I’ve finished another item from my 30 Before Thirty List: find my perfect shade of lipstick.
The result? I’m a little embarrassed to share it with you. Like I was supposed to go out and find the cool, little-known-brand. Or the respected-among-professional-insiders brand. And now here I’m all REVLON! But you know what? I tried a bunch of more expensive, more cool, more impressive ones, and I just ended up wasting a lot of money. Revlon lipsticks are awesome, as is that NP Set red from Target. And I found not just one perfect shade of lipstick, but three. Here they are:
- Revlon ColorBurst Lipstick in Carnation is my favorite pink.
- NP Set Lipstick in Madrid is my favorite red.
- Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Daring Pink is my favorite everyday color.
Go drugstore brands! This is the one category in which you are winning among my makeup (though sometimes mascara isn’t far behind).
Have you tried these colors? I think they’re great, but are there any other lipsticks you swear by? And do you even wear lipstick? Sometimes I think people feel like it’s a little old-fashioned, and I think I’m the only one of my friends that likes it.
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Yay, drugstore brands! I used to be way more of a gloss gal, but lipstick has been growing on me.
While I do love me some MAC, my fav mascara is drugstore – Maybelline Great Lash (the pink one with the green top). It’s the best!
Glad to hear you found you perfect shades!!
I think I’m the only one of my friends who wears lipstick, too. I feel naked without it! Thanks for the color suggestions… I can’t wait to try them out :).
I rarely wear lipstick because it makes my smile look way too unnatural and my lips too small, but when I do I go with M.A.C. in Politely Pink. It’s slightly darker than my natural lip color so it doesn’t look that strange on me.
It’s probably part of stopping and taking the time to look cute, especially as a mom! I feel like if I put on lipstick, then I have to put on more makeup (mascara, foundation, concealer, blush) or else it looks funny… and then there I am 20 minutes later wearing full makeup – with my t-shirt and jeans. And frizzy hair. Are you still liking the moroccan oil for your hair? How it is holding up after all this time?
Yes, still loving Moroccan Oil! And I actually like doing my makeup each morning. I’ve got it down to about five minutes, and I love feeling like I can just get up and go out of the house at any time without having to ‘get ready’ first.
Could not agree more! Feels the same. Make up is for specail occasions for me.
I only wear lipstain on special occasions. With that said, I love Hard Candy lip tattoo in ‘poppy’. It is all in one–stain on one end, gloss on the other. I get it at Wal-Mart. It tastes AND smells yummy!
Thanks for mentioning this. I currently use the Benetint stain but I’d love to find a less expensive option.
I’m all about Revlon and Cover Girl when it comes to lipstick. They have tons of shades and they are great. It’s been a while since I’ve worn lipstick, especially now during warm months, so I’ve been wearing lipgloss. Any kind will do!
My current favorites are by Urban Decay. It’s cruelty free (vegan) and super cute! It’s worth a bit more $ to not have it tested on animals, and no animal by-products are in the mix either! Super good!
I like “Hot Pants” for a hot pink look and “Peroxide” for a pale pink
I love drugstore brands! I swear by drugstore mascara…and it’s sooooo much cheaper. Glad you found some good shades of lipstick…I can’t seem to find one. I always just stick with lipgloss because I feel less weird when my lips can show through the sheer gloss. :)
I rarely wear lipstick (special occasions only) but when I do I go for Burt’s Bees lipstick. They have natural, subtle colors and the beeswax lip balm built in!
Yay drugstores! Trolling the makeup aisles of a drugstore is one of my favorite activities.
I’m really loving Neutrogena’s MoistureShine Soothing Lip Sheers right now. It’s like 60% lipstick, 40% moisture balm. So it’s not as thick and opaque as a normal lipstick and it doesn’t dry my lips out. Plum Kiss is my fave. My momma taught me to match my lipstick to the color of the inside of my lips to stay natural looking. That advice has never steered me wrong.
I love wearing lipstick, but I think that I’m the only one among my friends who feels that way. I wear benefit “la la land” everyday, though I also like some of the shades MAC has. I also love sephora brand lip gloss.
