Revlon Really Red Matte Liptick review

Red Lipstick for Redheads: Revlon Matte Lipstick in ‘Really Red’ review

Revlon Really Red Matte Liptick review

This is the lipstick I’ve been wearing on a near-daily basis for the past few months. It’s Revlon Matte Lipstick in ‘Really Red’, it’s £7.49 (or thereabouts), and It. Is. Amazing. Seriously, I would pay twice as much money for this. I reckon it’s better than most high-end lipsticks I’ve tried, so much so that I think I might even have to award it Holy Grain status. Before I get too carried away, though, here are the details…

The Packaging…

This lipstick comes in a black plastic tube with silver coloured trim, and a little window on the top, through which you can see the colour. Not the fanciest or most luxurious packaging I’ve ever seen, but for a drugstore brand it’s pretty good, and doesn’t look too cheap. So far, so good.

The colour…

I bought this lipstick purely because I’d read multiple reviews stating that the colour was a pretty good dupe for MAC’s Ruby Woo, which, up until this came along, had been my go-to red lipstick, along with MAC Russian Red, which is another great alternative. I actually don’t think Really Red is an exact match for Ruby Woo, and I’ll be putting together a comparison post soon, so you can see them side by side and judge for yourself, but it’s pretty close in that it’s a gorgeous “true” red, which isn’t too blue, or too orange. It’s that perfect red you see in old movies, and on pin-up girls, and that was what attracted me to it. I also like the matte finish, which helps give it that retro, “Old Hollywood” kind of feel.

Revlon Really Red Matte Liptick swatch

The application…

The colour may be similar to Ruby Woo, but the application is nothing like it. This is a good thing. You see, as much as I love the colour of the MAC lipstick, I absolutely HATE the consistency of it. It’s dry, drags on application, and is a nightmare for me to apply smoothly. Revlon Really Red, on the other hand, is nothing like that. Instead, it has a nice, velvety texture which glides on effortlessly and gives thick,even coverage, without any hassle. I always have to apply Ruby Woo with a brush, but this can be applied straight from the tube: yes, it will need lip-liner to keep it neat, but it’s so much easier to use than the MAC product that there’s really no comparison there.

The look…

Revlon Really Red matte lipstick review

As I mentioned, this is a very matte colour, with full, thick coverage. My experience with matte lipsticks in the past is that they can be very “cakey” and dry looking, but this one has more of a creamy texture, so I don’t find that to be the case. And I hate to keep comparing it to Ruby Woo (but I’m going to anyway, because it’s the lipstick I was looking to replace when I bought this), but my lips get very dry, especially in winter, and I find that Ruby Woo highlights that, and makes them look even worse, so it can be quite ageing on me. The creamier texture of this product makes it less drying, and while it does look best on soft, smooth lips, it’s a lot more flattering on ones which aren’t so soft and smooth, too.

Revlon Really red matte lipstick review

The wear…

This is the other big selling point for Really Red, as far as I’m concerned: it lasts forever. Well, almost forever, anyway. It’s definitely the longest-wearing matte lipstick I’ve used, and needs very little in the way of touch-ups, even if I’m eating or drinking. It fades very evenly, too (Unlike Ruby Woo, which disappears from the centre of my lips much faster than from the rest of them!), so for such a rich colour, it’s actually less high-maintenance than you’d expect.

Overall…

This is definitely my favourite red lipstick, and I really recommend it to anyone looking for a retro-style true red which lasts for a long, long time. And if you’re a fellow Ruby Woo fan, check back later this week, when I’ll have a post comparing the two products side-by-side!

This is £7.49 at Boots, but available at most other drugstores and supermarkets too.

Revlon Really Red matte lipstick review

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books by Amber Eve
COMMENTS
  • Ooo. This looks great. I went through a stage of wearing pink lipsticks but since dying my hair red again, I’ve gone back to red lipsticks. I might try this out, I have a MAC red and a Limecrime one and they dry my lips out way too much.

    December 4, 2012
  • What lip liner do you use? I’ve been trying out reds and I need to pick up a lip liner because I keep making a an awful mess.

    December 4, 2012
  • Personally I’m a big fan of Bourjois’ Sweet Kiss in Rouge sur mesure. I like the texture of it so much that I also got a pink one. Unfortunately the boyfriend is not a big fan of lipstick (he likes the look of it, but I won’t get any kisses when I’m wearing any), so I hardly ever get to wear it.

    December 5, 2012
  • Colene from Aberdeen

    REPLY

    Hi Amber,

    I used to use Ruby Woo and found it a nightmare to apply too.

    I now religiously use MAC Pro Longwear Lipcreme, and it is awesome! A really true red (I’m Milky Bar Kid blonde and it’s not harsh on me). It glides on smoothly, but stays on. For. Hours.

    I absolutely love the finish of it, and it solves all the Ruby Woo problems.

    Give it a whirl!

    December 6, 2012
  • I love red color. Its amazing color for the lips.

    December 19, 2012
  • Thanks to this blog by a red haired #bblogger http://t.co/nnM9V6TqEO

    October 9, 2013
  • Robin Holly

    REPLY

    I’m a natural redhead it’s more strawberry blonde as I’ve gotten older. Lol. But I never know what makeup looks the best for redheads. I’m on a budget so I shop at drugstores.

    June 15, 2015
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