I love red lipstick, like love. To quote Gwen Stefani when she first tried on red lipstick "Uh-huh, I like that. That's the sh*t right there." I love lipstick in general--but red, swoon. Now that you have an idea of how much I like lipstick, you also need to know that the only thing I love more than red lipstick is a great, inexpensive, red lipstick. So that's what I'm going to be rambling on about today.
I must admit that for someone who claims to love red lipstick so much, I don't really own a crazy amount of red lipstick. I own thirteen of them. Okay so to some it might sound like a lot, but to me, it isn't too crazy a number.
They are all drugstore lipsticks and range from $2.00 to the $9, $10 range depending where you are buying. My red lipstick collection includes lipsticks from Avon, Revlon, Wet n Wild, Essence, Rimmel and NYX. I will be showing you swatches on my arm and on my lips (which for reference aren't very pigmented, and I have NW20-25 skin, light medium skin tone). I will also give a brief review on each, and I will make another post to help you find the red for your skin tone (although personally I think anyone can wear any shade and look great).
above: natural light/below: with flash
left to right (same on both): 1. Revlon Matte Strawberry Suede, 2. Revlon Fire and Ice, 3. Avon Red Rules, 4. Avon Rich Ruby, 5. Avon Poppy Love, 6. Wet n Wild Purty Persimmon, 7. WnW Red Velvet, 8. WnW Stoplight Red, 9. WnW Cherry Picking, 10. WnW Cherry Bomb, 11. Essence Silky Red, 12. NYX Pure Red, 13. Rimmel 111 Kiss of Life
bare lips for reference
1. Revlon Matte Strawberry Suede (Matte): Unfortunately this shade has been discontinued. I first picked up this shade when Lisa Eldridge was raving about it. She mentioned it to be a subtle red, great for beginners. To be honest I've never really been afraid of wearing bright lipstick. Most (nearly all) of my lipsticks are bright colors, but I decided to get this one because it is simply stunning, and very unique. Although it is discontinued, you can buy it here, but of course it will be quite pricey. I bought mine off of Amazon for about $7 about ha;f a year ago. Now I think it goes for about $9 including shipping (which isn't bad). The consistency is great, opaque enough by the first swipe, saturated color by the second. The color is sort off a velvety, bleached kind of red, pinky, peachy, very unique color. Definitely a must have.
2. Revlon Superlustrous Fire and Ice (Satin): I always do my research before buying anything and apparently this shade has been around since the early 1950's, and with good reason. This shade tends to look different on everyone, on cool skin tones it tends to look pinky, on yellow/neutral undertones it will look more orangey. On me it pulls kind of pinky. I like it, and I do think its a nice base line red, but it's not my favorite of the bunch. The finish is satin and pigmentation is good, but I do prefer matte. Longevity of these is meh. About $8.
3. Avon Ultra Color Rich Red Rules (Matte): Although this particular color hasn't been discontinued, the formula/product has changed. I have the old formulation, and since I haven't tried the new one I can't really compare. As for the product, I love it. I love Avon's matte lipsticks (old), I think they are great in all aspects; pigmentation, longevity, comfort, and finish. This was my first red lipstick and its which set the bar pretty high from the start. Its a darker brick red, no orangey or pink tones, just straight up red. Kind of reminds me of a darker version of Max's lipstick on Two Broke Girls. You can order online or through a representative for about $6 (when on sale).
4. Avon Ultra Color Rich Rich Ruby (Matte): A lovely, matte pinky red. Very similar to MAC Ruby Woo. I think this particular color suits everyone. Same as previously mentioned, great pigmentation, longevity (might have to touch up after meals), and comfort (might dry out already dry lips). About $6.
5. Avon Ultra Color Rich Poppy Love (Satin): Oh love of my life! Although this isn't matte, it is definitely one of my all time favorites. Its an orange red, amazing for yellow undertones. Its a satin, and as the day progresses it sinks into the lips and ends up having a demi matte finish. I love this lipstick year round ( I don't really care for season rules, I'll wear orange in the winter if I want to) but its especially nice during the hot months (in California that means February though October) with wavy hair and just mascara. Aca-mazing. $6.
6. Wet n Wild Megalast Purty Persimmon (Matte): This baby is new to my collection. This is definitely borderline orange, which is perfect for this summer. I've been wanting an orange lipstick ever since I saw it on the runways, but I didn't want to buy an expensive one in case I didn't like it. I like the Wet n Wild Megalast formula (with the exception of the lighter shades) so I picked this one up and I really do like it, and I like pair it with just mascara and strong brows. Longevity on these is great, I didn't really need to touch up after lunch, but for the same reason some people find it kind of drying. I personally don't. $2
7. Wet n Wild Megalast Red Velvet (Matte): I bought this one the same time I bought Purty Persimmon (above) and I really like it. Its closer to actualy primary red though it does lean on the pinkier side (in the photo below it doesn't look as red as it does in person, but it is slightly pinkey). This is a near exact dupe for MAC Ruby Woo and once it's on the lips the difference is not noticeable. Definitely a great alternative for the $16 lipstick. Longevity and color pay off are excellent (as mentioned above). $2
8. Wet n Wild Megalast Stoplight Red (Matte): Hands down one of the best reds I own. Perfect neutral red shade (leans cool tone) which is why I think it will suit a lot of different skin tones. There's not much I can say except its one of my absolute favorites. Definitely recommend you try it out for about $2.
9. Wet n Wild Megalast Cherry Picking (Matte): Wasn't sure if this counted as a red but decided to include it anyway. Nice deep pinky red. $2
10. Wet n Wild Megalast Cherry Bomb (Matte): I also didn't know if should include this or not but I love this lipstick so I decided to show it only in the arm swatches (same with Cherry Picking). its a great color to pair with a cat eye or winged liner. Very Lorde-esque. $2
11. Essence Stay Matt Lip Cream Silky Red (Matte): Love, love, love!. I own this one and the pink one and I love both of them. I do wish they were brighter (the brighter the better!) but they are great none the less. Opaque, matte but not drying finish, with slightly above meh longevity. I can get 4-5 hours out of these before I feel the need to touch up. It does transder though.
12. NYX Matte Lipsick Pure Red (Matte): My absolute favorite out of all of them. Its a tomato red that will suit yellow undertones particularly well. Matte finish, non drying, superb pigmentation, its a surprise I don't own any other lipsticks from this line. If there's one of these that you want to know you should definitely get, its this one. (But if you have cool undertones I highly recommend Stoplight Red from the WnW Megalast line, #8) $6
13. Rimmel London Kate Moss Matte 111 Kiss of Life (Matte): This one is also new to my collection and I'd say its runner up to my favorite lipstick, NYX Pure Red. It smell like tamarind candy, which is weird, but I love the color, a warm red. Finish isn't completely matte, I'd say its more velvety, demi matte, but I love it none the less. I would also highly recommend this one. $6
Phew. That was a lot. Hope this was helpful and hopefully you've discovered a new lipstick to add to your collection, or maybe decided to try out lipstick in general. I hope you try one (or all) of these out and rock them. Until next time, M. ♥
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