INKBLOT: be a makeup champion.: "Heels and red lipstick will put the fear of God into people."

A post on red lipstick was requested of me. Red lipstick is what got me into this whole mess, and red lipstick always seems to the bar even the most daring makeup mavens aspire to (someday). Your wish is my command. Also, while some people were watching cartoons after school I was watching Cindy Crawford on Oprah show the guests how to fellate their finger after lipstick application so they didn't get it on their teeth, so I guess I am just predisposed to this kind of nonsense.

Remember in the days of dial up, when you would post something on a message board and people would flip out of if there were photos and you didn't put a PIC HEAVY warning on it? I laugh in the face of PIC HEAVY warnings.

These are all of my red lipsticks, lined up like little soldiers, on the bathroom counter. One two three four HUT one two three four.

This is my grandma, proving that I am genetically predisposed to be glamorous.

This is me with naked lips, and I feel naked. My boss at work told my eyebrows looked perfect the other day and I was so lucky, and I said, "Thanks, drew them on myself!" No shame. Never any shame.

Note: all photos were taken in the most natural light I could find, and the only photo editing I did was to exposure and brightness to emulate how they really look in person as much as I could. You will also notice that I had no desire to have some kind of uniform blow up doll look because it's not my style, I save that for the professionals. I am also a very neutral cool when it comes to skin tone, so people who find themselves at any extreme may have a hard time. Also of note, the close up picture is a truer representation of the picture in all cases.

Let me start with Sephora The Red, which I bought for $12 USD and have never actually worn before this blog post:

It is a deep, true red, with bluish undertones, but when I put it on I could tell why Sephora would call it The Red. It is The Red some people spend years looking for and never find. Their formula isn't bad, either. It is moisturizing; I am not sure how much wear you would get out of it but it did go on a little heavy so it didn't seem like it would be gone in an hour.

Nars Pure Matte, Mascate:

This is another deep red, more brick red than The Red, in a matte formula. I put on lip balm before using pretty much any matte lipstick, but especially the Nars Pure Matte and the MAC retro matte formulations. I prefer semi mattes (most of MAC's mattes are really more on the semi matte side) because these are so drying that I end up with dried, flaking lips because my lips tend to be on the dry side to begin with and while I can use clear Lip Glass or other clear gloss over the top of the lipstick, that makes the lipstick prone to bleeding, even with lip liner.

Nars Pure Matte, Vesuvio:

Vesuvio is a mid-tone red, not as bricky as Mascate and not as blue as The Red while still being a lot more blue than some of the alternatives, but still bringing all the problems of a true matte formula.

Nars Semi Matte, Jungle Red:

To me, this looks like the semi-matte version of Vesuvio. Nars Semi Matte lipsticks wear well; I would have more but the price tag ($26 USD) and also they have less colors than several other brands other there.

Nars Semi Matte, Heat Wave:

This is the same formula as Jungle Red, but more of an orange undertone, but not so orange that it ends up and orange-red or (in my opinion) would be unflattering on a wide range of skin tones. It certainly looks more orange when I wear orange, but if I don't, it looks more red.

Onto the MAC...I will start with two of my favorite colors but my least favorite formula: the retro matte.

MAC Ruby Woo:


I just LOOK unhappy, don't I?

Ruby Woo is supposed to (like the next lipstick) be flattering on all skin tones, and I think it does that pretty well. I love the color. If you want a lipstick with 8 hours of wear, the retro matte is your formula, hands down (and just your luck, the RiRi Hearts MAC collection drops online this week with two more retro matte lipsticks and there are eight more dropping this fall). I can't get through the day without some Lip Glass over it because my lips start peeling from being so dried out. I also have dry mouth problems from medications, so this is a problem I have to begin with (full disclosure, it is only fair) so that might not be a problem for someone who isn't me.

MAC RiRi Woo:

The color is similar to RiRi Woo, but RiRi Woo's more pronounced blue undertones are very obvious to me. I am almost much happier wearing this one, maybe because I remembered to put lip balm on before apply so it didn't tug and drag on my lips.

MAC MAC Red:

MAC Red is a Satin lipstick. It has a good color payoff and tries to an almost semi matte finish, but being that I already consider MAC's matte finishes to be already more of a semi matte finish than matte, this could get confusing. This is more of a pink-red than any of the other reds I own, and yesterday's blog post had be proclaiming I did not like it, but these photos have me rethinking that.

MAC Lady Danger:

Lady Danger is a matte finish, but goes on creamy and is a red-orange. It is similar to So Chaud, the lipstick that will follow, and if you aren't a junkie, having both would probably be superfluous. They are similar to Nars Heat Wave, but more orange.

MAC So Chaud:

Not much commentary on this one because it is very similar to Lady Danger. Matte finish, red-orange, goes on creamy. We loves it.

MAC Chili:

Chili it aptly named. After going through all these other lipsticks and putting this one one, it seemed very brown. It is still a pronounced red, but it seems to have more brown undertones than I originally thought. I think it is a unique color, but matte finish, creamy application, love.

MAC Russian Red:

Russian Red is a matte finish, has blue undertones but is similar to Sephora The Red while being lighter in tone. I find the color a little similar to RiRi Woo, but not as universally wearable.

MAC Lady Bug:

This is one of the few reds available in the Lustre finish. A lot of people don't like Lustres because they are not long lasting, but they are low impact when it comes to color so can be a a way to dip your metaphorical toe into the pool to test the temperature. I also have Cockney which is a Lustre, but in all the reds, forgot to swatch it. It looks about the same but has some glitter so it doesn't go on as smoothly; I don't see any glitter when I wear it and just bought it because its name is Cockney and I am 12.

The next three are from the Limited Edition Marilyn Monroe Collection, but that has been released once, so who knows what MAC will do in the future and if there are dupes out there, go for it.

MAC Charmed I'm Sure:

I. Love. This. Red. One of the artists at my local MAC counter describes it as a raspberry red, and it is as close to a good description as I can get. It is a deep and full red that has a berry tinge to it without it being so much of a berry tinge that you can really put your finger on it. It is a matte finish.

MAC Deeply Adored:

I love this one too. I love them all. This could be described as a darker version of Charmed I'm Sure, but I think it is also a little bit more berry toned as well. Also a matte finish.

MAC Scarlet Ibis:

This red is very orange in person, bordering on being an orange-red as opposed to a red-orange. It is (in my opinion) more orange than Lady Danger or So Chaud, though close.

I am also throwing in a Revlon Lip Butter in Candy Apple because that is a good way to work your way from the world of gloss into the world of lipstick and it is also not overwhelming as far as color goes, so you won't look in the mirror and go OH GOD WHAT IS THAT (which is basically what happens to me when I look in the mirror without lipstick these days...so I know the feeling).