Dolly Parton's Red Lip Color Was So Iconic She Created Her Own Perfect Shade

Dolly Parton's passion for music and makeup started early in childhood. In addition to composing songs before she could write them down herself, Parton was DIYing makeup before she could get to a store and buy it. "Since I was a tiny little kid walking around in the Smoky Mountains on Locust Ridge I would be picking pokeberries, the stained kind that would make lipstick," Parton recalled to Oprah Daily. When she reached her 70s, Parton created her own beauty brand, adding lipstick to the lineup in 2024. Her Heaven's Kiss Lipstick comes in ten shades, including the brilliant Jolene Red.

The shade is a nod to one of Parton's best-loved songs. Although we don't know if the title character in "Jolene" is a lipstick fan herself, the lyrics do mention her bright red hair. When Parton wrote the song, she was inspired in part by a woman who was overly flirtatious with her husband, Carl Dean. Fortunately, this rival never had a chance, and Parton and Dean's long marriage was never impacted by affair rumors.

When designing this iconic hue for Dolly Beauty, the music legend's aim was to make wearers feel so empowered that any competition was eliminated. "When you're headed out on the town, my Jolene Red lipstick will make sure all eyes are on you," Parton proclaimed on her website. Product names aside, Parton might have also been thinking about one of her early beauty role models. As a kid, Parton was dazzled by a local woman who was a fan of red lipstick.

Surprisingly, although Dolly Parton looked fabulous when she rocked red lipstick, she was more likely to reach for pinker hues. "I don't wear red lipstick all that much because I'm so fair," Parton informed Oprah Daily. "That's all you see since my mouth is so big. It looks like a big rosebud when I wear that." However, Parton was always an astute entrepreneur. When curating her brand's lipstick collection, she knew that even if Jolene Red is only a sometimes choice, red lipstick is ubiquitous in popularity. Her instincts were spot on, and the vibrant red is a beloved shade, both with fans and makeup aficionados alike.

Red lipstick is tightly associated with confidence, and Parton was always keenly aware of makeup's emotional impact. The music legend even slept in her makeup to ensure she could step out feeling self-assured at any time, day or night. "I think it's important that people be comfortable with how they look and with their makeup," Parton explained to Real Simple in 2023. "If I don't look the way that I want to, then I'm going to feel self-conscious."

Whatever shade or type of makeup she was wearing, Parton had a ball experimenting with different looks. "I'm like an artist, like a kid with paints and crayons," she divulged to Bustle in 2024. She also appreciated the camaraderie with like-minded makeup fans. Parton had 11 siblings, and between her sisters and her nieces, there was plenty of cosmetics knowledge to go around.