21 Makeup Looks For A Red Lip Occasion

Makeup has the power to completely transform your face and your confidence, taking you from casual chic to red carpet ready with a single swipe of lipstick.

In fact, red lipstick remains one of the most timeless makeup staples; adding intensity to a look with little to no effort. 

Favored by Hollywood, this foolproof classic approach to makeup has stood the test of time. Plus it’s very easy to master, so you don’t have to be a professional makeup artist to create a stunning look.

All you need to do is add some statement eyeliner, a fluffy pair of lashes, and a bold red lip. Yes, that’s really all it takes! 

However, it can be difficult trying to pair eyeshadow with a bold red lipstick. Especially if you’re new to the makeup world. But have no fear! We’re here to pull you out of your makeup funk. 

If you’re looking to find the perfect makeup look to pair with a red lip, we think we’ve found a few examples that you will adore. So grab your makeup brushes and join us as we take a look at some of the most stunning eye looks to pair with a red lip.

1. A Soft Cut Crease 

We’re kicking this list off with a slightly more complex, but nonetheless stunning, cut crease and red lipstick-based makeup look. It’s no secret that subtle cut creases work perfectly with any lip color.

However, cut creases are notoriously difficult to master, so it may be a little more difficult to achieve than other looks in this list. Especially if you’re a complete beginner to the makeup world!

Thankfully there are plenty of online tutorials to guide you through the proper steps (and some shortcuts, too) to help you learn the art of the cut crease. All you need to do is pick your colors.

Choose a lighter eyeshadow color for a soft glam cut crease, or opt for darker shades to achieve an all-out evening look. Red lipstick pairs well with just about any color or style, so your cut crease can be matte or glitter-based!

2. All Natural Eyeshadow

This soft look is one of our current favorites, and for good reason! A natural eyeshadow and a red lipstick combination is an easy way to add a pop of color to a casual, everyday makeup look.

Plus, adding foundation and concealer is a completely optional step as this makeup look will work with or without a product base!

All you need to do is keep your eyes bare of any product, add a lengthening coat (or two) of mascara, and shape your brows to perfection.

Then, add a hint of rosy blush, highlighter, a light chiseling contour, and a boat load of red lipstick to achieve the final look. Make sure that everything is blended well!

3. Red Carpet Glam

If you’re looking to replicate all-out glam, this is perfect for you! Throw your usual base on from primer to contour, blend it out, and add a regular smokey eye.

But don’t grab for your lipstick just yet! First, you want to add some extra sparkle without having to change your look all that much.

You can do this by adding a pop of your favorite highlighter or shimmer shadow shade into the inner corner of your eyes (we find that silver or gold tend to work best). Yes, it’s really that simple! 

4. Embrace Your Freckles!

Regardless of what eye look is “trending,” you don’tneed to cover up your skin with layers of foundation and other makeup products.

This applies to your eyes and your face, and if you have freckles or other skin imperfections, it’s okay to embrace them!  In fact, freckles are coveted in today’s beauty industry – with many people actively drawing them on after applying the rest of their makeup!

Besides, keeping your skin natural (instead of trying to airbrush it) and adding a red lip at the same time will make your skin glow in the best possible way. 

5. Soft and Subtle 

Although we love black eyeliner, there’s something sweet about a brown liner that we just can’t shake off. Brown liner creates a softer finish and can be seamlessly integrated into a daytime makeup look on the waterline or tight line, making it very universal.

If you want to give the brown eyeliner and red lip combo a fair shot but don’t have a brown eyeliner to hand, there’s no need to worry!

Using a damp liner brush and any regular dark brown eyeshadow shade will achieve a similar finish. In fact, using shadow may help you to make your eyeliner look more “smudged” which creates a more natural look anyway.

On top of this, we’d recommend using a subtle red gloss or colored chapstick on your lips instead of a red lipstick so that you can add a contrasting color but in a subtle way.

6. A Rush of Gold 

You may not be surprised that gold eyeshadow pops best when paired with a red lip. This look works for all occasions, including Valentine’s Day, Christmas, or even date night. And, with some practice, it’s one of the easiest makeup looks to throw together! 

All you need to do is work with a half-way smokey eye (not too dark), with the darker colors blended towards the outer corner of your eyes.

Add a gold shimmer shadow to the inner corner, and blend it as you move towards the center of your eyes. Using a fluffy eyeshadow brush, blend the gold with the darker shade in your outer corner, so all lines are blurred between the colors.

Add a brighter shimmer shade to the inner corner to help widen your eyes and increase the sparkle. The last step is to add your red lip, and you’re done!

7. A Red Lash and Lip 

False red eyelashes and red lipstick is another bold look that we absolutely adore. It’s an acquired taste, that’s for sure, but as you can see – it makes a big statement regardless of where you’re headed.

