Review: Mac's Relentlessly Red

I've added yet another lipstick to my collection (slaps wrist) this time being one I'd resisted for a few months, Mac's Relentlessly Red. Was anyone aware that Mac lipsticks have gone up another 50p?! I nearly keeled over when I looked at my receipt and saw £15.50 staring back at me. Moving on from my near-breakdown Mac describe Relentlessly Red as a bright, pinkish coral and is from their fairly recent collection of Retro Matte finishes.

The first time applying the lipstick I wasn't expecting quite how drying it felt; I own Mac's Lady Danger which is a Matte finish but with this one I felt really conscious of my mouth and it felt like quite a bit of effort to talk, probably not the best route to take when I had to serve customers for 5 hours. Rookie error. Since wearing the lipstick quite regularly now though I've got used to the formula and it feels completely comfortable to wear but is a heads up if you find lipsticks can be drying in general.

Truthfully I've found the lipstick application a little difficult to master, scrubbing and applying lipbalm beforehand leaves my lips a little too greasy causing the colour to appear faded and smudge outside of my lips but not exfoliating makes for a hideous, flaky sight. Layering the lipstick can cause it to gather and so I've found it best to scrub my lips with my toothbrush instead of my Lush Lip Scrub and then applying the lipstick in small sections on my lips instead of all at once. The lipstick does drag on my lips sometimes and can leave an uneven edge so I pair it with Barry M's Dark Pink lipliner which is a near enough match and helps to clean up the look.

The lipstick's wear time is amazing, I swear I applied it before I had work at 1pm and it was still there at 10pm looking as bright and vivid as it did when first applied. I remove my makeup using Garnier's Micellar Water and even using that the lipstick still left a stain to my lips, I don't even understand how it's possible to last so long but I love it as once it's on it's so hassle free. I can eat and drink without worrying about the colour fading and even ate a greasy Chinese and it was still in place.

The two lip swatches showing the colour when in different lighting

The shade has quickly become one of my favourites as it brightens up my face and is an all year round wearable shade, I've read many people saying it looks different in different lights and it's true, sometimes it looks like a dark pink and sometimes a sort of neon coral. I originally kept resisting buying this shade as I thought it was too similar to Mac's Impassioned which I also own and, there's no point beating round the bush, the shades ARE similar and I probably don't need both but Relentlessly Red gives a much more intense colour pay off compared to Impassioned's Amplified finish.

From left to right: Relentlessly Red and Impassioned

Overall, this lipstick can be a little temperamental, one day I can apply it and it will make my lips look horrible and chapped no matter what I do but on other days I can apply it in one swipe and it looks perfectly fine and so, for those glorious days where it applies nicely, it will earn a place in my lipstick display. Feel honoured Relentlessly Red.

Do you own this lipstick? What are your thoughts?