Oh, I love Sephora Lip Attitude in Poetic Pink. I almost included that one in my favorites too.
I am addicted to gloss and wear Clinque Juicy Apple so often that I go through a tube every few months. When I want more pink and less red I go with MAC Pink Poodle! Hmmm, I am now thinking of trying a lipstick rather then gloss too…fun!!
I think I’m the odd man out. I never wear lipstick. I dont even own one tube. I have tried a bunch but for me it’s good ole Keihl’s Lip Balm #1. Just some of that and I’m good to go. I’ve never put on lipstick and felt right in it. I guess I’m just not a lipstick kind of gal.
I don’t usually wear lipstick because I think it makes people look older than they are. My favorite everyday type color used to be Revlon Honey Bare, but they don’t make it anymore. Boo! Three Custom Color Specialists can whip up a copy, but I can’t make myself splurge for it. I haven’t found a new favorite yet.
I’m definitely a chapstick or tinted lip gloss girl. I think I own one tube of lipstick that I bought for my wedding four years ago. I *may* put it on if going out for a really fancy dinner, but usually it’s my fall back tinted lip gloss!
I NEVER wore lipstick until this year, but I wore gloss all the time. I started to feel like some of my standard glosses were too teenage-y with their glittery/shimmery qualities and glosses just don’t last very long before they need to be touched up anyway, so I felt like it was time for a change. I wanted something that was more “professional” looking, but still age-appropriate (I’m 27).
For some reason, the drugstore brand lipsticks ALL turn my lips fuchsia. It has to be my body chemistry because it really doesn’t matter which brand or which color. I started to lose hope, but I kept at it and eventually found three that I love.
Chanel’s Rouge Noir is a great vampy burgundy color that is best suited for fall and winter, but I can blot the heck out of it for a light stained look that I love even during summer. It’s definitely a more “night-out” look though. This is also a color that has the ability to make me look 10 years older if I’m not careful, so I use it sparingly. And it’s insanely expensive. Not awesome.
MAC’s Myth is a great neutral color. “Peachy-beige” as their website describes. Great for daytime.
I also love MAC’s Gleam, which is a great anytime option. It’s slightly plummy with a little bit of shimmer, but not as much as a gloss. Without the wet look of a gloss, it doesn’t seem as juvenile.
Go team lipstick!
I love Revlon lipsticks :-)
I love wearing matte lipstick. I think that shinier lipstick just looks too… Party girl? But I am still on a hunt for a lipstick that will wear well, and wear evenly. I tried several long last types, but haven’t found any that work to my liking. I think maybe I need to splurge on a non drug store brand! ;)
Yes, matte is where it’s at. I like the slightly sheer (NOT shiny) kind too.
My lips tend to peel for some reason, so any lipsticks I try get all flaky really easily and then they just look HORRIBLE.
But I’m trying some new moisturizer to add to my scrub because I want to be a lipstick girl!
Mrs Soup same for me my lips always looked chapped when I try lipstick so I don’t use it as a general rule this is strike one.
Plus I have small lips so no matter what I try with lining just outside the lip line etc, they always look smaller with lipstick so that is strike two.
And finally it always ends up on my teeth and any glass that I drink out of and looks gross in my opinion, even the long lasting ones, so that is strike three for me.
I like the idea of lipstick it just doesn’t work for me.
I’ve been swearing by Sugar Rose by Fresh. It’s just a wash of pink and it smells wonderful -Like sugary rose.
I’m all for drugstore brands. Buying smart is waaaay hip.
Korres Red Wine. I dont even need a mirror to put it on. Its that perfect on my skin!
Wonderful!
No, I love lipstick. There is something so classy and feminine about rolling up that color from the tube.
My everyday is Clinique Tenderheart. But, I’m beginning to be ready to graduate to a color that doesn’t look exactly like my lip color on a good day. lol
Hi Jen! :)
If I could only have one item while stranded on a desert island, it would absolutely be lipstick. In fact, if I am not wearing lipstick, people often ask me if I feel ok. So there’s that.
