About a month or so ago, I was craving a very red lipstick. A fiery, bright engine-truck red that would add oomph to anything I wear. I also wanted it in a matte finish, which, I believe is best for keeping bright lipstick colours wearable for any time of day.

I reached out to the counters of two of my favorite lipstick brands; Mac and Makeup Forever. “Give me your reddest lipstick in matte please!” And I ended up with Mac’s Ruby Woo from their Retro Matte collection, and Makeup Forever’s M8 Matte Bright Red from their Rouge Artist Intense collection.

I know this is not exactly a comparison of apples to apples, but these are the two shades that were recommended to me for fitting into my ‘very red and matte’ criteria.