RubyHue Lipstick Review: Mac Just a Bite (LE)

L to R: Russian Red, Just a Bite, Sin. Natural daylight indoors. Cool lighting, but a good indication of shade.

Looks ocherous in the tube, I know, but trust me- there is no brown.  Russian Red is brown in comparison.  And Just A Bite is that rare thing- a prettifier.  It takes your so-so mouth and turns it into Snow White's enchanted cakehole.  It makes my crooked Komodo dragon teeth look quaint instead of vaguely horrific.  It bled only slightly on me after around 5 hours on bare skin.  I really can't think of a dupe off the top of my head, except perhaps some of the classic Chanel reds, most of them discontinued.  Like many of Mac's satins, it plays very well with others and gives a kick to stodgy mattes like Ruby Woo and Sin.  It is awesomeness incarnate and I swiftly hunted out a backup at stupid expense.
Worth.  Every.  Penny.

I ordered this little number from my lippy pimp without knowing much about it, beyond the indisputable fact that you can never have too many reds in your life.  Just A Bite had garnered okay reviews but there wasn't any hysterical hype around it; no matter- I was attracted by its promise of a cool-toned satin finish.

In all honesty, I have no idea why this shade didn't have people coming in their pants, because I almost lost my shit entirely once I'd swatched it on my hand.  I know it's sold out, and I know you're going to hate me for saying this, but it is the evil Narnian bewitching ruby of your dreams and here was me thinking that title belonged to Absolute Power, another of Mac's coveted LE triumphs.  Look at it in the swatches to the left and make the drooling Homer face with me.  JaB is perfect.  The perfect bloody, glorious garnet red.  The perfect 90% opacity formula that allows the natural shading in your lips to show through and cancels out any clown-face potential.  The perfect, flattering PVC-type lustre of its satin finish.  The gorgeous depth of colour.  The gracious way in which it slowly fades instead of leaving you with ring of death.  Excuse me while I slop spinelessly onto the carpet and lie there moaning with pleasure.

L to R: Russian Red, Just a Bite, Sin, indoors flashed.

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