Taylor Swift’s favorite red lipstick is now available in pencil form — and we tried it
Calling all Swifties: The superstar’s favorite red lipstick just got a mega makeover.
It’s no secret that Taylor Swift’s tight with master makeup artist Pat McGrath, having worn her beauty products on red carpets, in music videos and (if you believe the rumors) onstage during her Eras Tour.
Unsurprisingly, McGrath’s struggled to keep Swift’s go-to red lipsticks — MatteTrance in Elson and LiquiList in Elson 4 — in stock as fan demand’s soared. But now, there’s a new member of the Elson family: Dramatique Mega Lip Pencil, which is available at Sephora in the exact same vivid blue-red shade.
Pat McGrath Labs Dramatique Mega Lip Pencil in Elson
“I developed the Dramatique Mega Lip Pencil to inspire your creativity at home. It has the intense pigment and lush texture of a lipstick, but the tapered, pencil-like tip gives you both precision and the opportunity to play,” McGrath shared in a statement.
“Use it as a traditional lipstick, or let your imagination run wild with bold lip designs.”
Given how much I loved MatteTrance in Elson when I reviewed it earlier this year — and the fact that it’s since replaced pretty much all the other reds in my lipstick wardrobe — I couldn’t wait to try out the beauty icon’s latest launch.
In true Pat McGrath style, these pencils are pigmented, and I loved how the precision tip negated the need for a separate lip liner. I’ve long favored lipstick pencils and crayons for getting the Cupid’s bow and outer edges of the mouth just right, and this product makes the process downright effortless.
Despite delivering a truly matte finish, the pencil glides on like butter with zero skipping or dragging, as I’ve experienced with similar lip pencils. It’s also incredibly lightweight and comfortable — perhaps even more so than my beloved MatteTrance — and didn’t leave my mouth feeling dry.
That creaminess makes it ideal for creating an ombré lip look along the lines of the one McGrath whipped up for Swift’s “Bejeweled” video, using a darker, deeper color to define the mouth’s outer corners before filling in with Elson and blending both shades together.
As for its staying power? Just like MatteTrance, Dramatique Mega Lip Pencil is fairly long-lasting and even more transfer-resistant than its predecessor; that said, a blot and light dusting of translucent powder will really help it stick if you’ve got a full meal (or, say, a makeout with a hunky NFL star) on your agenda.
Page Six Commerce Writer Hannah Southwick’s a big fan of McGrath’s new pencils, too; “They’re truly unlike any lip product I’ve ever tried (which is many). The buttery soft formula is my new obsession, and I love that I can go without lip liner when using them,” she tells me.
“One of my biggest issues with rocking a red lip is that I can never get the formula to go on perfectly straight around the edges of my lips, and this nifty pencil is the perfect solution. Pat McGrath is truly one of the best in the business, so it’s not surprise that she’s knocked it out of the park again.”
My lone caveat? While the Dramatique Mega Lip Pencils are less expensive than McGrath’s lipsticks at $29 each (as opposed to $39), they do contain less product, and you will have to sharpen them regularly. Just call it the price to pay for makeup precision.
And by the way, if a red lip’s not your thing, Dramatique Mega Lip Pencil is also available in 10 other hues ranging from the nude-coral Coralust to the vibrant Flashbulb Fuchsia — all of which you can browse below.
Pat McGrath Labs Dramatique Mega Lip Pencil in Nude Venus
Pat McGrath Labs Dramatique Mega Lip Pencil in Coralust
Pat McGrath Labs Dramatique Mega Lip Pencil in Naked Seduction
Pat McGrath Labs Dramatique Mega Lip Pencil in Nude Oasis
Pat McGrath Labs Dramatique Mega Lip Pencil in Flesh 3
Pat McGrath Labs Dramatique Mega Lip Pencil in Divine Rose
Pat McGrath Labs Dramatique Mega Lip Pencil in Mauvemoiselle
Pat McGrath Labs Dramatique Mega Lip Pencil in Garnet Glow
Pat McGrath Labs Dramatique Mega Lip Pencil in Flashbulb Fuchsia
Pat McGrath Labs Dramatique Mega Lip Pencil in Obsessed!
Why Trust Page Six Style Shopping
This article was written by Elana Fishman, founding editor of Page Six Style. Elana applies her celebrity fashion and beauty expertise to shoppable content for fellow fans as the host of video series including Style Trial, Heart to Cart and Beauty Scoop — and by tracking down every Taylor Swift-worn style so you can shop it, too. Elana consults celebrity stylists on the latest street style and red carpet trends, researches which celebrity-backed brands and products are worth it, and chats with the stars themselves for beauty and fashion recommendations. Prior to Page Six Style’s inception in 2018, Elana covered celebrity fashion at Vox Media, Lucky, Marie Claire and Teen Vogue.