Every time you think you’ve found your ultimate red lipstick, a friend and her perfectly red lips come by and tell you that you’re wrong. “Girl, so-and-so’s lipstick is the best. I swear by it,” she says, making you doubt your relationship with your go-to lippie. Suddenly, you realise that the red lipstick you’ve been wearing for the last six months isn’t perfect enough. It is too blue or too yellow, too glossy or too sheer, and dang, why does it rub off after just three glasses of bubbly? The old is ditched for the new…until another lip colour via a friend, beauty guru or product drop comes along and the cycle repeats itself.

A red lip is one of the fastest and easiest beauty fixes there is, but finding the perfect one to have and to hold forever is hard. You’ve got to think about your skin tone, lip texture and budget. Plus, not all lipsticks are created equal. Some have excellent colour but poor pigmentation. Others have both, but they leave your lips drier than a raisin. You also have to decide what kind of red lip you’re into – are you bright or dark?

Because we’re red lip girls ourselves, we know exactly how arduous the hunt is. We’ve got a box of forgotten red lipsticks to prove it. To help you shorten the search, we’ve rounded up some of the best red lipsticks we’ve ever come across. Ever. These cult and personal favourites – some recommended by beauty editors we know – are easy to apply, boast long wear and are almost guaranteed to give you a pigmented pout. We even threw in some dark red ones, because while bright red lips are a classic, dark ones are just sexier. So, choose your pout and pucker up.

A good lipstick is even better with a good canvas. See how to get your lips super smooth and moisturised with our little step-by-step guide here.