It differs from the previous electropop styles displayed in her earlier works; this was deliberately done to prevent Ferreira from being branded in a similar fashion as Britney Spears, which she felt that Capitol Records had intended to do.

[6] Bradley Stern from MuuMuse noted that the blending of "intimidating stabs of guitars and a wicked drum pulse" showcased "the acidic side of Sky's attitude".

[10] Ferreira stated that the lyrics for "Red Lips" were intended as a narrative of the emotional breakdown of "a very specific person or a type [that] always made me feel uncomfortable".

[1] In October 2012, DJ Com Truise released a synth-pop remix of "Red Lips", which a writer for Fact felt complimented the songs on his debut studio album Galactic Melt (2011).

Writing for Consequence of Sound, Tony Hardy offered a favorable review and appreciated the grunge music elements seen throughout the track, despite opining that its parent extended play Ghost (2012) lacked a creative focus.

[8] Michael Cragg from The Guardian recognized the track as a "welcome return for Sky Ferreira", and compared it to the works of the band Garbage, which songwriter Shirley Manson is a member of.

[15] The clip sees Ferreira, dressed in underwear, applying lipstick on her entire face, and is interspersed with footage of its co-star, the spider "Toby the Tarantula", crawling across her body.

"[16] Becky Bain from Idolator stated that the appearance of Toby the Tarantula was "somehow nowhere near as disconcerting as the image of Sky, looking washed out with platinum hair against a white background, crazily painting her face with a tube of red lipstick.