Those Lips... HONAAAY!
THOSE LIPS HONAAAY!
WARNING: This post contains run-on sentences, horrible grammar, kylie-isms and all things slang. Continue at your own, non-judgmental risk.
If I told you that my first interaction with lipstick was less than positive, would you believe me? If I told you that I used to make fun of my mom for wearing so much lipstick, would that sound right?
Its quite hilarious looking back on your circumstances and seeing how you evolve over time, isn’t it? This is the story of the evolution of lipstick in my life.
I grew up with women in my family wearing lip color and I actually have fond memories of watching my mom put on her makeup. It never failed that when she got to the part of her routine where she was about to layer the color on her lips, my sisters and I would tell her, “You don’t need to reapply, your lips are stained that color, mom!” Which wasn’t a lie. She had worn the same shade from Mary Kay for my whole life. Her lips, I kid you not, were stained that color and still are. Yet daily she applied and reapplied. It made zero sense to me why she kept up this habit. ZERO SENSE.
I can’t tell you the exact day that I decided to give color on my lips a try, but I can tell you the instance that I was given the excuse to test it out. I had just signed on to be a sales rep for a beauty brand. Ok, ok, judge me all you want. I only joined because some lady put some anti-aging cream on my hand and I was mind tricked to believe that it was the best product in the land. (No disrespect, that’s what you call a good sales woman. Hue Go Girl!) Also, the discount. Who passes on a discount? Not this girl. Anywho…with this new venture I was able to pick a lip color that I wanted to sample. Go big or go home Kylie came out and chose the brightest of bright red. Naturally. And so marks the adventures of hue browsing and brand shopping for the right fit for me.
At the time, I was in my baby 20’s and broke as a freaking joke. Which means, drug store brands and hoping for the best bang for my buck! You know the struggle… don’t act like you don’t! But, for realz Maybelline Color Vivids (<Click to buy!) were my jam for the solid part of my exploratory phase of lipstick loving. They had an awesome selection of intensely saturated color and the price was right at a whopping, $5.28. Can I get a HECK YEAAAH?! I had/have every shade of pink, purple and red/orange/coral (because how do you choose just one?!). When I had every color under the sun from that brand without feeling repetitive; I realized that it was probably time to venture out and try new brands.
I didn’t do much research and I am not one to follow beauty influencers. I kinda just went for it. I took a solo trip to Sephora (mistake number one) and walked out with a handful of bad decisions for my checking account. I experimented with a few brands, but I wouldn’t say I have tried every single one and quite honestly, unless a brand comes out with a super rad-tastic color, I probably won’t branch far from what I know and love. I know what I like, but I also really like to be loyal to the brands that I fall in love with and tend to stick around for the long haul. What can I say, if you are a product or service, you are going to want me to fall in love with your brand because I will probably promote the sh’poopy out of you and never falter.
I was lucky enough to find my favorites and figure out what I wanted/needed in a color somewhat quick. Here is my priority breakdown when looking for a lipstick to take home:
Unique/Vast Color Selection
Long-Lasting Wear (And I mean… all day. No reapplications necessary. Even after eating/drinking.)
NO GLOSS. EVER. (Wind + Long Hair + Glossy Lips = Color EVERYDANGWHERE!)
^ In light of #3, Matte Finish
No Running (Am I the only person that struggles with the lipstick runs?! Lipstick Running = Applying lipstick and minutes or hours later you look in a mirror and realize your lipstick is running for its life and making a break for it onto your upper and lower lips. So not ok.)
Here are the brands that I love like freaking crazy and cannot even contain the excitement I feel about them!
KAT VON D FOREVER AND EVER! (<Click to buy!) I love her Everlasting Liquid Lipstick line. I aim to own every single color and am well on my way to completing that goal! AYYY!
Applies as a liquid, but dries as a matte. Stays on literally all day. I can eat, drink and be merry and have no question that my lipstick is anywhere other than my lips.
If you are super picky about the way your lipstick looks, you will probably want to reapply after a few hours or following food and beverage because your inner-most part of your outer lip does start to dwindle away. Just depends on your preference!
MELT Cosmetics! (<Click to buy!)
They have an interesting texture that might not be fore everyone. It goes on a bit like wax or clay, so it is a rough first application, but if you warm the tube in your hands before applying it looses the mixture and allows for a smoother roll-on. To make application more smooth you can also apply a TINY bit of lip moisturizer.
It still dries matte, which is a plus.
Their colors are limited, but with this brand I can still have long-lasting wear, while being able to rub/lick my lips without removing the color completely.
NYX Cosmetics Liquid Suede! (<Click to buy!)
The color selection is insanity. Pure insanity. I get jazzed about the weird colors that “normal” humans never buy. (Olive green, copper, turquoise... you know the BEST colors!)
It goes on as a liquid and dries as a matte. This mixture takes a little longer to set into its matte setting than I would sometimes like, but that is me being nit-picky.
A slight downfall for me with this brand is that sometimes if you apply more than one layer you end up feeling the lipstick peel off of your lips like dry skin. (It's like peeling a sunburn- minus the hurt factor and the burn factor from a sunburn.)
Ok, now that I have shared with you my favorite brands for color and functionality reasons I am about to blow your mind with information that will never leave you when you are looking for a new shade. When it comes to choosing the perfect color, many might say that the deeper hues are the colors that end up being scarier or more difficult to pull off. INCORRECT! And all of you lipstick wearing ladies should know this mega truth bomb I am about to drop on you, if you didn’t before....
Darker hues that are based with a blue tint are going to make your teeth look whiter. Did you read that?! Read it again. THEY MAKE YOUR TEETH LOOK WHITER! So, if you are scared of lipstick, don’t go for a neutral, go for a deeper palette and feel like a million bucks as your smile steals the show and stands out for the whole world to see.
On the flip side of things, shades that are based with an orange color tone are going to make your teeth appear more yellow. This is not me telling you to stay away from those colors- OH, QUITE CONTRARE, darling. Wear the heck out of them. This is just food for thought when you go to pick out your next color. If you want your teeth to appear their whitest of white, go for a color that has a blue undertone rather than an orange.
I can picture it now… You walk up to the counter, browsing the colors and assessing, which has blue undertones rather than orange. In that moment, I hope you say… “Hue Go Girl!” Happy Hue Hunting My Lovelies! -- Kylie
