Taylor Swift lives in the HELLO! Shopping team's minds rent-free, even when she's not making headlines for sold-out concerts, fully owning the rights to her own music, tying the knot with NFL star Travis Kelce or just generally living her best life. Why? Her fashion and beauty faves.
As a professional shopping editor, I always have her on my radar because if Taylor wears something, it has a tendency to sell out, sometimes even before I have the chance to tell you about them.
One exception? Some of her trademark bold red lipsticks, which she has worn in music videos, on stage and even on date nights with Travis. And yes, her lips always look flawless.
Taylor Swift's classic red lipsticks:
- MAC Retro Matte Lipstick in 'Ruby Woo', $24 / £22
- NARS lip pencil in 'Dragon Girl', $32 / £22
- Pat McGrath Labs MatteTrance Lipstick in Forbidden Love, $39
- Pat McGrath LiquiLUST Legendary Wear Matte Lipstick in Elson 4, $34 / £25.60
The HELLO!-approved budget-friendly kiss-proof Taylor lookalike:
© Getty ImagesRemember when she passionately kissed her Super Bowl star husband in front of millions, without a smudge? Fans, and the HELLO! Shopping Team, have been dying to know what lipstick she wears that stays on so perfectly.
© Gilbert CarrasquilloWhat red lipstick does Taylor Swift wear on stage?
Well, it's hard to say. Taylor Swift’s makeup artist Lorrie Turk doesn’t give away too many secrets, even as scores of fans flood the comments asking for product recommendations underneath every Taylor makeup-themed post.
But we do know that Taylor wore Pat McGrath's LiquiLUST Legendary Wear Matte Lipstick in 'ELSON 4', $34 / £25.60 for the Bejeweled music video, and fans speculate that the long-wearing Pat McGrath shade, which looks great on all skin tones, is the color Taylor wore for the Eras tour.
The exact kiss-proof red lipstick Taylor Swift wore to the Super Bowl
In 2024, Taylor’s bold red lip was a winner both on and off duty. We spotted it during her nights out on the town and her many stadium visits to cheer Travis on to victory.
© Harry HowCelebrity makeup artist Pat McGrath seemed to finally confirm the lipstick the four-time Grammy Album of the Year winner was rocking at Super Bowl LVIII in 2024. The MUA shared a snap of Taylor and Travis kissing on her Instagram stories with a link to the Pat McGrath MatteTrance Lipstick in the shade 'FORBIDDEN LOVE'.
Described as an 'ultimate classic red' the lipstick comes in a sleek black tube adorned with gold lips - so chic! Legendary MUA Pat has said MatteTrance is a "groundbreaking formulation" that "achieves the perfect balance between lasting wear and comfort that fans crave." It's an oil-infused powder formula that is not just hydrating but, as Taylor has shown, pretty much kiss proof!
© GettyTaylor Swift's classic red lipsticks through the years
© Kevin Mazur/TAS24While we don’t know the exact lipstick she wore on every occasion, we do know a lot of Taylor's longtime favorites.
Taylor has become synonymous with MAC's Ruby Woo lipstick, which is one of my personal favorites, and it turns out I’m not alone! Rihanna, Angelina Jolie and Tracee Ellis Ross are said to be big fans, too. Taylor famously started using the popular MAC shade around 2015, telling People magazine that she was “the last person to discover” the timeless lip color “staple”.
You have to also go back quite a few years, to around 2014, for Taylor’s shout out for NARS’s gorgeous lip pencil in Dragon Girl, a blue-based red described by the brand as a ‘vivid siren red’.
“I have a lot of go-tos as far as red lipstick, but one that really can’t go wrong is Dragon Girl by NARS,” Taylor told MTV NEWS. The long-lasting chunky crayon style lip color doubles as a liner, and is enriched with Vitamin E so it’s smooth and not drying. (Note that the original formula, though, has now been replaced by the PowerMatte version.)
The best $10 budget dupe for Taylor Swift's signature red lip
I searched high and low for a great kiss-proof lipstick and discovered one that just happens to be a great dupe for Taylor Swift's go-to shades. Maybelline SuperStay Matte Ink Liquid Lipstick in Pioneer is a matte blue-red like Ruby Woo, making it so flattering for both warm and cool skin tones.
It's also mega-long lasting, meaning you can swipe it on for date night or dinner and it lasts all the way through the night and beyond. I love this formula so much I have it in multiple shades.
How the 'Taylor Swift effect' transformed red lipstick sales
There's no doubt that red lipstick's popularity has continued in part because of the "Taylor Swift effect".
In 2023, researchers at Misumi Skincare reported that Google searches for “red lipstick” exploded 376% in the United States after Taylor was spotted wearing her signature shade for her 34th birthday party in NYC. “Red lipstick is a popular look for many celebrities, but it’s rare that we see Taylor Swift without her trademark lips,” said a spokesperson for the beauty brand.
“From matte to gloss, red lipstick is a staple look all-year round… These findings provide a perfect example of the ‘Taylor Swift effect’, highlighting her enduring ability to inspire and influence beauty choices with a single appearance.”
