I wasn't much of a lipstick person before about a year ago. Since then however, lipstick has become my weakness and it seems there is always some new lipstick I have my eye one. Therefore, I've comprised a list of my top 5 products at the moment and I'd say there is quite a pattern going on here!
Mac Lipstick: Plumful (Lustre)
Plumful is the first Mac lipstick I've ever owned. I don't even know what made me want it... (Actually, that's a lie, I saw it in one of
Essiebutton's videos and she makes me want pretty much any lip product she talks about.) I guess what I'm trying to say is: before I owned this lipstick I didn't even really like lipstick, or any lip product for that matter apart from a clear balm. This lipstick, though, is so perfect for someone who is in that transition. Most of that is thanks to the finish of it (Which I'll add as a side note is one of the strengths of Mac Lipsticks, I think.) Plumful is a Lustre and has the perfect balance between being glossy and satiny while still being really comfortable to wear. What I love most is that, if you apply just a bit, it almost sinks into the lips -kind of like a stain would- because it's so smooth. It doesn't gather, nor does it look too heavy.
As for the color, I'll be a bit redundant because it really is a plum color as the name suggests. It's a good color for those of us that aren't into really bright pinks and such. It's got just the right amount of color that really brightens up the face, which I think is a plus for any of the plummy/berry types of colors.
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Becca Beach Tint: Dragonfruit
Now that I think about it, this is another purchase that was influenced by a beauty blogger. My favorite beauty blogger. The beauty blogger that I am obsessed with.
Karima McKimmie on YouTube and her blog ShamelessFripperies. She has a
post about warm pink lipsticks and I fell in love with the color of the Becca Beach Tint along with the idea of it being a multi-purpose product. Once I acquired said Beach Tint, I became even more obsessed because it is so much more than just a pretty color. I love the finish -I would say it's matte, but it is not entirely drying. Of course, as with any matte lip product, wearing it for a couple hours won't give you the most moisturized lips, but compared with others it's quite comfortable. It also has a bit of tackiness that I really like which I think contributes to it's rather long-wearing formula. It feels like it really sticks to the lips and doesn't just dry completely and then quickly fade or flake off. Overall, this is probably my favorite product in this post. I love to wear it like Karima did in her post: on both the lips and cheeks.
The color is described as a poppy pink on the Sephora website. It's a rather warm pink, which is why I love it so much. Cooler pinks don't work so well on me. It does lean a bit coral-y in the photo below but its really just quite a bright pink. Because of the warm undertones its not nearly as scary as some bright pinks can be.
I must say though, that none of the other colors in the range really stand out to me other than this shade. I guess I should swatch a little more extensively the next time I'm at Sephora and hopefully find another gem in the bunch.
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| Becca Beach Tint-Dragonfuit (Top:blended out, Bottom: one swipe) |
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NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream- San Paolo
This was just an impulse purchase one day and I didn't really expect to love it as much as I do. I picked it up more out of curiosity than anything. I'd heard some good things from different blogs and videos and I love a good matte, so I figured why not? I must say, for a drugstore product (though NYX stuff tends to be pretty good quality on the whole anyway, now doesn't it?) it is pretty darn good. Now, it does have that dry matte finish to it, but I wouldn't say it's overly uncomfortable. I usually don't wear it as a full layer though, so that might have something to do with how I feel about it. I typically apply a bit to the center of my lips and bend it out with my finger to get more of a stain.
The color is a rosy pink and it does have a bit of brown to it, which I am really happy about. I've been burned before when I bought something strictly because the color of the packaging led me to believe I was buying more of a rosy color than straight up pink. (I'm looking at you Revlon Elusive.)
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| NYX Matte Lip Cream-San Paolo (This photo's a bit dark -the color's a little brighter. Sorry that you get a better idea of the color of my veins than you do the lipstick...) |
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Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment-Berry
This is a product that I have a bit of a strange relationship with. I love it. I really do, but I can't help second guessing myself every time I wear it because its just a tinted lip balm and its $22.50. It's not too much for a lipstick for me (I have my eye on a Burberry one that's $33, I think?) but I always have this doubt in the back of my mind as to whether its truly that much better than some other lip balm out there. However, every time I wear this I love how it feels and love how it looks. It really smoothes out texture on my lips after I have it on for a few minutes and it's so comfortable-its smoother and silky-er than any other lip balm I've used. It's quite soft, as in its not a very hard balm texture nor does it feel waxy, which is great.
The color is quite similar to the Mac Plumful, which is probably another reason why I'm so on-the-fence about whether I should repurchase this, because I already have such a similar product. But I can't help it, its just so moisturizing and comfortable with the perfect amount of color and gloss! Maybe I should try out some other colors (I'm quite intrigued by Tulip, Petal and Honey) and see if that makes the price tag worth it.
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| Fresh Sugar Berry Lip Treatment |
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Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate Moss Matte in 104
I take back what I said about the Becca Beach Tint being my favorite product in this post. I forgot how much I love this lipstick. Most of that love comes from the color because it isn't the smoothest or most comfortable matte in the world, but for a drugstore matte it's still pretty great. It can be a bit dry when you build it up but, personally, my favorite way to wear this is to pat it into my lips, either straight from the bullet or with my finger. It looks really natural and leaves a good, even finish.
I bought this a while ago and at first it sat at the bottom of my lipstick pile. One day, however, I was watching Downton Abbey and admired Lady Mary's (Michelle Dockery) lip color. I love the makeup for Downton Abbey in general because I love a good luminous, youthful "no makeup" look, but Mary's lipstick was always the focus of my obsession and I decided I needed to find the perfect color. I searched the drugstore extensively and almost turned to higher end lipsticks before I realized I already had the answer sitting at the bottom of my makeup drawer!
104 is a rose shade and I'd say it leans to the deeper rose side. It has the perfect mix of brown to make it a very natural shade, as well as a hint of mauve which was the key, I think, to finding the perfect Lady Mary color.
So I have Downton Abbey to thank for the discovery of my all-time favorite and most-worn lipstick.
So, what are your top lipsticks?
