Taylor Swift is known for many things — leaving Easter eggs in her lyrics, her record-setting Eras tour, and, of course, her iconic red lipstick.
We've scoured years of interviews with Swift and her makeup artists to find all the confirmed shades the singer has relied on to create her signature red lip. As with most products Swift wears, several of these shades are in such high demand that they're perpetually sold out. One such shade, Pat McGrath's LiquiLUST Matte Lipstick in shade Elson 4, is finally back in stock after being sold out for over a year — but you'll have to act fast if you want it, as Swifties are sure to sell out this shade again.
If you're planning to try red lips out for yourself, we recommend taking a note from Taylor and keeping the rest of your makeup simple: "I always make a choice: is it going to be a heavy eye look or a heavy lip look? if I'm gonna do a red lip I'll do a simple cat eye liner," Swift said in a 2013 interview with Yahoo Shine. You'll find a few more of Swift's favorite makeup items in our gifts for Swifties roundup.
Pat McGrath Labs LiquiLUST in Elson 4
Makeup artist Pat McGrath revealed in an Instagram post the exact products she used to create Taylor's red lip for the Bejeweled music video. While McGrath uses a mix of products, the base of the look is McGrath's own LiquiLUST Matte Lipstick in shade Elson 4. This vivid cool blue was also rumored to be in Swift's rotation during her Eras tour performances.
This shade is almost perpetually sold out, but it's back for a limited time — after almost a year of being unavailable. If you don't happen to catch the restock, makeup obsessives over at Temptalia have identified Rare Beauty's Lip Soufflé Matte Cream Lipstick in Transform as a 95% match for Elson 4.
NARS Air Matte Lip Color in Morocco
The most recently confirmed shade of Swift's iconic red lip is NARS Air Matte in shade Morocco, which Swift's longtime makeup artist Lorrie Turk said the singer has worn "for years." She was most recently seen wearing this warm, cinnamon red at a 2024 Chiefs game.
MAC Retro Matte Lipstick in Ruby Woo
"I think everyone knows [it] is a staple," Swift once told People about MAC's Ruby Woo shade. Another blue-toned vivid red, this lipstick is rumored to be the one Swift sported at numerous Chiefs games throughout the last season.
NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Dragon Girl
Taylor herself has spoken about her love for NARS Dragon Girl and wore the shade to the 2014 Met Gala, a moment immortalized in an Instagram photo taken with her then-bestie Karlie Kloss. Nars recently replaced the Velvet Matte line with its Powermatte High-Intensity Long-Lasting Lip Pencil. The packaging is different, but the Dragon Girl shade still endures, and is described by the brand as a "vivid siren red."
You can purchase logo and accolade licensing to this story here.
Disclosure: Written and researched by the Insider Reviews team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our partners. We may receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at reviews@bjinnox.com.
