Red Lip, Classic: Where To Shop Taylor Swift’s Makeup Staple

If I were to play a game of word association with Taylor Swift as our subject, red lipstick would likely be one of the top identifiers tossed around (see also: cats, Easter eggs, the number 13 and sparkly everything). Through her rise from newbie country crossover singer to chart-topping, record-breaking pop star, Taylor and her favourite makeup look have become nearly inseparable. In fact, since around 2009, Taylor has rarely been spotted without a pristine crimson pout; smudge and sweat-proof, whether she's hitting the red carpet, smooching NFL player boyfriend Travis Kelce post-Super Bowl win, or on stage for three plus hours on the Era's Tour. The beauty staple has even creeped into her lyrics several times — from 'cherry lips, crystal skies' in "Blank Space" to "crimson red paint on my lips" in "I Did Something Bad".

It was revealed in Elle Australia that Taylor's first foray into red lips was in 2009 at an Allure cover shoot, when the shoot’s makeup artist, Gucci Westman, had to get Taylor's mum’s permission to use the shade on the singer. Taylor apparently loved the shade so much that she asked if she could take the tube home. Later that year, the Fearless Tour kicked off and Taylor wore a pinkish strawberry red lip each night — the rest was history.

Of course, just because the songstress loves red lipstick doesn't mean she won’t switch up shades and textures. But to celebrate the icon at the peak of her power (so far — she. Just. Doesn't. Stop!), I took an in-depth look at the best ways Taylor has sported her signature lip colour over the years and throughout her musical eras, from romantic Speak Now to rebellious reputation, and all way through to her "Bejeweled" Midnights era.

Unfortunately for us mere mortals, Taylor's longtime makeup artist Lorrie Turk, whose been working with the star since at least the Speak Now era, keeps very mum on the actual products they use. But using my own longtime Swiftie knowledge and some well-informed makeup analysis, we've done some digging for the best colour-match options out there from brands we know that Taylor already loves.