MAC lipsticks are probably the most famous item of their massive makeup range and the one item that you instantly think of when someone mentions MAC. My makeup collection consists of lots of lipsticks and generally speaking, MAC is my go-to brand, due to their vast colour collection and the variety of finishes that they offer. Although Maxfactor's tagline is "The Makeup of Makeup Artists", it would really be better applied to MAC, as I've yet to come across a Makeup Artist who doesn't rave about the range and have a box stocked to the brim with hundreds of pots of MAC colour. The colour is the real selling point of the range: unlike other brands, they focus all of their energy on makeup rather than sidelining in skincare, which means that the sheer variety of colour extends to every shade of the rainbow, however weird or wonderful.
When it comes to lipstick I love the retro look - if I want a modern look I tend to go for gloss, so on the occasions when I use lipstick I like the colour to be bold, matte and retro and MAC's matte lipsticks are perfect for recreating this look. The classic 1940's look of vivid scarlett, ultra matte lips has become very fashionable again thanks to Dita von Teese and her classic use of retro styling. MAC's Ruby Woo shade is loved all over the world by women looking to recreate that look and is a fabulous blue based deep red shade.
The packaging is iconic - a black bullet shaped tube with silver edging. I love that unlike lots of other lipstick cases, these are really durable and don't get scratched when carrying around in your handbag so look just as good when you come to the end of the lipstick as they did at the start. Each lipstick contains 3g of product.
The colour of Ruby Woo is fantastic - it's that perfect vintage '40s look, a blue based red that looks stunning against pale or olive skin but is best avoided by anyone with yellow undertones. The matte texture is fantastic - it's so matte that it feels like scraping chalk against your lips and the colour looks absolutely stunning and very dramatic. Like all MAC lipsticks, the colour is highly pigmented and lasts for ages on the lips. With such a vibrant colour, it's important to get the application just right to get that really finished look - I would recommend a primer for the lips, to prevent staining or bleeding and to ensure the colour lasts, as well as a lipliner, again to prevent bleeding and for definition. I really recommend MAC's Cherry lipliner which is a perfect match for Ruby Woo.
As with most matte lipsticks, I do find that Ruby Woo can feel quite drying on the lips but a good primer reduces this. Without the primer and lipliner, it can have a tendency to bleed, so this really is one for that really 'made-up' look and certainly not for low maintainance girls!
At £12, this isn't the cheapest lipstick out there, but for a deep red it's important to invest in something that is good quality, and this is definitely the best quality for the price that I've come across.
Back to MAC
MAC's Back to MAC program is also a great bonus for me - for every 6 empty MAC items you return to the store, you will get a free lipstick! You can't say fairer than that! My only worry at the moment is that I've heard rumours that MAC's recycling companyin the UK have gone bust and they are gradually trying to withdraw the B2M programme so if you have any empties lying around get them in now!
Ingredients
For those who need to know, the ingredients in MAC lipsticks are: castor oil, trioctydodecyl citrate, glyceryl triacetyl hydroxysterate, candellla wax, octydodecanol, silica, jojoba oil, beeswax, sesame oil, ozokerite, carnauba wax, cetyl ricinoleate, microcrystalline wax, ascorbyl palmitate, tocopherol, vanillin
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