Oh M.A.C!

I love you I really do. You give me options with and without shimmer, your "Red" shade is my personal holy grail. You are somewhat reasonably priced, and your products are consistently pigmented enough for me to trust you on and off camera.

Here's the rub. You consistently break out my clients. Lipstick and liners are the worst. At first I thought it was me, not you. Had I somehow gotten sloppy with my hygiene? Not a chance. Old products? Nope.
My Ben Nye, Mehron, and Kryolan don't break clients out. MUFE doesn't break my clients out. Cinema Secrets has never so much as given me a single blackhead, no matter how many times I came home from the club and passed out in it.
WTF M.A.C.?!

I took you home! I let my parents meet you! I sometimes think you like my friends better than you like me. I thought we had a future together, M.A.C!
How could you betray me like this?

I'd been on the hunt for a while and tried all of the HG red's that people swear by, Russian Red, Ruby Woo, etc. Unfortunately, I found them too matte or too orangey, making me look like a clown. Finally, I decided to try MAC Viva Glam I. I liked it, but it still wasn't giving me that pop of bright red that I was craving. After viewing a blog post where the girl who was featured had just the color I was searching for, I decided to try MAC M.A.C. Red. It is fabulous! Definitely not for the faint of heart, but certainly makes a statement.

I just B2M'd for this and I'm in love with it. Perfect blue-based red. Lovely texture, doesn't feel at all drying on my lips, and is fairly long lasting. I'd recommend everyone to use MAC's Cherry lipliner with it, it matches perfectly.

Me: NC15, blue eyes, brown hair

I'm not a big fan of most blue-based reds, as I find they tend to look very 1990's, and slightly less bold and poppy than coral-based ones. However, MAC Red seems to be one of the exceptions to this rule. On the recommendation of a MAC makeup artist, I purchased this red. It is an absolutely perfect, bold, bright color. Wear a lip liner underneath (I use MAC's Redd), shading in all of your lip just in case this wears off. That being said, I find this red to be quite long wearing. Though it does smudge easily (make sure to keep concealer in your bag in case you need any touch ups), the pigmentation isn't lost with wear. I find that, even after rubbing my lips for a minute with a sopping wet washcloth, a very small bit of the red pigment remains on my lips. This lipstick made it through drinks, kisses, and three hours in a mosh pit without losing its general pigment.

Unfortunately, the lipstick is slightly drying, especially when used in conjunction with a lip shaded in with lip liner. Its smudge-factor is irritating, making a lip brush and concealer two necessary accessories for application. It also rubs off quite easily, and due to its pigmented nature, is not that easy to remove from unwanted areas of the face.

Bottom line: Brilliant colour and longevity, in a shade that is especially stunning on very dark and very light skin tones. Be careful when applying the lipstick, and ensure your lips are very well moisturized beforehand and afterwards.

This is a gorgeous blue-toned red satin lipstick. I'm an NC 30 with MAC and this looks amazing on me. I love using MAC's Cherry lip liner with it to make it last longer.

I just bought this a few weeks ago and agin I LOVE IT! I have big lips and fair skin so it looks great on me! i was never one to wear bright colors but I tried this on and I fell inlove. this is defintly a lipstick you can wear day or night.

when I bought this I wasn't really sure about it. It has a satin finish and bluish undertones making it perfect for tanned skin (when I bought it) however when I removed the tanning bronzer and tried it again at home it really didn't go well with my pale NW15 face. even more so when I compared it to my other reds from MAC and make up forever that had a matte finish.
needless to say I thought I just wasted good money on something I'd never use... UNTIL a friend got me some black lipstick as a gift. now by doing black on the outer corners and MAC redd on the middle I turn heads no matter where I go!
I also noticed it gives my orange (yes I have orange lipsticks!) a sexy touch when applied over them. it's turned into my fav. multitasking lippy! would totally re-purchase this one!

So I walked into house of fraser with no intention of buyin makeup but I somehow magically found myself at the mac counter *hides face* I'm tryin on diff lipsticks and the mA suggested I tried this one on. I appled it, she put some powder on my face and 2 ladies looking around saw my face and bought it. That's how fabulous this lipstick looks on me. I wasn't even wearing any makeup except for the powder the MA applied and it still looked great on my skin. I love the finish (I'm a huge fan of the satin formula). It's quite dryin though but it didn't fade or settle into my lip lines. It's quite expensive at £13.50 but would definitely repurchase. I'm nc45 for ref

I am in love with this red! MAC Red has blueish undertones which work perfectly with my skin, seeing as I have golden ones. It has a beautiful matte finish that leaves you looking very "old Hollywood". This does NOT have an orangy undertone and is NOT AT ALL sheer. You do not have to at all add more then you usually do.
This leaves such a classy, elegant look, right when I tried it on, my friend next to me was in awe. I wear it with MAC cherry lip liner, it seems to be the best fit. If you're looking into buying this, definitely go try it on and consult with the s/a. If you like/love it like i did, buy it, if you're iffy than don't. Trust me, when you find the right red, you'll know it.

I have been looking for a lipstick that was the perfect shade of red and I found it! When you think of a great red lipstick you would never think of this color. It is a different take on the classic red lip color but still beautiful and classy. MAC's MAC red lipstick has a pinkish red color to it that goes great with my skin tone.This lipstick goes on smoothly and it is very moisturizing. It is creamy and has a little bit of shine to it and it does not run. You can defenitely wear this color in the daytime and at night. I love it!

