Sep 12, 2016 This deep red shade is so unique that it is one of the top MAC Red lipsticks for all skin tones. 3) MAC Satin Red Lipstick- Price: Rs.1500 If drying formulas like Matte and Retro Matte scare you, then this MAC Satin lipstick is for you. MAC Red is a true red color and looks beautiful on Indian and olive skin tones. Its creamy formula glides on. MAC Authentic Red Lipstick ($17.00 for 0.10 oz.) is a medium-dark ruby red with cooler undertones and fine, red pearl paired with a natural sheen–a little shine but not truly glossy. The consistency was denser and lightly tacky, so the bullet dragged a bit as it applied but moved more readily as the warmth of my lips melted the lipstick.
I fell in love with red lipstick in my university years, around when I started to dance Tango. Coincidence? I think not, ha!
With my two newest purchases on the trip, I had an urge to just pull out all of the red lipsticks in my stash and really assess how these shades compare and contrast. M thinks I'm insane since they are all reds (or as he says — red, red, red, RED!!!). But I think each red I own is pretty distinct and definitely satisfies different moods/occasions/seasons.
My first attempt at swatching — hopefully the lighting works.
Bright reds (from left to right): NARS velvet matte pencil in Dragon Girl, NARS semi matte in Jungle Red, MAC retro matte in Ruby Woo, NARS pure matte in Vesuvio.
Dragon Girl has a bit of pink to it: I don't have another red that runs this pink, and it gives a great brightness to the complexion. Jungle Red and Ruby Woo are both true reds with Ruby Woo being a bit more rich due to the ultra matte formula. It is the most dense of these four lipsticks and has a harsh edge to the texture that I love. Jungle Red is new for me and I have been wearing it a few days — although it is can be worn as a full on red, it can also be easily toned down for an easy-going look. Vesuvio is a lovely bright red that doesn't lean too pink or blue or orange that has a smooth creamy look to it. It is close in color to Ruby Woo but doesn't have the extremely matte texture.
Deep reds (left to right): MAC matte in Russian Red, MAC matte in Chili, NARS semi-matte in Red Lizard.
My favorite reds are these deep reds. Russian Red and Chili are two non-drugstore lipsticks I owned and for a long time (in college), I only had these two reds. Russian Red is a blue toned deep red that has a lovely depth to the finish. This was THE red I wore to special events and fancy milongas throughout graduate school. This was also my go-to wedding lipstick. Chili is a brick with brown and orange tones. It is quite flattering to my skin tone but not so deep or bright that I was afraid of wearing it. I definitely wore this color a lot more often right when I started to wear red lipstick — eased my way into wearing more daring colors. Red Lizard was my very first NARS lipstick, bought blind online based only on swatches online. It also leans blue and is less dense than Russian Red. I find it less matte and more buildable than Russian Red, meaning I can wear it sheer or full on.
And the dark reds (left to right): MAC Viva Glam I, NARS semi-matte in Fire Down Below, NARS pure matte in Mascate, Urban Decay Gravity.
I like dark reds for the winter months (of which there are many both where I live now and where I did my graduate studies). They give a vampieness without being too purple or black (I'm not a fan of purple toned lipsticks). Viva Glam I is another one that I've owned for a while and it has been a staple for visiting pubs. It is easier to wear than Russian Red or Ruby Woo, but has the same richness in texture and color. It leans brown, which takes some of the edge off of the red. It is also less matte than my other MAC lippies.
Fire down below is a wonderful new addition to my collection. It has (as will be later described) the same blood red tone that is not too blue and not too orange as an old old favorite of mine, Revlon's Blackberry, but in a matte formula. I think I shall be wearing this very often for dinners and girls' night out this winter.
Mascate is another newer lipstick in my pile, and is a beautiful blue toned deep red, cooler toned than Viva Glam I or Fire Down Below. I'm loving this color, and think it is becoming a fast favorite.
Lastly, Urban Decay's Gravity — the only Urban Decay lippie I own. It is a deep berry red shade that is still most definitely red. It is also not matte, and has subtle red shimmer through it. This doesn't have the richness of the other matte colors and is super easy to wear. I use this more often during the day and to work, especially nearing the winter holiday season.
