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MAC Carmine Rouge & Light English Red Lipsticks Reviews, Photos, Swatches

MAC Carmine Rouge Lipstick
MAC Carmine Rouge Lipstick

MAC Carmine Rouge Lipstick ($30.00 for 0.10 oz.) is described as a “clean true red [with a Matte finish].” It’s a brightened, medium red with subtle, cool undertones (leans a little pink-ish) and a satin finish. There’s enough of a sheen that it doesn’t look fully matte to me, though it wears down after about an hour and a half into wear. The color lasted for five hours in total, and it was somewhat drying over time. The consistency was lightly creamy and didn’t drag when applied. Bite Beauty Fraise (P, $24.00) is more matte, darker. MAC Ruby Woo (LE) is more matte (lip pencil). MAC Damn Glamorous (LE, $16.00) is pinker. MAC Ruby (LE, $16.00) is warmer. Too Faced Melted Ruby (P, $21.00) is glossier. Chanel La Precieuse (317) (LE, $34.00) is similar. MAC Glam (DC, $16.00) is similar. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

MAC Light English Red Lipstick ($30.00 for 0.10 oz.) is described as a “sheer beige red [with a Lustre finish].” It’s a light-medium pink with subtle, cool undertones and a light sheen and very, very soft gold shimmer. It had semi-sheer color coverage and lightened the natural color of my lips and brought out the pink tones to it, but if you have redder lips naturally, it may look more different applied. The consistency has a light slip and emollient quality to it, and it goes on easily without tugging on the lips. It seems to wear away after two hours of wear, and it was slightly drying after wearing it twice in a row. MAC Snapdragon (LE, $16.00) is cooler-toned. Bobbi Brown Pink Flush (LE, $25.00) is cooler-toned, brighter. MAC Feed the Senses (LE, $16.00) is more muted. MAC Dreaminess (P, $22.00) is lighter, more opaque. MAC Vivid Imagination (LE, $16.00) is more opaque. Guerlain Rose Piquant (LE, $51.00) is glossier. Burberry Tulip Pink (P, $30.00) is similar. Bobbi Brown Orchid Pink (LE, $23.00) is cooler-toned. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

See more photos & swatches!

MAC Carmine Rouge Lipstick
MAC Carmine Rouge Lipstick

MAC Carmine Rouge Lipstick
MAC Carmine Rouge Lipstick

MAC Carmine Rouge Lipstick
MAC Carmine Rouge Lipstick

MAC Carmine Rouge Lipstick
MAC Carmine Rouge Lipstick

MAC Carmine Rouge Lipstick
MAC Carmine Rouge Lipstick

MAC Carmine Rouge Lipstick
MAC Carmine Rouge Lipstick

MAC Light English Red Lipstick
MAC Light English Red Lipstick

MAC Light English Red Lipstick
MAC Light English Red Lipstick

MAC Light English Red Lipstick
MAC Light English Red Lipstick

MAC Light English Red Lipstick
MAC Light English Red Lipstick

MAC Light English Red Lipstick
MAC Light English Red Lipstick

MAC Light English Red Lipstick
MAC Light English Red Lipstick

Makeup Look
On face:
  • Guerlain Parure Gold Foundation
  • Urban Decay Naked Loose Powder
  • Burberry Gold Glow Highlighter
On eyes:
  • Burberry Gold Eyeshadow Palette
  • Marc Jacobs Brown(out) Eyeliner

61 Comments

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june Avatar

considering the marked up price on these items, i would have hoped the packaging would feel higher end/fun and/or interesting. sadly it’s none of those things and i have absolutely no item why these cost so much more than other collections. the alluring aquatics collection was full of absolutely beautiful packaging and it didn’t cost anywhere near this much

Antonia Avatar

Light English Red looks great on you! Not sure why they call it red though lol! This is definitely a color I’d wear but not sure I want to spend $30 on it!

artemis Avatar

Beige red would’ve looked more like a combo betwheen red and a bit of nude, and in the pigment world, a warm red, a bit of brown and a lot of white. this one looks like a combo betwheen a cool red and a cool white, plus obviously, pink 😀 I guess.

they’re pretty but drying and i can’t afford or want them 😀

Rachel R. Avatar

Very pretty red, but I ordered Kinky, so don’t think I need this one for $30. Light English Red…well, the “light” part is accurate. Pink is just light red, but the name just seems confusing and pretentious. Anyway, all of it is a “skip” from me.

SC Avatar

The Light English Red shade is right up my alley, but for $30 is too much for a basic, light pink lipstick that only wears two hours before disappearing.

BOTTÂNICA BOTTANIQUE Avatar

Oh, I just loooooove Light English Red. It’s an adorable everyday color. However, the high price (for a MAC lipstick) is high enough to deter me from buying it.

Veronica Avatar

I love both of these colors more than I thought I would, but there’s no way I’m shelling out $30 for MAC lipstick given how the formula treats my lips. For the cost, I’ll probably go for the Burberry or Chanel, though it is a shame how many of the dupes for Light English Red (seriously, what the heck is red about this shade?) are LE. Carmine Rouge is bound to turn fuschia on us cooler toned ladies, anyway. 🙂

Jillian Avatar

This is why I *love* the dupes list… I had written down Burberry Tulip Pink a while ago to buy, but Burberry makeup is a bit tough to come by in Canada, and the only place I know of that sells it is 2 hours away from me… so I don’t make it over there too often. Consequently, I’d kind of forgotten what it looked like!

I was seriously considering getting Light English Red, until I saw Burberry Tulip Pink listed as a dupe! And on further review, the Burberry not only performs better, but is better value ($30 for 0.10 oz for the MAC, $30 for 0.13 oz for the Burberry.) Plus, you know, the whole “permanent vs. limited edition” is a nice bonus, too!

Alas, I shall pass on these MAC lippies 🙂 Thanks again Christine for the wonderfully thorough way you review!!

Melanie B. Avatar

I really like light english red (even if the name is ridiculous and pretentious), however that price is ridiculous and I don’t see these selling well. As much as I like it I won’t pay that price for it. And I think the packaging is tacky. MAC is tripping lately.

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