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?
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