I love your research approach (exhaustive, no doubt), and I am surprised by the results. Lipstick is ususally a splurge item for me, but I love discovering a drugstore alternative.
I love lipstick. I have several neutrals and pinks, but I would like to find the perfect red. And learn how to wear it, too. I always feel kind of funny with darker lipstick on.
Do you think these choices will still be your favorites when (if) you go back to your natural hair color? I find I have to find new makeup when my hair color changes even a few shades, like after I get highlights or especially when I go a little redder.
I dyed my hair back to brown this weekend… I couldn’t keep up with the red! It had to be done every two weeks to look good.
Anyway, these colors looked good with both hair colors. :)
NOO!!! I loved the red hair! But fully understand. You’ll have to show us some pictures of the new shades on you.
I love lipstick, lipgloss, lipliner, etc! Those are some very pretty colors.
My favorite lip liner of all time is made by Loreal, and I am so afraid they will discontinue it. I also love Loreal Mascara – works just as well as the pricey Estee Lauder that I love.
I love(d) the L’oreal Colour Juice sticks. They discontinued them, but i’m still working through that one tube.
Me, too, Felicity! They do seem to reformulate them every few years, though. Once upon a time, there was Shine Delish, which I adored and bought up on ebay. Then, Colour Juice came along with the same feel and smell. Hopefully something similar will be on the horizon soon!
I am SO not a makeup girl at all. I distinctly remember that my mother had to force me to wear lipstick to my high school prom because I flat out refused. Still don’t wear anything but lip gloss to this day — and not even colored lip gloss. And then, if I ever did decide to wear makeup I’d be really concerned about what chemicals were in it. So something tells me I’ll be makeup-less for a looooong time to come :)
I love Revlon, but I’m starting to like the Maybelline reformulations. I love Born with It, which is more of a nude pink, great everyday, very natural and a little sheer but with a little color to it. My lips are pretty full, which is good–but if I wear very bright or dark colors, I end up looking a little too drag-queenish :)
I’m a gloss kind of gal, and I love Aveda’s lip glosses. I also like their lipstick, when I actually buy it.
Thanks for sharing your secret;) Love drug store lipstick. Its fun to change up colors per season too!
I love lipstick, especially now that my lips are losing color as I get older. One of those fun things like crepey eyelids that no one warns you about… Anyway, my favorite lipstick is Cover Girl Outlast Smoothwear; I mix Ruby Satin and Coffee Satin in the tube, and then I use Clinique’s Black Honey as my gloss throughout the day. It’s my only department store makeup; everything else is drugstore.
I’m a lipstick all day, every day kind of gal. I feel so washed out without it. For the last several years my go-to lipstick has been (OH BOY is this lowbrow): New York Colors (NYC) in Air Kiss (404B). You know, that bottom-shelf makeup brand on par with Wet ‘n Wild at Target? It looks like a very vivid hot pink in the tube, but goes on quite natural and berry-ish (and the texture is pretty great too). I tend to stock up and buy several tubes at a time (less than $2 a pop) because I’m always afraid it will be discontinued. I still splurge and try high-end lipsticks/stains from time to time, but this is the one I keep coming back to.
http://www.newyorkcolor.com/products/index.cfm?item=486
I am in LOVE with MAC’s Ladybug, it’s a sheer red. I have red hair and have found it challenging to find an everyday red. I love this one and I have gotten a few girlfriends hooked on it too. I have been so compelled to wear red lipstick this summer, I don’t know why. The last time I wore red lipstick on a daily basis was my senior year in highschool (1989)when my best friend and I were obsessed with the movie Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. She was Marilyn and I was Jane Russell :) Thanks for the fun post! I want to see pics of your new hair and lipstick together!
i love lipstick. went through a phase when i didn’t do much, but i am back to being in love. my favorite go to shade is nars gipsy. i love a good red and lately have been loving mac ladybug – it is a little bit sheer so it is pretty easy to wear. i highly recommend for those of you who want to try a red. i also am loving the covergirl lip stains. perfect for summer – a little color that stays on. it doesn’t make my lips too dry, but i love the way it looks with something glossy over it. i use rosebud salve. i never leave home without it. have been wanting to try the new revlon colorburst – maybe will give it a whirl on your recommendation!
