In case you haven’t heard, it’s National Lipstick Day. Since Huda Kattan proclaimed July 29 the “holiday” in 2016, it’s taken on a life of its own as brands clamor to get us buy lipstick in honor of the occasion. The sales this year are excellent, the options are plenty, and narrowing down which to get could literally be a job for 10 people. And we quite do mean literally—given that’s exactly what we did in order to find the best red lipstick worth buying today.

Why red lipstick? Well, of all the questions we’re frequently asked, What’s the best red lipstick? tops the list. It’s no surprise why. Red lipstick has that elusive quality that makes you look “done” in three seconds. There are some so famous, they’re instantly recognizable by look or name alone: MAC Ruby Woo, Dior 999, Giorgio Armani in 400 (also known as “Armani Red”), to name a few. But there are also thousands of other reds on the market, many of which are underrated diamonds in the rough.

To that end, though, while the right red can be an instant look-maker, the wrong red can be a disaster. Add personal preference on finish and texture into the mix, and you’d be hard pressed to find a red lipstick that truly everyone likes. So we decided to put the impossible to the test: We swiped, swatched, and snacked our way through 100 shades to see if one rose above the rest. Spoiler: We actually landed on a few.

The Process

Some people do brackets for sports, we do brackets for lipstick. First we called in a mix of new and classic shades from a range of drugstore to high-end brands. Then 10 Glamour staffers with different skin tones and hair colors (including pink) were given a random assortment of 10 lipsticks a piece. Each of us was tasked with testing our options, then narrowing down the group to the single best red lipstick. We were mainly focused on color, but texture and application were also taken into consideration.

After everyone selected a favorite, we had the whole group try the top 10 shades. If even one person didn’t like a color, it was out of the running. From there, we whittled it down to three truly universally flattering red lipsticks and put the number one to a vote.

The Results

A bunch of the names in the top 10 probably won’t surprise you, but there were a few standout newcomers. Maybelline came through with three shades in the running: Maybelline Super Stay Ink in Pioneer (which one of testers confirmed you can, indeed, sleep in it and won’t budge), along with Ruby For Me and Red For Me, which isn’t too shocking given that the brand actually tested both shades on 50 women across various skin tones to ensure they look great on everyone.

You probably also have these MAC shades committed to memory: Russian Red (an intense matte blue-red our producer, Khaliha, was obsessed with) and the famous true red-blue, Ruby Woo, which someone on staff generally has a tube of at their desk in case of emergencies.

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