Plus, it’s a big attention grabber – and you may find people coming up to you and complimenting your makeup! You could even try adding a touch of red mascara – or other richly colored mascara – to increase the intensity of the overall makeup look.

All of these elements will help to make your eyes appear richer and brighter. What’s not to love?

8. Deep Red Eyeshadow

Similarly, a bold red eyeshadow and red lip combo is an easy way to demand attention. But why not try something a little different? Start by applying different shades of red to your eye, beginning with a darker crease color.

This will set the depth of the makeup look. Then add lighter shades toward the inner corner of your eye, where you can even add a pop of white highlighter to add some sparkle. 

9. Long Lashes and Red Lips

Elegant, flawless, and timeless, this look is perfect for working in the office, on date nights, or simply in day-to-day life. This Hollywood-inspired makeup look is an easy way to utilize red lip to create stunning makeup.

And ensuring your lashes fan out delicately over an otherwise flawless-looking base will enhance the beauty of your eyes – and that’s without the addition of colored eyeshadow or lipstick!

 To summarize: it is simple yet highly effective. But in order to achieve its full intensity, you must get your base looking picture-perfect!

To add a twist to this look you can always add some shimmer shadow or glitter to your bottom lashes and your inner corner. Not only will this make your eyes pop, but it will enhance the overall appearance of the makeup look.

10. Make Glossy Lips the Focus

You can pair a glossy lip with any kind of eye look. We’d personally recommend creating a contrast using a smokey eye, but you can opt for a more natural look if that’s what you prefer!

The overall process of achieving red-tinted glossy lips is pretty straightforward. The pigment in the lip gloss will imitate your favorite lipstick shade but without the hassle of worrying about an overdramatic color contrast!

Simply prepare, line, and color your lips with your favorite red lip liner. Then, select a lip product with your favorite formula and coat your lips.

Press your lips together to blend it together, and blot to remove excess product. And, the most important step of all, you should add a clear (or red tinted) gloss over the top to create a stunning finish.

11. Double Eyeliner 

We have a love-hate relationship with the double liner trend. It’s as the name suggests: a double layer of eyeliner. One is usually in or above the crease of your eyelid, and the other is placed upon the tight line. 

You can connect these lines together to form one coherent wing, or wing them separately to create a more edgy look. Or you may want to draw two contrasting flicks directly above one another on the eyelid, creating a color contrast.

The best part? You don’t have to use black eyeliner. Green, blue, white, or even a glitter liner will look just as good! And you can also add a swipe of your favorite reliable red lipstick to really pull this look together. 

12. A Colorful Waterline

Looking to add a bit of fun to your makeup? We’ve got you covered! Granted it may be a little unexpected, but this bright, bold, and beautiful look ticks all the boxes you could ever need.

All you’ll need to achieve this look is a fluffy eyeshadow brush and a solid pink color that can be applied and blended underneath your waterline.

We’d suggest pink as it will pair very well with your favorite statement red lipstick color. You could even add gold glitter liner or shadow from the inner corner to the center of the eye.

Complete the steps of your makeup routine as normal – from base to eyeshadow – and then apply a colored eyeliner to your tight line, adding a daring flick in if necessary. This step can be completed before adding mascara or eyelashes for a better overall result. 

13. Waterline White Eyeliner

Another way of updating your regular black eyeliner and red lip combination look is to add a dash of white eyeliner to the lower lash line. You can use liquid or pencil eyeliner here – just make sure you’re comfortable with the product.

Not only is this a surefire way to enhance the intensity of your eyes, but it will also brighten up the rest of your face, too.

Adding white eyeliner to the waterlin3 can also help to disguise any tired eyes caused by sleepless nights or nights out on the town (not that we’re saying you need to do this, of course!)

14. Smoked Out Liner

Though it pairs well, you don’t always need thick black eyeliner on your eyelid when rocking a red lip! This look leans more towards the natural line, but still packs in a lot of glam.

Simply thin down the amount of liner you use for a quick way to lessen the intensity of your eye makeup.

It might require some practice, especially if you’ve been applying thick wings for an extended period, but you’d be surprised just how much it will change the overall look! You could even try blending out some darker eyeshadow in place of eyeliner for a more smokey effect.

15. Focus on Highlighting 

If you want a look that is quick yet still simple, this is for you. You can create a highlight-centric red lip-centric look using a simple mix of well applied base makeup, a reliable red liquid lipstick and liner combination, and a touch of inner corner sparkle to brighten and enhance the eyes.

Aside from the highlight on your cheeks, you should also add your favorite highlighter to the bridge and tip of your nose, and your cupid’s bow, to top off the look.

