There is nothing more classic than a red lip, but one would argue that there is nothing more difficult than finding the right shade to match your skin tone and overall "vibe." Beyond that, a red lip is a Look with a capital L. It's not for the faint-hearted. To wear red lipstick is to put yourself out there and command attention. And don't even get me started on the search for the right formulation — satin, matte, liquid, tint. For all these reasons, when you find the perfect red lipstick, it is a cause for celebration. Well, it's time to bust out the confetti, readers — we may have found a red lip that could work for every lip tone.
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Meet Pound Cake, a Philly-based beauty brand founded by Camille Bell. Like many of us, Bell was super frustrated with the industry's lack of inclusivity when it came to shade options, specifically for the lip. She felt that brands didn't understand that these so-called universal lipstick shades looked different on different lip tones or worse, didn't show up at all on deeper skin tones. When creating Cake Batter, the brand's award-winning semi-matte lipstick, Bell approached it like foundation. It took over 120 revisions and 40 trials, but she figured out a vibrant, opaque creamy matte liquid lipstick that was made with all skin and lip tones in mind.
There are six different red shades of Cake Batter — Maraschino Cherry, Strawberry, Raspberry, Red Velvet, Red Bean, and Bloodberry. While you can, of course, wear every single shade, you can also take a very helpful quiz on Poundcake's website, which will recommend a shade based on your skin, lip, and undertones.
Each of us on the beauty team decided to take the quiz to see which red lipstick shade was recommended for each of our different tones. Ahead, we share the color we're wearing and our thoughts. Caution: You may feel inspired to wear a red lip after reading.
Pound Cake's Strawberry Red Lipstick
Tested By Beauty Director Sara Tan
"I am a big fan of red lipstick, so I did not need any convincing to try Pound Cake. However, I was really curious which shade would be recommended for my skin and lip tone. Strawberry is definitely a bit brighter of a red shade than I'd normally reach for, but I actually loved the way it looked on me. I also really liked the formulation, though I'm not really a matte lipstick kind of girl. I found that the creamy formulation stayed put (for hours!) without drying out my lips. I can't wait to wear Strawberry out when I need a boost of confidence — it really made me feel good! Oh and bonus points for the delicious scent: it smells like fresh poundcake out of the oven. Yum."
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Pound Cake's Raspberry Red Lipstick
Tested By Senior Beauty Writer Amanda Mitchell
"Would I consider myself a liquid lipstick lover? Yes, you can rip them out of my cold, dead hands. When I took the Pound Cake quiz and it suggested Strawberry, the same shade Sara wore, I was, uh, skeptical. I'm more of a deep blue-red gal, traditional reds make me feel a little too *clown emoji* from time to time. Luckily, Pound Cake's founder Camille sent me Raspberry, their shade for darker-skinned women, and yuuuuup, that was it. I love the scent, I loved the shade on my skin tone, but I prefer a liquid lipstick that dries down a little more — this lipstick wasn't completely mask-proof in the way some of my other faves are. But will I happily wear it around the house or in the next times when we're not masking? 1000%.
Pound Cake's Maraschino Cherry Red Lipstick
Tested By Beauty Editor Megan Decker
"People say it's good to step out of your comfort zone, and wearing a red liquid lipstick is like two big steps outside of mine. What makes this one less intimidating is that the Pound Cake shade quiz matched me with a shade of red that looks soft with my complexion. Maraschino is like a warm magenta. The liquid formula is not drying in the slightest. Also, the smell — like a mixing bowl filled with vanilla cake batter — is so delicious that I look forward to every time I twist open the cap and touch the doe foot to my lips. I just use a teeny dot and sheer it out over my lips for more of a red tint. Currently, I'm wearing it with a hoodie and no other makeup, which keeps the overall vibe a little more low-key."
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Pound Cake's Strawberry Red Lipstick
Tested By Beauty Market Writer Karina Hoshikawa
"I don’t wear lipstick very often, but when I do, I almost always do a red lip. Even though I have a couple of go-to shades I love, I’m always on the hunt for a new favorite. Poundcake’s Strawberry shade might just be that. I loved the idea behind Poundcake — offering an array of bold red hues for every skin tone —and they definitely delivered. This shade is brighter than I might have picked for myself but ended up looking amazing on my light-medium olive complexion. I also loved how creamy the formula felt on, since a lot of matte liquid lippies I’ve tried can feel quite dry. There was also minimal transfer, which I can definitely appreciate as someone who tends to forget about reapplying!"
Pound Cake's Strawberry Red Lipstick
Tested By R29 Style Editor Nadia Ebrahim
"A red lip = boost of confidence. That's my science and I'm sticking to it. But that doesn't mean just any red lipstick will fly. Finding the right shade can be hard, and can prove to be a lot harder for reds. Pound Cake treats lipstick like foundation because color can show up differently on different lip tones. I've had my fair share of lipsticks turn out too cool or worse, making the skin around my lips look ashy because the color was off. This wasn't the case with Pound Cake. Strawberry was just right thanks to their lip quiz and the formula is a winner in my eyes. It swiped on smooth like butter and wasn't drying at all which can be the caveat of a matte formula. Instead, my lips felt moisturized and creamy with zero flakes in sight. Bonus points because it actually smells like cake batter and not in a sweet intoxicating way — think light notes of vanilla extract that make you feel warm inside."
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Pound Cake's Maraschino Cherry Red Lipstick
Tested By Director, Editorial Operations Carli Whitwell
"Since I've gone blonder and blonder (and blonder) during the pandemic, the 20 or so tubes of red lipstick stashed in my makeup drawer(s) aren't quite working with my hair and skin at the moment. That's why I was so pleased to try Poundcake's choose-your-own-adventure lipstick. After taking the quiz, I ended up with Maraschino, a true matte red that glided on my perennially chapped lips without any peeling or dryness. The lip stayed on all day and was so comfortable I forgot I was wearing it – until my friends at the dog park told me I looked hot and asked who I was trying to impress. Bonus: I love that it smelled like my favorite '90s Lip Smackers shade."
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