MAC x Isabel and Ruben Toledo Lipstick in Victoriana is described as a "midtone pink red" and has a matte finish. I do see the pink, but it's more of a fuchsia red to me. I was originally hoping that this would be a dupe for Revlon's Strawberry Suede, but this is a lot more red. This shade is limited edition and is sold out in most places, but I was able to get mine from Nordstrom's website recently and retails for $17.50.
In the tube, it looks like a pretty standard bright red, but the pink tones to it shows up more once it's swatched / on the lips. The bullet has the same signature MAC lipstick smell as well.
I've read reviews that this is a pretty bright red, but it looks so incredibly bright on my arm. Luckily for me, it does tone down on the brightness on my lips. The above swatch was only done with 1 swipe.
The color is very pigmented and that's one of the things I love with MAC Matte lipsticks.
I was able to get a pretty good application straight from the tube without any lip brushes, but it did tug on the lips. Compared to MAC Lipstick in Viva Glam I, this is more drying. Even with the dryness, I didn't feel like I needed extra lip balm during my wear test. After 2 hours, I actually didn't notice that the feeling of lipstick on my lips anymore and so that was nice.
Before I took off the lipstick around 5-6 hours in, it still looked great. It did feel drier compared to before I put it on, but that's too be expected.
Victoriana left a really nice bright pinky red stain on my lips. I ended up just topping off that stain with lip balm to create a more toned down "look" for when I went out later on in the day.
My face looks a bit tired. Kind of like "I've given up on everything" because I just finished my last undergrad final! Victoriana really helped my tired looking face by brightening up my overall complexion. It gave me color and life even though I wasn't wearing any other base product besides foundation and concealer.
Final thoughts: If you've followed my blog for awhile, you might know that I love reds and keep buying them. I was really hesitant on getting Victoriana but I'm really glad that I did. Not my perfect pinky red, but it's a great one. It's pigmented and long lasting, but it is drying and tugs on the lips. I would really recommend getting it if it is available, but I wouldn't pay more than retail price for it.
How do you feel about pinky reds? What kind of red do you like the best?
Posts
Well, somehow I like the packaging and somehow I dislike it xD But the color looks great! :)
ReplyDeleteI finished my exams,too! Let's party lol! Okay, we will sleep instead of partying hahah! I'm proud of you~
Jenny
http://itsmeeejennyy.blogspot.com/
Wow, looks gorgeous on you! I might be tempted to pick one up too, if Nars Luxembourg wasn't already on my list.
ReplyDeletehttp://nonsonoquitter.blogspot.com
I think pinky toned reds are gorgeous! I personally prefer pink toned and very cool toned reds although I rarely wear either type frequently. My lips go from normal to dry and peely too quickly so I avoid bold lippies for the most part but LOVE wearing them on special occasions. I think this lippie was a great buy! Love the packaging! I saw other items from the line but nothing appeals to me. I've seen things I wanted from previous collections but because I literally almost never buy anything from mac I've never collected any LE items. I totally want to get a few nudes though!
ReplyDeleteI get that too! I like it, but a part of me is also creeped out by the eyes?
ReplyDeleteand yay! It always feels nice finishing up big exams (:
Thank you! I think I jumped on this one because it was limited edition, but I will always enable people to buy more NARS (:
ReplyDeleteI'm looking for the perfect pinky red and although I like Revlon's Strawberry Suede, it's a bit too bright. I thought I would like this one, but it's also a pretty bright red.
ReplyDeleteI think lipsticks are one of my favorite items to wear, but I eat a lot so I'm always worried about smearing. I've gotten into the habit of just wiping everything off beforehand though ahahha There are some great nudes from MAC! I want to get a nude shade from them as well, but haven't found one I really want to get yet because nudes just don't stand out to me as much.
It almost looks like a fluro coral! So pretty with your skin tone, but from what I've seen most reds suit you. Btw I'm so jealous of your skin- it looks so perfect!
ReplyDeleteIt's so much brighter than I thought it would be! I'm between loving it and just being okay with it though hahahaha I'm glad that it's getting warmer so that this shade would be more acceptable (:
ReplyDeleteand thank you! I had some recent break outs and so I have more acne marks though. Honestly, I'm just glad that my skin has gotten better in these past few months.
I love how it looks neon on your arm swatch, but not so scary from your lip swatch. I am still deciding if I want to get this, I hardly wear red so it may bee wasty, I adore the packaging though, the material on the bullet feels so nice x
ReplyDeleteI feel like since you don't wear reds as often, it's really not that special enough to get. I'm kind of a hoarder of red lipsticks and so i couldn't pass on this. I'm trying to get more pinky reds too :D
ReplyDelete