The Most Iconic Lipstick Shades Of All Time

While adding color to your lips has been commonplace for millennia — even Cleopatra rocked color on her lips thanks to carmine beetles back in ancient Egypt — it wasn't until the 20th century that lipstick became a mass-produced product. Of course, this means that there have been over 100 years of different brands, formulas, and shades in an industry that keeps evolving.

To find out which of those shades has been the most iconic, we turned to award-winning celebrity makeup artist and beauty expert Jenny Patinkin for help. "There are three basic categories when it comes to lipstick color," Patinkin explains to us exclusively. "Fads that come and go quickly; trends that have a longer arc, but cyclically fade away and get popular again; and iconic colors that are always chic in a classic but not boring way." 

Ultimately, Patinkin confirms that when it comes to the last category, there is one particular shade that stands out among the rest. "I think MAC Ruby Woo is hard to beat in terms of an iconic red," she admits. "It has a slightly cool/blue undertone that looks good on so many different people and always gives that Old Hollywood glamour vibe." The shade Ruby Woo was first introduced in 1999, and it has been one of MAC's best-selling shades ever since. Luckily, MAC offers multiple products in the iconic shade, including a matte lipstick, a lip pencil, and a lip gloss.

In the world of beauty, trends change very quickly, but every decade has had certain makeup trends that marked it. We turned to Jenny Patinkin to figure out just which lipstick shades were the most popular in the '80s, '90s, 2000s, and 2010s.

Anyone who lived through the '80s (or knows a thing or two about them) is aware that bright colors were all the rage back then. "It was all about experimenting with color and being bold. Think bright red, hot pink, and orangey corals," Patinkin tells us exclusively. "In the 1990s, makeup was a little more somber and moody. We saw a lot of brown-toned colors whether they were brown-reds or brown-pinks — and a lot of darker colors overall." This, of course, went hand in hand with the grunge beauty trends of the '90s, as fun and bright colors were a no-go at the time.

With Y2K trends, nude lipsticks became popular — and millennials will, unfortunately, remember the infamous concealer lips (yes, we wore concealer instead of lipstick, and in our delusion, we thought it was stunning). "The 2000s were a decade when we experimented with texture and finish in a range of 'nude' tones. There were a ton of high shine and frosted glosses during this decade," Patinkin explains. "In the 2010s, there was a huge expansion of the nude lip color trend, with more shade-inclusive options so that everyone could find a 'my lips but better' option." 

While there have been specific trends when it comes to lipstick shades in the previous decades, it seems as if the 2020s are a lot more all-encompassing. In fact, Jenny Patinkin points out to us that in 2024, a variety of shades are popular. "I think we're in a bit of an 'anything goes' era with lipstick color — we're seeing bold reds, deep berries, and every shade of nude you can imagine," she tells Glam exclusively.

However, while there is a wide shade range that is trending, she does point out that instead of classic lipsticks, other products are gaining popularity. "What I think 2024 will really be remembered for is all of the new balms and oils that are so popular now. They're a great way to get a hydrated, shiny look on the lips but with a less intense pigment payoff." Of course, for those who adore lipsticks, there's no need to panic — you can always enhance your favorite lipstick shade by applying some complementary lip balm or lip oil on top of it.