A bold red lipstick is the ultimate piece of beauty iconography—sharp and gleaming in bullet form, universally flattering on the mouth. And finding that perfect red may seem the impossible task, yet a lineup of flawless options does exist, formulas that fly off the shelves year after year.
Around the world, seven high-impact tubes of MAC Ruby Woo are bought every minute. From the moment the first Dior models strode down the runway in 1953 sporting crimson pouts, the house’s iconic shade has been in high demand, and is now sold three times every hour in the US. In fact, many extraordinary reds first found their footing in decades past: Revlon’s velvet-soft Love That Red, to name just one, took off in 1978 and has shown no signs of slowing down since.
Not that crafting a modern day classic is easy by any stretch of the imagination: To create his iconic signature lip lacquer, Giorgio Armani’s visited the cosmetic lab 96 times in an effort to precisely match the inner petals of a rose—proof that perfection is attainable. Above, discover 13 of the best-selling red lipsticks of all time, worth dipping into again and again.
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