo for the heartwarming holiday.  With many shades reviewed as “too orange,” “too dry,” and ”too pale,” I’ve rounded up a list of looks, sourced from brown girls of the entire melanin rainbow. Here are the lipsticks you need to be wearing to seal your Valentine’s Day with a big red kiss.

Cute & Casual

Nicolet Beauty

A hybrid of lipstick, gloss, and stains infused with natural butters, Bodyography’s “I Heart You” is a head turning electric red. Pair this with Bodyography’s lip pencil in "Crimson" and your favorite leather jacket.

Nicolet Beauty’s "Falu Lip Catnip" is a fun red-orange gloss, with heavier shades of red. The texture gives off a look as if you melted down a lipstick and poured it right onto your lips. The icing on top, its smells like cupcakes.

Oribe’s new Lip Lust Creme Lipstick, “The Red,” delivers luminous color in a satin finish. Infused with white lily and myrrh, your lips will stay kissable all night long.

Keeping it Classic

Hynt Beauty

This list wouldn’t be complete without Mac Cosmetic’s "Ruby Woo," recommended by Minneapolis based MUA Hillary Kline. She uses it especially for clients with darker tones, because of its super pigmentation and classic hue. She suggests pairing the color with Pro Longwear Lip Pencil “Kiss Me Quick,” for the perfect finish.

Instagrammer, @Gina_TheWigWitch, recently rocked Hynt Beauty’s "Aria Red Fervor Lipstick," so we know its a keeper. This vegan lippie is ultra creamy, and the clever lipstick case holds a small mirror for flawless application.

Leslie Munsell, MUA to Gabrielle Union and Serena Williams, uses Beauty For Real’s "Really Red Lip Cream + Color" on her darker skin clients for a fully pigmented hydrating look. Leslie highlights that the classic red, is a color thats not too orange, and not too blue. This lip is the perfect pair for BFR’s D-Fine lip liner.

Sultry & Sexy

Stowaway Cosmetics

Gliding on just like its name sake, butter LONDON’s “Come to Bed Red” is a classic red cream moisture matte. Leaving the lips with a sultry and completely hydrated finish, this color is perfect if you are looking for that "Wow" factor.

Fred’s liquid lipstick in "Just Bitten" is the perfect pop for chocolate skin. Highly pigmented, the lippie adds warmth to the face, and promises smudge proof, hydration.

"Cranberry Our Cream" lipstick by right-sized cosmetics company, Stowaway, evokes the deep red tones in berries and red wine. Brown girls, especially my caramel sisters, will love its heavy pigmentation, and its “toss in your purse” capability."

F-f-f-fiery

Twenty2Cosmetics

Black owned, A|Orie Cosmetics, recently launched “Taraji,” a rouge that reflects a powerful mood. This V-day, wear this bold hue with confidence, as the added glimmer makes it ideal for every shade of brown.

Twenty2Cosmetics’s "Cherished 22" is the fiery red, you’e been waiting for. This red, has pink undertones making for a very vibrant Valentine’s Day lip. WARNING: the engraved message on the lipstick tube might incite EXTREME CONFIDENCE.

The Beauty Crops’s "IMMA BAWSE" liquid lipstick is a fiery red with a blue undertone, perfect to pair with your nude or black ensemble. The pop of color is enriched with (the most famous butter of them all) Shea butter to keep the kissers feeling matte and moisturized.

To choose the right one for your tone, on demand beauty service, beGlammed suggests using your skins natural undertone as a guide. If your skin tone pulls more olive or tan, a bright orange-based red is perfect for you! For deeper skin tones with a warm undertone, using a deep blue-based red will perfectly compliment your warmer toned skin.