Finally, an Answer to What Lipstick Taylor Swift is Always Wearing

There is but one lingering question that comes to mind post-Taylor Swift’s many appearances (whether Eras Tour or NFL-related) and that is about her red lipstick. Google searches for the exact hue she wears reportedly jumped 669 percent after she was first spotted at the Kansas City Chiefs game at the start of the season 2023 — and fan tweets are alive and well, from the “not me wearing red lipstick again” to the “TAYLOR IF YOU DON’T RELEASE A RED LIPSTICK LINE IN MY LIFETIME ILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU” — which can only confirm one thing: the people want answers.

It’s a happy coincidence that the Chiefs’s signature color is red, supplying Swift with ample opportunities to wear the bold shade while hanging in a box with Kelce’s mom, just as she did for the Super Bowl on Feb. 11 2023, in Las Vegas.

The more complicated reality is that Swift has been wearing red lipstick since the moment she hit the music scene — the one constant in this ever-changing world, if you will — meaning she’s had a number of favorites on rotation over the years. There’s MAC Ruby Woo ($16, originally $23), the classic shade she confirmed she loved to People in 2015. There’s also the Nars Matte Lip Pencil in Dragon Girl ($30), which has been a staple for the star for years.

These days, according to her most recent makeup artist, the one and only Pat McGrath, the star has been wearing the LiquiLust Legendary Wear Matte Lipstick ($34) and the MatteTrance Lipstick ($39) from her eponymous brand, Pat McGrath Labs, in the shade Elson. The formula is also editor-approved and promises to be smudgeproof, which, if you’ve been watching video footage of that “Tayvis” kiss in Argentina on repeat (and let’s be real: who isn’t?) you’ll know this fact is of the upmost importance. While both products are currently out of stock, you can cheat a similar look using Estée Lauder’s Pure Color Explicit Silk Matte Lipstick ($42) in Heartbeat and Smashbox’s Always On Matte Liquid Lipstick ($27) in Bawse.

Otherwise, in the past Swift’s longtime makeup artist Lorrie Turk has also shared a handful of red lipstick favorites that could be a good indicator of what she uses on a regular basis, including, but not limited to: Patrick Ta Major Beauty Headlines Lipstick in That’s Why She’s Late ($32), Fenty Beauty Stunna Lip Paint Longwear Fluid Lip Color in Uncensored ($29), and Lisa Eldridge True Velvet Lipstick in Velvet Ribbon ($36).

As with most things the singer touches, there’s also plenty of online fodder and speculation from fans on whether her lipstick of choice gives a nod to her best friend Selena Gomez’s beauty line, Rare Beauty. The punchy, cool-toned red and matte finish of the Rare Beauty Lip Soufflé Matte Cream Lipstick in Inspire ($20) looks like it could be a spot-on match, so it’s certainly a contender.

Only time will tell which of the above lipstick(s) was used during her date nights with Sophie Turner and, ahem, others. In the meantime, we’ll be sipping our caramel nonfat latte from Starbucks in a black turtleneck, patiently waiting.

Kelsey Castañon is a Brooklyn-based writer, editor, and content strategist with more than 13 years of experience in publishing. She is currently the senior content director at PS, where you can find her stockpiling (and reporting on) everything from skin care to wine. Previously, she’s worked with the brilliant minds at Refinery29, Seventeen, Shape, Allure, and Teen Vogue, and has appeared on TV segments on The Dr. Oz Show, Cheddar News, and Good Morning America. She still doesn’t know where all the bobby pins go.