I may stray in order to experiment, but I always seem to come back to this lovely muted brick red. It's a great shade that suits my Autumn/ NC 25 skin, yet I could see it working on a variety on different skin tones because it's a warm red, but it's not orange. It acts as a "my lips but better" shade on me. Highly pigmented, so the lipstick lasts.

This is my favourite red lipstick from Mac. It's more of a brown red. A little dry as it is matte. Colour is special in my opinion.

Have been using it for years... looks exactly the way the Mac website describes it ~ Muted peachy-pinky brown. It's a satin finish which I love.... stays on for hours, always looks fresh, never dries out my lips and it's just an all around superb lipstick. I have found some great dupes just in case they ever discontinue it.... Wet n Wild Mega Last Lipstick in Spiked with Rum is really close as is Revlon Spicy Cinnamon.
Love!

Instant HG. Instant prettifier. My fave of all time. A natural looking red that can be worn with no other makeup and look beautiful! reminds me of the women in Renoir paintings... They usually had this sweet red tinge and no other makeup... A very classical painting look

I bought Retro about 11-12 years ago when I was searching for the perfect red lipstic, that's when a Mac artist recommended this to me and it became my favorite red lippie so this is definitely a staple. I have warm to neutral undertone with a light skin tone, dark brown hair and eyes. I found that this color is definitely wearable for work/school if you apply it lightly, for night however, you can go full strength.
This lipstick has warm undertones, terracotta with some brown so I know ladies with warm undertones will like it for sure. The good thing is, it doesn't turn orangy or brown after application and has great staying power, doesn't need lip liner and isn't drying, last long!! Can't think of one con, honestly.
With all that said, I havent' used Retro for quiet some time now and I just got excited about it again, because I bought Blushbaby from Mac and I didn't like the color of it in daylight as I did in the store, but then I remembered I had Retro and dabbed a little on my mouth and the two works beutifully together for a subtle, natural, healthy look. So now I can keep Blushbaby.

This is the lipstick color women dream of the subtle yet warm red/rust lip. This is an old school red not the 1950s blue red or the 90s brown red but somewhere in between. It's the color in your bag you use most often use and forget about but when it's gone you feel it's loss. On my golden olive skin it's not bright as the pictures above but a warm natural rust red.

This is my ALL TIME favorite lipstick. its soo smooth and such a pretty suitable colour , makes my lips look so gorgeous .
It can go on very dark, so i only apply a little bit and then smudge it out with my fingers. :) its a lovely fall colour but it wear it all the time.

Love this color, which is surprising, since I have very cool skin and this is a warm, muted red-brown. Warm colors look orange on me, but this color does not. Very pretty and long lasting. It's a Satin finish, but looks and wears like a matte lipstick, without drying your lips out.

This is my favorite lipstick. I wear it daily. This is actually a very neutral shade for me--dark brown hair/ hazel eyes/ NC20. I rated this a dirt cheap, because I use my empty containers to get free lipsticks.

Perfect red matte colour. I get TONS of compliments when I use this!

nice & neutral pinkish shade. im on to my 3rd tube. continued >>

This is one of the nicest reds I have ever found! I have been searching for a wearable red that was neither too blue (which turn fuschia on me) or too yellow/orange (which make my nice, white teeth take a yellow caste and I am not bleaching them Chiclet-white). Most of the reds I have tried are too garish and scream Homey-the-Clown, but Chanel's Lotus Rouge and Lipstick Queen's Medieval work for me too. I have very light skin, but it's more neutral/yellow-toned, my lips are quite pigmented already and my hair is two tones lighter than black.
I never tried Retro before because MAC is notorious for poor descriptions of their makeup colours and the colour swatch on the website looks like a hideous brown - it does have peachy-brown tones but turns redder on lips. I wish MAC would show what their makeup looks like on faces. Retro can be worn during the day to work or at night and when I put it on, it lights up my face and I immediately feel prettier - quite a feat for just a lipstick! If it weren't for the reviews and pictures here, I never would have tried it - thanks everyone!

