Name: Revlon Matte Lipstick in Really Red

Date of Purchase: Late 2010

Grade: A-

Notes: The first lipstick I ever bought was Revlon Certainly Red, a magenta-leaning red. I admire 22-year-old me for bypassing nudes and neutrals and diving straight into the loudest reds, but I had no idea how to wear red lipstick, or how red lipstick should look on a human face. I remember it looking terrible. This could have been due to my ineptitude at applying it, or my shock at the bright slash of color; all I know is that I returned it very quickly, and a few months passed before I bought Really Red. So RR is not my first lipstick, but it’s the oldest lipstick I still own.

I’m glad I held onto it, because Revlon recently discontinued their line of matte lipsticks to make room for the new Colorburst Matte Balms. I understand that companies have to keep up with changing trends blah blah whatever, but Revlon went on an unusually dramatic discontinuing spree this past year; another victim was the Colorburst lipstick line, which I’ll eulogize in a later post. Anyway, Really Red is that magical lipstick unicorn: a neutral red, though muted with a touch of brown.

Here it is swatched between a cool pinkish red (Wet n Wild Stoplight Red, left) and a warm coral red (Revlon Fire and Ice, right). Both Stoplight Red and Fire and Ice are clear, bright colors; between them, Really Red looks brownish and muted, though not decidedly cool or warm. It is, like me, a creature of pure ambivalence.

Really Red is a true matte, but it’s not as drying as other mattes I’ve tried (though my perma-chapped lips aren’t completely happy with it). I haven’t worn it in a while, because I’m fickle and always discovering shiny or, well, matte new goodies. But here it is on my otherwise unadorned face just a moment ago. Apologies for the hazy light, which also makes the lipstick (and my complexion) pull a bit warmer than usual.

Part of me feels guilty for daring to create a makeup blog without so much as a real camera (all of my photos are taken on an iPhone 5), so I thought I should clarify that I am not setting myself up as a beauty guru. I’m an enthusiastic dilettante, like the members of the early Royal Society.  I just like lipstick.