Your Guide to Bold Lipstick Colors: Red, Berry, and Purple

Vampy, high-glam, and eye-catching, bold lipstick shades are the ultimate statement makeup. A signature aesthetic, bold lipstick colors are one of the best ways to show your confidence through makeup.

Each section below breaks down red, berry, and purple shades by undertone, so finding a flattering bold is straightforward.

Why Bold Lip Color Belongs in Every Makeup Routine

Contrary to popular makeup myths, bold lipstick colors can work across skin tones and occasions. Bold colors in matte finishes often read as more dramatic than a subtle hint of color delivered with a gloss, making mattes perfect for a special event or a late night party. Matching lip liner to undertone pulls the whole look together, making finding a flattering shade straightforward.

Reading Your Undertone Before You Choose a Shade

Bold lipstick colors come in three hues that match one of three underlying undertones: warm, cool, or neutral.

People with cool undertones sparkle in makeup and clothes with blue undertones, while people with warm undertones suit hues like corals and golden bronzes. People with neutral undertones can pull off both.

Undertone falls into three distinct categories:

Cool: People with cool undertones typically have blue veins and look great in silver jewelry. Cool skin also tends to burn in the sun rather than tan.
Warm: People with warm undertones typically have green veins and look best in gold. Warm skin tends to tan before it burns.
Neutral: People with neutral undertones typically have veins that read both green and blue. Neutral undertones work well with both silver and gold jewelry.

How Finish Changes the Way Bold Color Reads

The finish of the lipstick often determines the final read of a bold shade, resulting in either a high-glam evening aesthetic or natural day-time look. While there are no hardline rules for berry shades:

Matte finishes look more graphic and defined, which makes them a great choice for a dramatic night-time look.
Satin and gloss finishes soften the berry pigment, giving you a more wearable look that’s perfect for the day.

Red Lipstick Shades: How to Find the Right Red

Red lipstick shades are one of the most famous statement makeup looks. When it comes to undertones, red is the widest shade family in bold lip color, meaning that a person of any undertone can find the right red for them.

True Reds for Neutral Undertones

True reds are the most universally flattering entry point when it comes to red lipstick shades, sitting between warm orange-reds and cool blue-reds.

Our deeply moisturizing, radiant Super Lustrous Ultra™ Lipstick reds are the perfect starting point for first-time red lip wearers. Check out hues like Heatwave and Fireside to see which true red works best.

Orange-Reds and Coral Reds for Warm Undertones

Unlike true reds, warm-toned bold red lipstick encapsulates an orange-red or coral color leaning. Warm-toned reds beautifully pick up the golden tones in medium to deep complexions, creating a harmonious rather than contrasting look. Common shades in this family include a bold brick red and a terracotta red.

Blue-Reds and Wine Reds for Cool Undertones

Blue-based reds complement pink and olive cool-leaning undertones. Picture cool cherries, bold signature blue reds, and burgundies. Beyond classic reds, wine reds naturally overlap with the berry color family at deeper saturations.

In addition, cool-tone reds also tend to brighten the look of the teeth, making them a great hue choice for highlighting both the lips and teeth.

Berry Lipstick Shades: Bold Color With Depth

Berry lips are dramatic and high glam, making them the ideal shade for bold color with a chicer, more editorial, or autumnal feel. Berry lipstick shades are also the bridge between deep red and purple, offering warmth and glamour that can bring an edgy, alternative aesthetic to the classic pillar-box red.

Raspberry and Bright Berry for a Daytime Bold

A beautiful blend of red and pink, raspberry lipstick delivers a rich and vivid color payoff without veering into the moodier feel of a classic berry. The confident brightness of the pigment makes this color choice a great option for a daytime bold.

Because berry lips make such a statement, they’re the most impactful when paired with minimal face makeup. Minimalist makeup makes the berry hue stand out without overwhelming the features or making someone look too overdone.

Deep Berry and Plum for a High-Impact Look

Deep berry shades create a rich, dimensional look that’s immediately striking. They’re the perfect fall lipstick colors.

Vibrant, lush, and creamy, the Super Lustrous Ultra™ Lipstick offers rich color payoff. Enriched with microfine pigments, our best-selling lipstick delivers full coverage in a single pass, making it easy to experiment with dark, saturated shades. Our extensive collection features luxe berry hues like Blackberry and Cosmos, offering a number of chic shades to play with.

How to Liner-Lock a Berry Lip

Lip liner helps set a berry lip because its formula mainly consists of wax that adheres closely to the lips. Unlike lip liner, lipstick bases are typically made of oils and emollients that give lipstick its signature creamy feel. The contrast in textures allows liners to deliver a protective base that locks lipstick in place and helps prevent it from breaking down when it comes in contact with the natural skin oils.