I bought this when my hair was red -- and it looked stunning. The color is right out of a 1940's movie: red with hints of peach/brown.
I think this would work on most skins as it is quite neutral and a subtle red.
I am going to wear this today to a luncheon -- so I am adding my 2 cents to the reviews of this great color.

For some reason I haven't worn my Mac "Retro" in months, silly me -- & thus what a happy rediscovery tonight when I decided on mere whim to pull it out and apply it again! A lovely Reviewer below notes that this superb colour looks fabulous on warm-toned fair skin -- and I can now add with happy passion that cool &/or neutral--toned fair white skin looks stunningly beautiful paired with "Retro", too! // Oddly, Mac describes this colour as a "muted, peachy-pinky brown", yet that's NOT how it comes to life on the lips, so don't let that description throw you. The 2 photos on this page present 2 very different ideas of this lipstick's colour: & while the smiling, parted lips look somewhat close to this magnificent lipstick's reality (at least on my monitor); the Uber Red-red closed lips of Photo #2, while also striking, are nothing like the "Retro" of my experience & that of friends'. Then IS "Retro" a red? Well, yes: but as it also truly is 1 of the rare "MLBB" colours, the red in this very special lipstick is much closer to the actual red in naturally lovely young lips than it is to the painted colour found in the obviously reddened lips of artifice -- even striking artifice! (I.e., I love a great bold red lipstick as much as anyone else who loves classically rouged lips: it's just that "Retro" is not one of those, despite its distance from the Mac description, too.) // Finally: ever notice how the truly great, accurately-named "MLBB" lip colours are indeed so truly rare? Well, this marvel of a "Retro" is a hands-down member of that rarified class, making it worth its weight in Restylane. This is 1 heck of a seasonless & ageless, all-out elegant "MLBB" colour, somehow managing to look natural yet knowing: and above all: it instantly brings freshness, youth, bloom & energy to your face. "When a woman feels beautiful is when she actually becomes beautiful" goes the timeless truth: & sure enough, "Retro" does so much for one's entire face and makes one feel so immediately beautiful, this unique colour does in fact result in that trademark sparkle to the eyes & delighted smile to the lips which are part & parcel of the universal, irresistible "beautiful woman" glow. // Thus for all you PPPs out there -- and surely for other complexions as well -- do yourself a joyous favor and don't pass this timeless "Retro" up! You will love it, and wear it, the rest of your life. continued >>

This is the best color I've ever worn. For reference, I'm LM Warm Ivory. If you have fair, warm skin, this color rocks! If you have any green in your eyes, this color willl bring it out. I have to pat this color on with my fingers or apply with a brush because it's concentrated, but the combo of peach, red and brown really lights up my face like nothing else. I also wear this with balm as the Satin formula, while long lasting, is a little drying.

I was first attracted to this lippie because it appeared red in the picture, but when I applied it on my slightly pigmented lips- it transformed into an elegant berry-rose color. Retro is really a beautiful color and compliments my olive skin tone nicely.

I love this satin warm red lipstick. The only other red family I wear on my lips are sheer berry colors. Works for day and night. It flatters my NC35-45 tan skin tone. As I get older, my lip color choices get lighter. This color has worked for me for many years.

This is a universally flattering color. Its MLBB for me - and I love the satin formula. I prefer to use this over a coat of lipbalm because without out it, it looks too dark and brown. Perfect choice if you want to experiment with reddish lips at work without worrying if you look like a clown.

I love this color and texture - it's very long lasting and very professional looking. At the same time, it's great for an evening look. It has just the right amount of red-brown and very wearable IMO. For reference, I have moderately fair Asian skintone - an NW25. This color also looks amazing with black-rimmed glasses...very sophisticated looking and great for interviews. :)

This is the right red for me. I am Asian with olive skin and the red lipsticks that have blue in them always turn very pink fuchsia on me. Retro has some brown in it and is more of a warmer but neutral red. I am always on the lookout for more red lipsticks but I find myself coming back to Retro a lot. I also like to pair it over MAC's lip pencil in Plum.