Charlotte Tilbury Made Me Fall In Love With Red Lipstick — & Just In Time For Valentine’s Day

I’ve never been much of a lipstick person, not because I don’t like how I look with it on but because it’s a commitment. If you’re going to do a lip, you better be ready for a night of touch-ups, not to mention careful sips and bites. Besides, I’m a proud tinted lip balm and/or oil girlie who has little to no patience for dry, moisture-sucking matte lipsticks. 

Well, maybe it’s Valentine’s Day coming up (or maybe I’ve been seeing too much of Taylor Swift cheering on the Chiefs), but I’ve had red lipstick on my mind in a major way. Enter Charlotte Tilbury’s new collection of Hollywood-inspired lipsticks, which happened to hit my inbox (and doorstep), granting me the opportunity to revisit the classic, red-lip look for myself. The British makeup artist’s Hollywood Beauty Icon collection spans all-new shades of two bestselling lipstick formulas with limited-edition tubes in metallic pink and ruby — aka, the best Valentine a beauty lover could ask for. 

The lineup features five pretty-as-can-be pinks in Charlotte Tilbury’s hydrating, satin-finish K.I.S.S.I.N.G lipsticks, five new Matte Revolution reds, and five ”Hollywood-inspired” hues of Tilbury’s lip liner pencil, Lip Cheat. As a beauty journalist, I know better than to judge a book by its cover — but even I’ll admit that the packaging is a solid 11/10.

Not all red lipsticks are created equal. These five alone each brought a different vibe, but I was immediately drawn to Mark of a Kiss, a muted, warm-tone red that suits my olive skin. I used the matching shade of Lip Cheat pencil to outline my shape, but I could also see this shade being so pretty for a diffused, "blotted" effect, and I applied it gently, straight from the bullet. Hollywood Vixen and Pizzazz, by contrast, are vivid, blue-toned reds that scream "old-school glamour." Best of all, the matte formula is surprisingly creamy and comfortable on my lips — not drying in the least.

If you were wondering if Barbie pink is still a thing, these saccharine hues point to a resounding "yes." From the starlet nude Icon Baby to the muted mauve Rose To Fame, Charlotte Tilbury's creamy lippies confidently affirm that pink really does go with everything. (Also, having a range of pinks for different skin tones gets a thumbs-up from me.)

As with all of Charlotte Tilbury's luxurious makeup, these products have a luxurious price tag. (Hey, glamour isn't cheap!) The lipsticks retail at $35 each, and the Lip Cheat liners are $25 a piece. A lip kit featuring your choice of lipstick and lip liner is available at $57, a small discount off the à la carte price. Whether you're gifting it to a lover or yourself, these lipsticks are the perfect way to seal Valentine's Day with a kiss.