16. A Christmas Tree Bonanza

This is a very festive look, but can be worn year round. Red and green are complementary colors, sitting opposite one another on the color wheel.

That means they look excellent when paired together as you get the pop of color of green eyeshadow and the bold, bright red lip, too. You could even add a pop of gold shimmer towards the inner corner to create a color gradient, and to add something extra to the look.

In terms of the shades, a combination of dark green eyeshadow and white waterline eyeliner will make your eyes really stand out, while a red lipstick will perfectly balance the look. 

17. Blue, Bold and Beautiful

Mixing really dramatic and colorful eyes with a statement red lip isn’t an easy feat, but that shouldn’t stop you from trying out this look! We’ll admit that blue eyeshadow probably isn’t the most subtle makeup to incorporate into your everyday routine, but it does make for a perfect party look!

And, whether you choose to opt for metallic blue or matte blue shades (or even a mix of the two) any combination of this striking color will create an extreme contrast to your bold red lipstick while also making your eyes pop.  

18. Copper Tones

This is a modern, season-appropriate approach to the classic dark smokey eye and red lip combination. And we absolutely love it! Opting for copper tones is an excellent decision, especially if you want to strip it back and stick to more subtle colors.

Copper tones actually look beautiful with all eye colors and will make your eyes pop. To increase the intensity of this particular eye makeup, you could add a supporting black eyeliner in addition to a daring red lip backing it up! 

19. Ombre Eyeshadow

You could also try pairing an ombre eyeshadow with a more subdued red lip. Not only will this draw attention to your eyes, but it allows you the freedom to express yourself creatively through your makeup. 

If this sounds like something you’d want to try, but you don’t know where to start, we’d highly recommend beginning with sunset ombre eye looks.

These can be tricky to replicate, but with the right amount of blending and shimmer shadows, any mistakes can be easily concealed. We’d suggest sticking to orange, yellow, and red shades for this look, but you can choose whatever colors you’d like (so long as it connects with the vision, of course).

20. Ombre Lips

We know this isn’t specifically centered around eye makeup, but we thought that the ombre lipstick technique deserved a spot on this list anyway!

Combined with a natural eye look, these two makeup elements pair perfectly together. Plus it’s a very beginner-friendly approach to try out – requiring little skill, and very few products to achieve a great outcome. 

All you need to do is choose a lip liner shade that matches the two lipsticks that you’ll be applying, then line and fill your lips with the corresponding color.

Matte is the best lipstick formula in this instance and will create the dream two-tone gradient look that you’re seeking. 

But make sure you apply the darkest shade first. Once this has dried, you can apply the lighter shade to the center of your lips and then blend it with your fingertips as the color moves inward, just so it overlaps with the darker color on your lips.

21. Classic Soft Glam

And now we come to our final look on this list. You can’t go wrong with a classic matte red lip, basic shimmer eye, and black eyeliner combo (as long as you can balance all three factors, of course).

If you want to wear this bold look without going too far, you need to practice.

The reasons are simple: if you apply a heavy amount of makeup on your first try, then the effect may become more Rocky Horror Show than sultry and sassy, and we’re sure that’s not the look you’re trying to achieve!

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Choose Red Lipstick?

Red lipstick is a quick and efficient way to add a pop of color to any makeup look. Derived from an age-old Hollywood tradition, the ‘red lip dark eye’ combo is still prevalent on every red carpet, and makes a statement regardless of where you are in the world.

There’s an individual red lipstick out there for everyone, and you most definitely do need to keep one in your makeup collection!

Should I Wear Eyeliner with Red Lipstick?

The simple answer?

It’s completely up to you! A statement eyeliner – whether on the upper or lower waterline – can completely change the way that your makeup looks and feels, so it might be worth experimenting to see what feels most natural to you.

As long as you feel confident then it doesn’t matter.

What Color Eye Makeup Should I Wear with Red Lipstick?

There isn’t a definitive answer to this question as many colors look great when paired with a bold red lipstick. Instead, you should separate colors by the occasion.

For example, darker, smokey eyeshadow and red lipstick make for an excellent makeup look for a night out on the town. Whereas more subtle copper or brown shades and a red lipstick are great for everyday wear.

You could even experiment with blues and greens (or any other eyeshadow and eyeliner color) to find a combination that works for you.

Conclusion

And there you have it! This list showcases 21 of our favorite eye makeup looks that pair well with red lipstick – targeted towards all eye colors, and all makeup abilities.

Though some of these looks may require a steadier hand, you can create something beautiful with a set of fluffy blending brushes and a trusty red lipstick.

So whether you’re a seasoned makeup professional or a complete novice, the looks on this list can be easily replicated. Besides, confidence is key to rock a red lip!