Lip liner is also useful for subtly overlining the natural lip border with a matching or close shade, which adds the appearance of fullness.

To lock-in a striking berry shade:

Apply a matching or slightly deeper lip liner before adding lipstick to prevent feathering and extend wear.
Fill in the lips using liner, emphasizing the cupid’s bow.
Slightly outline the natural lip border if you want to add fullness.
Keep the rest of the face minimal so the saturated lip anchors the look.

Purple Lipstick Shades: From Mauve to Violet

Many celebs rock a berry or red lip, but purple is rare even on the red carpet. It’s even rarer to see friends wear a purple lip, making purple by far the boldest color of lipstick choice.

While true violets and magentas are the most confident shades in this color family, purple also encompasses many wearable hues like mauve-purples or pinky lilacs that are great starting points for exploring this beautiful color in the lip makeup.

Mauve and Dusty Purple for a Wearable Everyday Bold

Mauve-purples are the most approachable hue in the purple palette. The hue is fun, quirky, and confident, sitting in a sweet spot between experimental and classic. As such, mauve-purples are a great choice for an office-appropriate bold look.

True Purple and Violet for Full-Impact Looks

True purples and violets deliver the classic high-impact aesthetic that’s typically associated with a purple lip. Go for groomed brows and minimal eye shadow so the lip anchors the entire look without competing with other features.

Matte Versus Satin in the Purple Family

Matte purple brings a graphic, modern look to the lips. Satin purple softens the pigment, giving the shade a more romantic finish.

The Super Lustrous Ultra™ Lipstick provides an extensive line up of rich moisturizing purples. To find the right shade and undertone, always swatch both finishes in natural light before buying.

How to Make a Bold Lip Last All Day

Getting prep, application, and touch-ups right is what separates a bold lip that holds from one that fades by midday.

Lip Prep That Extends Color Wear

Lip prep is the most overlooked step in a bold lip routine. Skipping it is the main reason bold lips fade unevenly, especially in matte formulas.

To make your color pop and your lipstick stay set throughout the day and the night:

Exfoliate your lips with a lip scrub to gently remove dead skin cells
Hydrate with a nourishing lip balm or lip oil that moisturizes and softens the lips
Encourage the lipstick to adhere to your lips with a slick of primer

Application Technique for Precise, Long-Lasting Color

The first step in understanding how to wear bold lipstick is understanding the right technique to master for defined, long-lasting wear. To perfect the application, follow the standard technique for event-level wear without mid-day touch-ups:

1: Apply lip liner, filling in the entire top and bottom lip to help the lipstick grip

2: Apply a thin layer of lipstick

3: Gently blot the lips with a piece of tissue

4: Add a second coat of lipstick to boost both color and wear time

Touch-Up Tips for Bold Color on the Go

For easy touch ups, always carry a matching liner in your bag. Liner is often a better choice for a shade refresh than lipstick because bold lips in matte formulas tend to fade from the center first, making liner a faster and cleaner touch up than reapplying a full coat of lipstick.

When the color or definition starts to fade, reapply liner first. A fresh layer of lipstick on top restores both vibrancy and shape.

Frequently Asked Questions

From choosing the right bold lipstick to suit a specific undertone to understanding how to make a dramatic shade last, review our list of commonly-asked questions to fill any gaps in knowledge.

How do I know which bold lipstick color works for my skin tone?

To work out which bold lipstick will suit best, take a look at the undertone section covered earlier in the article. The biggest giveaway of skin undertone is whether the veins read more green (warm) or blue (cool). If someone is neutral in undertone, then the veins will appear both green and blue.

Can I wear a bold lip for everyday looks, or is it just for special occasions?

A bold lip color is a great accessory for an occasion. To take the bold lip from a day to an evening look, choose a matte finish and deeper shade of lip product.

For example, a mauve-satin reads as more natural than a deep matte violet, even though both are technically bold.

What is the easiest way to make a bold lip last without constant touch-ups?

Lock in lipstick color by lining lips with liner before applying lipstick. To get the most color out of the lipstick throughout the day and the night, add a layer of lipstick, blot with a tissue, and then add another layer of lipstick on top.

Do I need to change my whole makeup routine when wearing a bold lip?

A full makeup routine can absolutely work with a bold lip, but a minimal eye and natural base let the lip read as intentional rather than competitive.

Find Your Bold Shade in the Super Lustrous Ultra™ Collection

From bright cherry reds to vampy berries, a bold lip is one of the most striking looks in any makeup routine. Revlon’s Super Lustrous Ultra™ Lipstick collection delivers bold color payoff with a super moisturizing, creamy finish. Shop our selection of unforgettable red, berry, and purple shades, making sure to factor in undertone by testing out each shade in natural light.