Color Series - Reds: A Ravishing Duo

I touched a little on red lipsticks in my About Face post and since Christmas is practically around the corner, I figured I would follow up with a little color series featuring the shade.  I have a few eyeshadows and nail polishes I'd like to share with you, but first we're going to start with the lipsticks.

The two lippies I have for you are both warm, or more what I would call "tomato-like" in shade.  They are not as blue-based as, for instance, MAC's Ruby Woo.  These warmer shades fit my complexion better than the blue-based, cooler ones.  

MAC's Russian Red

MAC's Russian Red is a warm and beautiful, robust red.  I love this lipstick.  It retails for about $15.  I would also, however, like to offer an adequate alternative to Russian for those that may desire one with Revlon's Certainly Red, which retails for about $8.

Certainly Red is part of Revlon's Super Lustrous lipstick line.  It is rich, full of opaque color and leaves a nice sheen/shine on the lips. 

MAC's Russian on the left, Revlon's Certainly on the right.

In a side-by-side comparison, Russian seems to look slightly darker or deeper in color.  Other than that, I would say that they are pretty comparable in shade.

Revlon's Certainly above, MAC's Russian below.

In direct sunlight: Revlon's Certainly above, MAC's Russian below.

Although MAC describes Russian Red as a matte, it is definitely not a flat matte lipstick.  As you can see from the pic above, it has almost as much sheen as the glossier Certainly Red.

There are many, many options out there for donning a red lip, from drugstore options like Revlon and CoverGirl to higher end brands like Make Up For Ever, MAC and Bobbi Brown.  Red lips are often considered sexy by the viewer and empowering by the wearer.  It is a bold, unapologetic color that has been known to dictate moods as well as attitudes and once you figure out what shade is right for you - cooler vs. warmer - you can really have fun with it.  I've shied away from its power for long enough... and now I'm ready to rock it unabashedly.

**Next up: an Urban red that cuts deep...