5 Cool Toned MAC Red Lip Colors to Try

I LOVE reds. Particularly cool toned or blue-based reds as they suit my NW47 skin tone best. Whenever I wear a red I feel like it adds edge to whatever I’m wearing plus it takes little other makeup to look good: just some liner, blush, and mascara.

So if cool toned reds are your thing check out 5 from MAC you need to try.

Ruby Woo: While I have a ton of blue-based reds I wear often, hands down Ruby Woo has to be at the very top of my list. It’s a matte that has a strong blue undertone. I swear if I’m having a bad hair or outfit day, adding Ruby Woo to my look instantly gives everything such an edgy yet glamorous flair. Since it’s a matte it can be hard to pull off if you have drier lips, but I find that if you first apply a lip moisturizer and then use a lip pencil, it goes on much more smooth.

Dubonnet: This was my very first MAC red lipstick. Back in like 2004 when I was an avid participant in the MAC Livejournal community, I put up a post asking for red recommendations and got a ton of folks saying to try Dubonnet so I booked an appointment with my MAC store to try out the look. I loved it! Dubonnet is more of a tame darker red. It’s an amplified formula so it goes on creamy and has a little bit of shine to it. I’ll definitely be rocking this again come fall/winter.

Diva: This is another more tame darker red that’s a perfect fall/winter color. It’s also a matte like Ruby Woo but oddly enough it applies very creamy.

MAC Red: Another bright red with a satin formula. It applies very smoothly and has a nice amount of shine to it. Almost gives the look of wearing lipstick and a gloss on top.

Cherry Lip Pencil: This pencil is a must if you own any cool toned red lip color especially Ruby Woo. It’s practically like Ruby Woo in pencil form. Why it’s necessary is because sometimes (especially with a matte) you can’t get a precise application with lipstick alone. Cherry will fill in the areas around the lips that you can’t get with applying straight from the tube or even with a brush. Plus since reds can tend to bleed, using this pencil will help prevent feathering and when used as a base (line your lips with it and then fill them in) it gives your red lip color an extra layer to hold onto so your color lasts longer.

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So who’s a good candidate for cool toned red lip color? Well for one anyone who has cool undertones or whose foundation match at MAC is an “NW” then these are colors you should reach for first. But even if that’s not you, don’t rule them out just yet. Sometimes those with neutral and sometimes even warm undertones can pull them off—just try them on and take a good look. If it looks like the lipstick is wearing you instead of the opposite, it’s not your shade.

Still stuck? You can always contact me with a picture of you and I’ll email you back with some suggestions.