I bought MAC lipstick in Russian Red without meaning to (as with a lot of things I have bought).  I went into the MAC Pro store off Carnaby Street to pick up something else and the SA serving me was wearing Russian Red.  I had to ask her what she was wearing straight away because it looked that good.  And then I bought it.


I would probably have more MAC lipsticks if they changed their packaging.  There is no polite way to say it - the tubes look like tampons.  But MAC does terrific reds.


Russian Red is a matte blue based red and goes on very opaque.  Best applied with a lip brush and matching lip liner under (although I don't do the lip liner myself because I'm just lazy).  Do a base stain layer then blot with a tissue, and re-apply.  This way you won't get weird looking lips after you've been eating/drinking/kissing. (Although kissing in red lipstick is to be discouraged until the end of the night unless you want both of you to look like a mess).

And because it is a matte lipstick, it is VERY drying. Remember to prep your lips (exfoliate + lip balm) before applying this.  But I put up with it because I love the colour.

Russian Red has been approved by one of my ex-boyfriends.  He's very fashion conscious/metro and has a view on everything, including makeup.  He knows the importance of finding a red lipstick that matches your skin tone.  To this he said "HOT".  And I think this red lipstick will suit a lot of different skin tones.  So there you go.