This is the first red lipstick I ever bought. I must say, at first I was a little put off because it showed up a bit pinkish. But i waited a couple weeks and tried it again, and now i love it! It could just be my skin tone that made it show up pinkish, but i actually think it's supposed to be like that. But it's only noticeable up close. further back it looks like a vibrant beautiful pin up-girl style red! And I think the right lip liner can bring out the red. I'm so glad I gave it another chance! NOTE: the above pictures do the color no justice. it's so much brighter in real life!

WOW!! Now this is BOLD!! It almost looked '3D' on your lips... God knows where I got that from haha, but it is extremely pigmented. I don't find this lipstick drying at all for some reason, I think this may be one of the less drying satins. I definitely think this is one of the less drying BOLD red lipsticks out there! I have Lady Bug which I do love, but compared to MAC Red - no comparison in colour! MAC Red is the ultimate red for me. Definitely reminds me of Marilyn Monroe or that actress who always has pale skin and red lips (I forgot her name, argh! :() but this is an absolutely beautiful lipstick. I'd definitely recommend if you're wanting the perfect true red, this lippy doesn't make your lips all dry like Russian Red and Ruby Woo do.

BEAUTIFUL red :) I am thrilled to have finally found a red lipstick that really flatters my complexion. This is a 'true' bright red, very vintage pin-up! It applies smoothly with a silky texture and looks lovely and moist once on the lips. It didn't dry my lips at all or fade to that fuschia sort of shade which I hate because it looks terrible on me. Another bonus is it makes my 'not dazzling white owing to lots of caffeine' teeth look whiter! :)
I dab some foundation on my lips, then line and colour with red-liner, finally I put a couple of layers of this over the top. No bleeding! The staying-power is good, not amazing, but certainly not needing constant re-applying.HG red for sure.

MAC Red is a gorgeous blue-based red lipstick that I absolutely adore. When I wanted to buy a red lipstick I thought of Russian Red or Ruby Woo. The MAC store didn't have Ruby Woo and Russian Red was too dark and matt for my taste. MAC Red is a real red which looks very bright on my pale skin (NC 15) but it looks so beautiful! I feal like one of those moviestars from way back when I put this baby on. For even more glamour I add Love Alert (Dazzleglass) which gives it even more va-va-voom!

this is a beautiful very true blue red lipstick. makes my teeth look SO white! not matte but not too shiny and glossy. very long lasting!

So I've been looking for the "perfect red lipstick" for a while now. After doing extensive research, i was leaning more towards Ruby Woo or Russian Red, however after i visited the MAC store and tried on the two lipsticks, to my surprise i was utterly disappointed! The MA suggested M.A.C. Red lipstick, by this time i was already a little flustered and since Ruby Woo nearly tore my lips off (since it's extremely matte and impossible to apply) I wasn't sure i wanted to put my lips through anymore turmoil. Nevertheless, i gave MAC Red a shot, although it looked a bit bright, it applied beautifully! It's a true red, not a orange red, pink red, deep red, it's just RED. I highly recommend this lipstick to anyone looking for a dead on "red" lipstick. It looks amazing on my NC-37 skintone! Absolutely love this lipstick!!

This is my HG red lipstick. It’s a beautiful blue based red that isn’t too bloody and isn’t orange. It’s a satin finish so it’s not completely matte and there isn’t a lot of gloss to it. It’s long lasting (even thought I would recommend using a liner with it) lipstick that I would definitely pick over Russian Red or Ruby Woo.

If you are looking for a bright red or a true red, this is not it. Although their website describes it as a "vivid bright bluish-red" I did not find this to be the case. It is a lighter version of a brick red and is sheer. For me, I found it to be a very cheap looking red and the finish left much to be desired. This is not that old-time Hollywood glamour or pin-up girl type red. It is not vibrant so don't think this will be one of those bright lip colors that are in now that brighten up your face. Definitely not "candy apple red" but more like that deep dark red you see on clowns (I'm not saying that to be mean but that's really what it's like). For reference, I tried this when I had red hair (like Ariel/Little Mermaid) and you could really see that the lipstick was a dark crimson color compared to my hair. Also, the color seeps and spreads which is NOT the case with all red lipsticks so it must be this specific shade/formula - or maybe because of the sheerness I applied too much and that's why it got messy. Hope this helps anyone looking for the right red thinking this might be the one.

I wish I had more occasions to wear red lipstick out because this one is seriously the perfect shade for my skin tone, NC25/30. It is a rich, and crisp shade of bright brick red that doesn't turn fuschia or make my teeth look yellow. The only thing is, make sure your lips are exfoliated and lightly prepped with a balm because the texture is not very forgiving (extremely pigmented but kind of dry) and will accentuate lines and flakes.

HG red! I tried this on at mac but decided to wait and see if I liked it before buying. I loved it but got back to find the store had closed! I tried at another store but they were out of stock and even online- that's gotta be saying something! Anyways, I finally got it in the end and let me say this is beautiful! Blue based, very vintage looking in my opinion. The finish is satin so its lovely on your lips. Non-drying and very smooth with the light vanilla scent so its a pleasure to apply. I'm nc40 for reference.