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L-R Sleek's Russian Roulette
and Mac's Russian Red |
I am currently sat in bed with a cup of tea staring at two of my favourite lipsticks wondering how on earth I am going to be able to start comparing them. The two lipsticks in question are Mac's Russian Red and Sleek's Russian Roulette - one high end and one high street yet both are surprisingly similar. Every girl needs the perfect bright red matte lipstick in their collection to brighten up a rainy day and whether you're on a budget or not, you can't go wrong with these two.
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| Mac's Russian Red |
Mac's Russian Red is a staple for many beauty bloggers and after wanting it for a good two years, I finally took the plunge in March and bought it. I can honestly say that this is one of the best lipsticks that I have ever owned (although my lipstick collection is much more modest in comparison to Alice's...)! Surprisingly for a matte lipstick, Russian Red has a really creamy formula. This allows for ease of application and means that it doesn't dry my lips out as much as Russian Roulette. However, this also means that the staying power isn't as good as I was expecting but as long as you have a good Lipstick Lock, like Rimmel's (£4.99 at Boots) or Lipcote's Lipstick Sealer (£3.69 at Boots), this shouldn't be an issue. A further downside of Russian Red is the price. At £15.50 this lipstick is hardly a steal and I will be the first to admit that the price put me off purchasing it for two years. However, after having tried it, I can honestly say that the saying 'once you go Mac, you never go back' has never been more true. It is the lipstick that Alice and I always reach for if we're getting ready for a night out which inevitably means we end up leaving looking even more similar than we initially intended! The colour is simply stunning and gives me a vintage feel that I love. I will definitely be repurchasing and I would rate it 5/5.
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| Close Up Selfie... |
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| A Zoomed Out Shot |
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| Sleek's Russian Roulette |
Now onto Sleek's Russian Roulette. The similar names of these lipsticks immediately places Russian Roulette as a dupe for Russian Red and this is one of the factors that first drew me to it. I hadn't really heard much about Sleek lipsticks when I first bought it and I'll admit that the £4.99 price tag made me initially very sceptical but this is arguably one of the best high street lipsticks that I have used. The colour is bold and beautiful and again, this lipstick gives me a nice vintage feel. Russian Roulette is not as creamy as the Mac lipstick which means that application is much more tricky and it can be very drying for my lips. However, lots of lip balm prior to application can help to counteract this and it means that it has slightly more staying power than Russian Red. I personally have quite dry lips and so the drying nature of this lipstick means that I am more likely to reach for Mac's Russian Red. Having said that, Russian Roulette is still a great lipstick and so I would rate it 4/5.
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| Close Up Selfie... |
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| A Zoomed Out Shot |
Eventually I think it comes down to your budget. If you can afford to spend money on a more pricey lipstick the Russian Red is definitely the one for you but if you're looking for a good dupe then you can't really go wrong with Russian Roulette. As you can see from the photos, the colours of these lipsticks are almost identical. The only difference in colour is that the Mac one is slightly more pigmented which results in it looking slightly darker. However, both lipsticks are great matte reds and they have definitely become staples of my lipstick collection.
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| L-R - Mac's Russian Red, Sleek's Russian Roulette |
Have you tried either of these lipsticks? What do you think of them?
Charlotte, x