Yay for Revlon Super Lustrous! I never wore lipstick before this year. Although I’m an adult, I never felt quite grown up enough to wear a bold red lipstick. It still looks costumey on me. This year I discovered RSL in Nude. It’s perfect! I can wear it every day without looking silly. I wish more women wore lipstick. It really polishes any look.
great colors!
i buy drugstore mascara and high-end foundation and powder–the skin stuff lasts for a long time and i react with the cheap stuff so it just isn’t worth it, whereas mascara and liner get replaced twice a year anyway.
i’m on a search for a lip color that stays on my lips. don’t know what it is, but i’ve never gotten a lipstick to last more than half an hour. any recommendations on stains?
Benetint. Perfect sheer deep pink. Lasts all day.
My all-time favorite lipstick is no more — $1.00 Glitzy Red sold at Walmart. LOOOVVEEED IT! Otherwise, I’m a Clinique and Bare Minerals makeup gal for numerous years. So now, in my bag, too, are two Revlon go-to lipstick shades: A58 Berry Sorbet for everyday and E190 Royal Red, which I don’t love as much as $1.00 Glitzy Red, but my pale lips must be colored!
i do wear lipstick everyday, but it’s a soft pink usually. nothing to “in your face”. I do agree with eveyone about the lipstick and hair pics too.
I’m not really a makeup gal but I’ve been making more of an effort lately. I’ve been really into all the Bare Minerals makeup (mostly because they don’t feel heavy on my skin) but I’m still anti lipstick. I’m more of a tinted gloss wearer.
My email address isn’t Lipstickchick for nothing! As an Avon Rep, I have so many colors to choose from! And the best thing – there is a new lipgloss coming out very soon. It’s an 8-hour lipgloss! I’ve tried a very pretty color – Constant Coral – and I love it! It comes in many different shades too!
Let me know how many you want. :)
Lipstick is my main make-up product. I sometimes go without mascara (gasp!) but never without lipstick. My absolute favorite for every day is Laura Mercier, Healthy Lips. It’s a sheer but definitely not a gloss. It is a soft color and no bad taste. Love, Love, Love it! I think that most of the colors in this sheer line are good.
OOOOOOh love this:) I am a nearly everyday red lipstick girl and gosh sometimes just wear it even if I am not going any where:) I love NP from Target. There memory foundation is amazing! I love how it is just the right consistency of light foundation and tinted moisturizer.
Love the choices. Hey Revlon is a classic. It used to be sold in dept. stores in the 50 and 60′s as well as cover girl. My fave hands down is NARS lispticks. They wear so well. Afhgan red (light everyday red), Scarlett empress (the best blue red in the world) and funny face (fushia that would make Audrey Swoon).OK I must stop this ex-cosmetic girl never can get enough!
I didn’t realise they sold Napoleon Perdis over there – go Aussie!!
I am LOVING that NP red color…and besides the hair color, you seem to have my coloring as far as I can tell from photos. I’m pale but with pinky undertones and I find red is hard to get right with me. I’ve tried all kinds and they look too orangy rather than red. If only there was a Target in NYC! I might have to trek to Brooklyn.
I wish I could wear lipstick, because I think my pale lips need it. But I have never been able to find a color that doesn’t look like I am wearing clown makeup. I am sure there is a shade out there that will look good on me, but I think I have given up and I now wear lip gloss.
I love Revlon’s ColorStay Ultimate Liquid Lipstick in Top Tomato. I been living in it all this month!
i adore lipstick and glosses!
I think there is nothing I love purchasing more, besides shoes and handbags!
I have not found a perfect shade of red for me just yet, still searching!!
for lipstick: haven’t found the perfect one yet, but I will!
for gloss: benefits, california kissing
xx
callie
I…I’m 24 and I don’t know how to apply lipstick. I’ve always been great at coloring (whether it’s with crayon, colored pencils or markers), but when it comes to my face, I’m terrible.
Hmmm I think we need to see some pictures of you wearing them to be totally convinced! ;)