Happy Sunday, friends!!
It's recently come to my attention that every self-respecting red lippy lover ought to have the iconic MAC Ruby Woo in his or her lineup. Three nights ago I'm pretty sure I had a dream about it, and the next morning, I left for work early so I could stop by Nordstrom and pick myself up a tube.
Apparently MAC lipsticks are quite beloved, as are MAC products in
general? I dunno. I've always stayed away because the counter is super
crowded whenever I've gone in. This Ruby Woo is supposed to be a
perfect for all skintones retro matte blue-red (see packaging, lol), and I've
been on the lookout for a red lippy that's matte on its own (no
blotting/reapplying, lather, rinse, repeat, etc.). Matte apparently equals not creamy at all, and this neither looks creamy nor feels it going on. In fact, it's a rather pain in the neck little lipstick, but if you do it right and have a little patience with it, it looks pretty amazing.
First, because this stuff is so matte, you'll need to exfoliate your lips before applying, every time (I'm good with a dampened tip of a washrag). Lining is necessary, as with 99.9% of reds. I use a clear liner, which simply acts as a shield to prevent bleeding. I generally don't like applying balm under my reds because it tends to sheer out the color. Balm is perfectly acceptable and even advisable here-- I like the EOS balms because they provide good moisturization with minimal shine and greasiness. Ruby Woo will absorb it anyway, but it helps the color to glide on a little more smoothly. This lipstick is very dry. The dryness makes precise application straight from the tube a little difficult and I'd recommend a lip brush to line your lips after you've done your base liner (in fact, I'm officially in the market for a good lip brush, incidentally, lol). Be careful with touchups, as well-- too many layers of this will cause the pigments to glom together and look cakey, in which event, you'll need to start fresh over with your application.
Boromir gets it.
Did I mention it's vanilla scented? I'm honestly not sure how much I'll be reaching for this one. It's totally novel right now and the matte looks deliciously pinup, but it is so. high. maintenance.
Here are my pros and cons.
Pros
It's recently come to my attention that every self-respecting red lippy lover ought to have the iconic MAC Ruby Woo in his or her lineup. Three nights ago I'm pretty sure I had a dream about it, and the next morning, I left for work early so I could stop by Nordstrom and pick myself up a tube.
Did I mention it's vanilla scented? I'm honestly not sure how much I'll be reaching for this one. It's totally novel right now and the matte looks deliciously pinup, but it is so. high. maintenance.
Here are my pros and cons.
Pros
- I LOVE the finish. It's pinup perfection.
- The blue-red shade is flattering and easy to wear.
- The light vanilla scent is a nice touch.
- At $15, the price point for Ruby Woo is better than a lot of high end lipsticks.
- Ruby Woo is part of MAC's core collection and easy to find.
- This takes time, patience, and preparation to apply properly.
- The vanilla scent is a little too sweet some days (not a pro or a con, really, just kind of there).
Its a beautiful shade of red on you!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lisa ♥
DeleteI've never tried any of M.A.C. lipsticks yet. The name Ruby Woo makes me giggle as I feel like I am speaking in Scooby Doo talk. I just discovered that I CAN wear red lipstick with my fair complexion and found a Maybelline Vivid that looks good on me, now I think I am ready for the real thing and Ruby Woo is going to be my first M.A.C. purchase! I love how it looks on you and it doesn't look like my mom's makeup. I think though that the lipstick tube looks like a giant suppository or tampon, WTH? I giggle about that too. Ruby Ruby Woo! See how it sounds like Scooby speak?
ReplyDeleteAghh, don't say that! ;) My DH likes Scooby Doo, but I can't stand it, lol. Fair-skinned folk can totally wear reds, especially blue reds, and I bet you'd rock the heck out of this one :) I LOVE the Vivids and the LE color Infra-Red is actually my current favorite red... Which one are you loving? And yes, the MAC tube totally looks questionable, lolol. XD
DeleteSo pretty on you. I heard so many other bloggers love this lipstick. I just got it free using mac empties. I can't wait to try it :)
ReplyDeleteThank you! :) Yeah, it is quite the blogging community darling. Ooh, MAC empties? That sounds like a good program. Maybe I'll have to start wearing more MAC stuff in general.
DeleteI just figured out why red looks so good on you: your bottom lip is fantastic! It looks like a doll's...pouty perfection! I used to wear red lipstick when I was...uh, probably your age. ;)
ReplyDeleteWhat, like, a year ago? ;) I used to wear dark colors all the time, with a propensity towards brick reds in high school and dark wine shades in college, but it's only since I've gotten older tat I feel like I can actually pull them off. Give them a shot again! And thank you for the lovely compliment ♥
DeleteLooks beautiful! You are such a well rounded beauty blogger :)
ReplyDelete... with my once-monthly other product post ;) You're so sweet ♥
DeleteThat's pretty. I'm a redhead too, so I have a hard time finding the perfect red. I have a few Mac lipsticks, 1 is a copper color & the other is coralish.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I didn't start wearing reds full force until I started coloring my hair. I got my inspiration from Christina Hendricks-- apparently, there's some silly rule about not wearing red if you're a redhead (and she's fake, too, which I didn't know) but she wears red on a regular basis. You look like you're natural, though, am I right? I think you should try Ruby Woo ♥
DeleteThis red looks fantastic on you, Liesl! It does sound awfully high-maintenance to apply, but if the result is that gorgeous, I think it's worth it! :D
ReplyDelete~ Yun
Thanks, Yun ♥ I think it's worth it, too, just maybe not on the days I'm running late. lol.
DeleteHi Liesl, great post!!! I used to love red matte lipstick too and had always the same issues like the ones you listed above. Looking at the picture above, it is totally worth going through the application rite, it really looks totally Pin-up :-) - have a great start of the week sis xxx
ReplyDeleteI love your use of the word "rite", it makes it feel like an event putting it on, in a good way, and an event wearing it, which it kind of is :) I still have plenty of makeup-free days and I feel pretty swell when I'm sporting one of my reds, lol. Hugs to you, sis ♥
DeleteThis looks beautiful on you :) I too love matte red, but they can be a big problem at times on my dry lips :(
ReplyDeleteAw, bummer! Exfoliation certainly does help and you do need to be vigilant about it (but I'm probs preaching to the choir, here ;)). Apparently MAC Russian Red is the same shade as Ruby Woo, but not as matte so easier on delicate lips... maybe worth looking into ♥
DeleteLooks great on you! A few of the MAC lippies are vanilla scented I noticed...well I'm mostly thinking about their primer.
ReplyDeleteThank you! :) The more I use it, the more I like it and I certainly don't mind the vanilla scent. Some of the Loracs have it, too.
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