MAC Russian Red Lipstick Swatch and Review

Hey everyone!

I finally got one of the lipsticks I've wanted for...oh, I don't know how long, thanks to Ysis over at Le Beauty Girl and her 1 year blogaversary giveaway! The prize was one MAC lipstick of your choice, and I chose Russian Red. You guys already know I'm a big fan of matte lipsticks, especially red ones, so this was an easy pick for me.

Classic, beautiful red is what comes to mind here. It has the same lovely vanilla scent that is standard in MAC lipsticks, and applies incredibly creamily and smoothly. In fact, I had expected to have to work with it a little, as some matte lipsticks can initially be a little hard, but this was smooth and easy to apply off the bat.
I would say that this red is a classic, clean neutral that might have a little more blue than orange in it. This works perfectly for me. It's a deep, beautiful red that made me feel very grown-up the minute I applied it.
It does last for a while, too, although your general mouth-based activities (eating, drinking, smoking) will wear it down over time. I found that it gathered a little in the corner of my mouth after a couple of hours, but nothing obvious or crumbly. It did not dry out my lips any more than any other matte lipstick.

I also compared it to the other matte reds in my collection to see if I could find a dupe:

L-R: MAC Russian Red; No7 Cherry; NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream Amsterdam; Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet La Fascinante; MAC Such Flare! (LE)

As you can see, Russian Red leans more neutral than my other colours - No7's Cherry is more orange, both NYX Amsterdam and Chanel La Fascinante are more blue and a little pinker. MAC's Limited Edition Such Flare! from last year's Christmas release is the closest (so if you loved that, here's a close dupe!) but I feel it leans slightly bluer than Russian Red.

So, there you have it. Have you tried this lipstick? What do you think?

P.S.: Vote for me as 'Best New Beauty Blog' in the Cosmo Blog Awards by clicking here! :) Only if you want to though. Although I did hear that a kitten smiles every time you vote :P