If you are going to create a more dramatic look or try a retro style using red lipstick, you are going to need to know which one to buy. Here is a review of our faves. 

If you are looking for a lipstick that is long lasting, Mac is the best bet. When I wear it out at night, I still have it on when I wake up in the morning. That's some serious long lasting color. Our choices for Mac red are Ruby Woo and Viva Glam (if you prefer your red with a side of brown. Both $15).

YSL's Rouge Rock is a good choice (though not cheap - $34) if you like a pinkish red.

If you prefer a pencil, try Nars' Cruella velvet tip pencil. It goes on beautifully and easy.

Another liquid lipstick that stays on really, really well is Hourglass' Opaque Liquid Lipstick in Icon ($28). It's an intense blue based red and feels as hydrating as it is. 

Make-up Forever is also a good choice if you like a really long lasting lip color. Their Aqua Rouge Iconic Red ($24) was created especially for Madonna, and now it's available to us less famous people. It's a liquid that goes on matte and comes with clear gloss to give it some shine. 

Cover Girl's LipPerfection Lipstick in Hot is a good choice for a less expensive bluish undertone.

This red with a bluish base, Snow White by NYX, is a great value as it is as good as some of the more expensive stuff and is on is only $4.

For a bright orange red that works with cool and warm skin tones, try Nars' Heat Wave ($26).

Elf's Rich Red is a marker shape for alternative to the traditional lipstick, but it glides on easily and is also long lasting (a bargain at $3).

A go-to if you aren't sure what shade of red will work best for you is Chanel's Rouge Allure in Pirate ($34). It reads as a true red and works with almost any skin tone. 

If you are prepared to really splash out on your red lipstick (not necessary in our opinion), Cherry Lush by Tom Ford is a beautiful berry tone (similar to Revlon's Cherries in the Snow below) with a matte finish and a whopping $49.

This classic Revlon shade, Cherries in the Snow, is more of a raspberry than a true red and one of our favorites. And a good deal at $4.99 compared to Cherry Lush by Tom Ford!

Now that you have more information on red lipstick than you know what to do with, you have no choice - try it. You'll like it. 

A red lip is great for many reasons. One of them is that it can easily give you a dramatic look. Cate Blanchett would be gorgeous in a paper bag, but she created an even better than usual look by adding red lipstick. The effect would be totally different without it. 

Rose Huntington-Whitley is another great example of a perfect red pout, she manages to make wearing white look dramatic.

And where with Gwen Stefani be without her signature red lips?

The other way red lipstick works really well is by giving you a retro look, which is actually our favorite use of it. Christina Hendricks is a great example, her boobilicious character Joan Holloway on Mad Men wouldn't look so "of the time" without her red lips. See how different she looks with red lipstick vs. pink?

Kate Hudson, Selena Ebanks and Mena Suvari all channel the 1940s with Veronica Lake hairdos and red lips.

And of course, where would the epitome of retro glamour (who is actually retro), Marilyn Monroe, be without her famous red pout?

So if you want to add some dramatic flair to your look or go for a more retro style, give red lipstick a try.