This new lipstick shade exploded on “China’s Instagram” – Xiaohongshu – and is now touted as a 2021 must-have

Usual foundation brand/shade:

• Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Foundation in B20
• Gucci Beauty Natural Finish Fluid Foundation in 170W

I usually tend to steer clear from brick red lipsticks and just go for either the chilli red or burgundy because I’m always under the impression that it’ll look more brown than red on my lips, but this lipstick proved otherwise.

I like how it just glides onto the lips really smoothly without much effort, and it takes only about one to two swipes to get my lips coated.

I like that it made my complexion appear brighter too, just like how chilli red lipsticks do for me.

Compared to other matte lipsticks I’ve tried, this is by far one of the most comfortable ones – feels almost like nothing on the lips but it does stain; left marks on the straw when I was drinking a beverage.

But like all other matte lip colours, it does make lip lines more pronounced – not that I really mind but I think it does bother some people. There were also slight signs of feathering and bleeding after three hours, but it’s great that it fades to a nice brownish-red stain after eating and drinking.

Usual foundation brand/shade:

• Sisleÿa Le Teint in 1B Ivory
• Nudestix Nudies Tinted Blur Stick in Light 3

I loved the shade so much! I feel like it’s the perfect brick red lippie. It glides on really easily and is super pigmented –– even after just one swipe. I could easily use the lipstick to create a desirable shape too so it gets another point for easy application.

Pitting it against other matte lipsticks, this is definitely one of the more comfortable and moisturising ones that my lips loved. I have dry lips and they tend to be cracked every now and then, so I appreciated how I didn’t feel like the life was sucked out of my lips.

Just two downsides to the lipstick: it’s definitely not budge-proof (or kiss-proof), and feathers and bleeds after a while. My mouth area tends to be more oily throughout the day, so I noticed it feathering and bleeding, but a lip pencil will probably solve it.

At the end of the day, I didn’t mind that it stains straws too, because it leaves a gooorgeous stain! Overall, I would definitely recommend it to other people, just that it would work better with a lip liner and some blotting before masking up!

Usual foundation brand and shade:

• Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-In-Place Makeup SPF 10 Foundation in 2N1 Desert Beige
• Urban Decay Stay Naked Weightless Liquid Foundation in 40NN

When it comes to red lipsticks, a brown-based red is my absolute favourite. This deep red shade made my lips feel like velvet rose petals, and it looked flattering on my colleagues too.

You can dab it on your lips to create a pretty stain, or apply it straight from the bullet to amp up the saturation.

I haven’t worn red lipstick in a long time because of all the mask-wearing we’ve been doing lately. But this shade serves as a reminder to do it more often! It brightens and warms my complexion up fast, so I don’t appear as pale as I usually do sans makeup.

As with most matte formulas, however, it felt a little drying on my lips after a couple of hours. It clung onto patches of dry skin and accentuated them.

The colour transferred on the rim of my cup and feathered unevenly as the day progressed. If you have chronically dry lips like I do, don’t forget to swipe on a lip balm before layering this lippie on top.

Usual foundation brand/shade:

• Clinique Even Better™ Makeup Broad Spectrum SPF 15 in WN44
• Urban Decay Stay Naked Weightless Liquid Foundation in 20CP

The lipstick has great colour payoff and is in such a pretty shade. I’ve always been a bit tanned, and found that cool tone reds look much better on me than a warm tone shade, and this brick red lippie didn’t disappoint. Coupled with my everyday eyeshadow and burgundy hair, I feel like I’m almost CNY-ready!

I also love how versatile it is, because it can be patted out for a blotted look, or applied directly onto the lips for a more intense colour.

For a matte lipstick, it’s also incredibly soft and comfortable on the lips. I’m not a fan (and I don’t think anyone else is, either) of matte lipsticks that make your lips feel dry or worse, flake off by the end of the day.

I put the lipstick to the ultimate test – whether it’ll stay after eating. Unfortunately, I was left with a lip line after my bowl of laksa, but while this lippie isn’t completely smudge-proof, one swipe was all I needed for a quick touch-up.

Usual foundation brand/shade:

• Giorgio Armani Power Fabric Longwear High Cover Foundation in #3
• Laneige Neo Cushion_Glow in 21N Beige

I’ve been keeping my eyes out for brown-red shades (or rusty red shades) and I think I’ve finally found one that I’ll keep reaching out for in the BR786.

I can totally see why it’s going viral on social media – the shade is flattering on almost everyone (evident from how it looked on me and my colleagues, despite all of us having pretty different skin tones and undertones) and I agree with the general comments that I’ve been seeing online, I feel that it helps make my complexion look brighter.

However, this is certainly not a transfer-proof lipstick, so it’s going on stain your mask. However, you can consider dabbing it off with a tissue to leave a stain behind instead so it won’t leave any marks. The good thing is that it still looks good as subtle stain, so I’m really not complaining.

And on days you want to make an impact on a video call without doing a full face of makeup, swiping this on and allowing it shine in its full vivid glory will certainly make you look a lot more polished and ready for a conference.