Three of my 'other' red lippies (left to right): NYX round lipstick in Snow White, NYX jumbo lip pencil in Deep Red, Rock & Republic lip gloss in Cougar
Snow White was also an earlier lipstick of mine that has seen a lot of use. It is a deep brown red with a cream texture that could be easily sheered out. I love to wear it as a stain. Deep Red was a newer purchase — it runs a bit less brown than snow white. doesn't quite float my boat the way my other deep lipsticks do, but it was a cheapie. I might gift this to someone wanting to try red lipsticks. And my only red lip gloss, from R&R. I ordered this on a whim, since I think the highlight of R&R cosmetics are their blushes. Turns out this is the only way I would actually wear a glossy red lip — a red that is a tad on the warm side with opaque color and a shine that's not too much.
In swatches on my arm, from left to right, first photo without flash and second with flash: NARS Dragon Girl, NARS Jungle Red, MAC Ruby Woo, NARS Vesuvio, MAC Russian Red, MAC Chili, NARS Red Lizard, MAC Viva Glam I, NARS Fire Down Below, NARS Mascate, Urban Decay Gravity, NYX Snow White, NYX Deep red, R&R Cougar.
Mac Red Rock Lipstick Swatches Eyeshadow
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Now I do some comparison swatches with drugstore lipsticks. The big difference is that almost all of the drugstore lippies I have are creamy while my MAC and NARS lipsticks are all matte or semi-matte. This makes a huge difference in application — while I do need to do the liner, lip brush, blot-powder-blot, apply again dance with my drugstore lipsticks, I generally do much less for the MAC and NARS lipsticks.
I don't even know if this is still sold, but one of my favorite drugstore red lippies is Milani's moist matte lipstick in Do The Mango. That is the furthest left swatch in the photos below, next to MAC Chili. These colors are very close, with Chili being just a bit richer. This is not an accident — I got the Milani lipstick because I was losing lipsticks at parties and wanted a cheapie one I didn't mind losing. I would do my makeup at home with the MAC lipstick and take the Milani with me to retouch.
On the far right are two swatches, Revlon's Super Lustrous lipstick in Blackberry on the left and NARS Fire Down Below on the right. Blackberry was the very first red lipstick I owned and I kept re-purchasing that one because I love the color. My only gripe with it is that being a creamy color, it tends to slip a bit and I needed to work to make it stay put. Which is why I am so happy to find Fire Down Below. If this goes on like the other NARS semi-matte lipsticks I own, I may have found a much less fussy lipstick that has the same deep blood red color of Blackberry.
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Now I do some comparison swatches with drugstore lipsticks. The big difference is that almost all of the drugstore lippies I have are creamy while my MAC and NARS lipsticks are all matte or semi-matte. This makes a huge difference in application — while I do need to do the liner, lip brush, blot-powder-blot, apply again dance with my drugstore lipsticks, I generally do much less for the MAC and NARS lipsticks.
I don't even know if this is still sold, but one of my favorite drugstore red lippies is Milani's moist matte lipstick in Do The Mango. That is the furthest left swatch in the photos below, next to MAC Chili. These colors are very close, with Chili being just a bit richer. This is not an accident — I got the Milani lipstick because I was losing lipsticks at parties and wanted a cheapie one I didn't mind losing. I would do my makeup at home with the MAC lipstick and take the Milani with me to retouch.
On the far right are two swatches, Revlon's Super Lustrous lipstick in Blackberry on the left and NARS Fire Down Below on the right. Blackberry was the very first red lipstick I owned and I kept re-purchasing that one because I love the color. My only gripe with it is that being a creamy color, it tends to slip a bit and I needed to work to make it stay put. Which is why I am so happy to find Fire Down Below. If this goes on like the other NARS semi-matte lipsticks I own, I may have found a much less fussy lipstick that has the same deep blood red color of Blackberry.
In the middle, I swatched two Revlon Super Lustrous lipsticks next to a MAC and NARS (from left to right): Revlon Fire & Ice, MAC Ruby Woo, NARS Jungle Red, Revlon Love That Red.
Red Rock Casino
Fire & Ice is very unique in color and I don't own any other lipsticks like it. However, it is a bit fussy and I don't wear it often. Love That Red is almost a cherry red that also stands out from the other reds. I had problems with this one sliding and bleeding, so I have not worn it for quite some time.
