Product review - M.A.C. Russian Red lipstick



Well, this review is a bit off the beaten path. Russian Red is not by any means "Champagne Beauty on a Beer Budget" Its champagne beauty alright, but with a $15 price tag its not beer budget, at least not for me. 
 This lipstick costs only a buck or two less than my whole makeup regime combined. Is it worth it? Well, I would be here doing this review if it wasn't.

Russian Red is a very iconic lipstick, and for good reason. This lipstick is a beautiful true, blue based, classic, elegant red. It could work on many skin tones, as I feel it does lean  a bit torward neutral. Its not a bright red, which I do tend to prefer a bit more, but its not a deep brownish , or blood red either.

Its creamy and very pigmented. It applies like a dream, so smooth and easy. It feels very light and even though its matte its not drying. On me it last all day. If I am having a long evening I may touch up after dinner or before going out but for the most part,  for me, its really not needed. The color stays true - all day, never fading out or turning  fushia, cherry or orange. If you do need to reapply it never feels heavy.

 This is one of those red lipsticks that go with a cute little colorful sundress,  jeans and a tee, or your most elegant evening gown. It also looks good with either a cat eye, neutral eyes or even a very soft smokey eye. I do red lips every single day and I can wear Russian Red every day if I wanted.

 I have found this has a faint sweet vanilla scent but no "lipsticky" taste.


I have read many many posts about drugstore dupes for Russian red.  Sorry, the ones I have tried will NOT replace Russian Red. I will address some of them. Please note, all of these lipsticks are not bad lipsticks, I actually like, even own and wear them, but they are NOT Russian Red

N.Y.C. Retro Red  .99 cents - Much, much more orange than Russian Red, different texture- its a bit creamier. However, the color payoff just as good and it stay true. NOTE- if your willing to experiment you can mix Retro red with NYC Sheer Red and  get a damn close color match for Russian red for $2.00, of course wear time and texture will be nowhere as close.

Covergirl Hot- This has been my go to lipstick since I've been on my red kick. I really like this lipstick. However its far from perfect. Compared to Russian Red the staying power is the same, maybe even better.  ( I demand long wearing lipstick, I HATE to have to touch up all the time) The texture is close but Hot is heavier and thicker feeeling. Hot has a comparable but much stronger scent. Also my biggest problem with Hot is that it does not stay true. It goes on a poppy red and as the day wears on it turns more cherry red. If you touch up it can feel a bit heavy. In terms of actual shade Hot is still blue based but its brighter and while still fairly neutral it pulls coral/poppy red. The shade is NOT a classic red like Russian red.

Wet-n-Wild Stoplight red- Now this is always mentioned as an exact dupe for MAC Ruby Woo (Russian Reds sister which now I am itching to buy - argghhh!)). However, if I had to pick out of all of them, I think this the closest to Russian Red, its not an exact clor match (none are) but it is a blue based red,  just a brighter and truer classic red. Swatched on skin Russian red looks browner than both this and Hot. However,  Stoplight Red feels the same and stays true.  Its nowhere near as stay put as Russian Red but its only 2 dollars and its a great little lipstick.

I have to give mention to Revlon. I do not own any Revlon lipsticks so cannot make a true call but I have seen so many posts that claim Revlons matte Really Red and the super lusturous Certainly Red are good dupes for Russian Red, so they may be worth checking out.


All in all I am glad I splurged and bought Russian Red. I ordered directly from MAC and it was free shipping and I got it in 3 days. Not bad. Now $15 bucks, in my opinion, a bit overpriced, but it is a fantastic lipstick and I will reorder when I have a bit of extra money to treat myself. Its worth it to have in your red lipstick collection.

Finding the perfect red lipstick - Part 3



 Well , we have come to part three of finding the perfect red lipstick. Unfortunately , my super cheapy finds have not worked perfectly for me.

Oh, some could work, but when it comes to lipstick (especially red lipstick) I am very, very picky.

Therefore, I have moved on to more expensive, yet still reasonable drugstore lipstick finds.

My two favorite are L'oreal's  "British Red " and Covergirls "Hot."

Now, both run about $6.00 to $8.00 at most places. Walmart is the cheapest. These lipsticks are much more expensive than what I would normally look at. I got "Hot"  for around $3.00 because its about $6.00 at Walmart and I had a  $3.00 off  coupon."British Red" still cost me $7.00 with a  $1.00 off  coupon at Rite-Aid. 

Both of these lipsticks are easily found at most mass market retailers or drugstores. Many drugstores like Rite-aid or Walgreens offer a b.o.g.o 50% off  often.   Quite often I have found Hot sold out at many places .

"British Red" from L'oreal is a gorgeous, creamy, lightweight, non-drying,  shiny, satin finish corally red.  I LOVE THIS SHADE. It makes me feel "rich" and sophisticated.  However, it can pull orangey and is not a true red (in my opinion). Also, it is not long wearing enough for me. You need to apply this multipe times and touch up often to maintain its richness. Since I am used to wearing matte lipsticks this is a bit to  "sheer" and glossy for me, even though I love the lightweight non-drying  feeling of it. If this was a .99 cent to a $2.00 lipstick I might deal with the downfalls but not for $7.00. Sorry. I am way cheap and really, really hard to please. I want RED but am not willing to be high mainteance to look high maintenace. HAA!! (and it is possible)!



Covergirl's "Hot". Well, this  baby is my (so far) all time winner for  cheap red lipsticks.  Why? well, its rich, creamy, dries to a long lo-o-ong lasting matte, yet non-drying finish. I can literally apply this in the morning an never touch up. I mean never (14 hrs). The color is great. Pat Mcgrath, the makeup artist for Covergirl, used this on 40+ different models in a spring 2013 fashion show. (sorry, I don't remember which one).  I  figured if 40+ models of all different skin tones could wear it so could I. Taylor Swift also uses this color. Plus, I have read its a close dupe to the famous MAC Russian Red.


Now, "Hot " does have a few downfalls. First, it doesn't seem true to shade all the time. Let me explain. On me it applies a vibrant poppy, yet still neutral, red. ( Its a blue red with a hint of coral).   However, sometimes it can set up as a more cherry red (more truly cool blue based). Its sort off odd, but I still think it can work for alot of skin tones. If I apply it very heavy it seems to stay true to the poppy shade (which I prefer). But, applied heavily it can bleed  (badly)and get on teeth. This lipstick is creamy but very heavy.  It also stains. I mean  it stains badly. I have to scrub, scrub , scrub my lips to remove it all and sometimes I wake up in the morning and my husband says "You forgot to take off your lipstick last night".  I love longlasting lipsticks and have gotten used to the stain other than the fact it can be drying and if you don't remove it before the next application the next application won't go on evenly or true.

All in all, Covergirl's "Hot" is my go to drugstore red lipstick. I own 3 tubes (so far), wear it every single day, and only stock up when its on sale and with coupons. Despite its downfalls it is a fix it and forget it high impact lipstick, which is what I want.


 Someday I may really splurge and buy the famous MAC Russian Red or Ruby -Woo ( That wouldn't be very beer budget of me now would it) but for now Hot is my perfect red lipstick.