If I'd done this post a year ago, you'd be in for a lengthy read full of coral lipsticks and glosses. I wanted to own every coral lip colour in the universe, and I wore coral come rain or shine. I loved me a coral lip in Summer, I loved me a coral lip in Winter. By contrast, 2011 was definitely the year of the pink lip. I still loved a coral lip from time to time (as evidenced by the glosses featured below), but when it came to lipstick I was all about a pink pout. I don't know what it was, but I found myself wanting to own every pink lip product in the universe instead. I loved everything from the palest pink lip to the brightest retina-burning fuchsia. So when it came to picking out my favourite lipsticks, naturally I wasn't surprised to find myself with a handful of pinks.
MAC Cremesheen Glass in Chillin' was limited edition with MAC In The Groove in 2010, and it's a sheer milky blue with barely visible pink microshimmer. I love layering this one over purple lipsticks, or even over fuchsias and pinks with blue sheens. The Cremesheen Glass formula has barely any stickiness to it, so I also like using it to tone down the stickiness of other MAC lipgloss formulas. I can layer this either underneath or on top of said lipgloss, and it'll create a less sticky lip that I can actually bear to wear.
The Sportsgirl Give Some Lip Liquid Lip Colours (glosses) are all basically the same in formula, so I'll just give a general overview. They're non-sticky, semi-sheer to semi-opaque depending on the shade, and somehow manage to be cream textures with a high gloss finish. They don't really have any taste, and smell faintly of something sweet and foody (caramel? vanilla?) For those who haven't heard me rave about Sportsgirl non-stop, Sportsgirl is in Australian women's clothing chain with pleasantly affordable high quality cosmetics.
Bohemian is the lovechild of Nudie Run and Tutti Frutti, and it's a wearable nude-ish orange coral. I love wearing this one with a bold blue/green/teal/yellow eye and a peachy cheek.
Forever Young is fucking amazing. Seriously, that should be the colour description on the Sportsgirl website. It's a bright ass hot pink that borders on neon, and is an absolute stunner over light, bright and dark pink lipsticks. I love this one so much that I bought 2 backups!
Dress Up is very tame in comparison, and I can't tell if it's a pinky purple or a purpley pink.
Tutti Frutti is a bright reddened coral. It's absolutely stunning over MAC Viva Glam Cyndi and Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in Coral Queen.
Candy Floss is a light white milky pink with a hint of peach. I don't really suit milky pale colours, but this is nice applied sheerly over a nude lipstick for a hint of shine.
Nudie Run is my holy grail nude lipgloss, and I also own 2 backups of this one! There aren't enough words for how much I love this lipgloss, it's my perfect peachy brown nude that goes with everything. It nudes out my natural lip colour without giving me jizz lips, and works well either on its own or over a coordinating lipliner and lipstick. It's just the perfect lipgloss: it makes sure the focus is on the eyes, but doesn't make the rest of my face look dead either.
LIPSTICKS:
MAC Impassioned is described on the website as an 'amped up fuchsia', but it's actually a bright yellow-toned watermelon pink. It's incredibly pigmented owing to its Amplified finish, and dries to a cream finish on me.
I don't know what the official description for MAC Show Orchid is, but to me it's a hot fuchsia pink with a subtle blurple flash!
MAC Violetta is a bit of a chameleon. When I first swatched it in store during the Venomous Villains run, I never bought it because it swatched pure pink on me. Then a few months later I found myself looking at swatches online, and decided to bite the bullet and order it anyway. Turns out my non-Venomous Villains tube is the purple I'd always hoped it would be! To me, my tube is basically a magenta purple with a sheen.
If MAC Impassioned is an amped-up fuchsia, MAC Fusion Pink is an even more amped-up version of Impassioned. It leans a bit more on the reddened coral side, with a subtle pink (and possibly purple?) flash.
MAC Syrup looks really freakin' boring in comparison to the other shades, but it's a hidden gem. It's described on the website as a 'cloudy pink', which is an absolutely shite description. At first glance it looks like a boring dusty purply pink, and in one layer it's just that. But if you build it up on the lips it turns into the most beautiful bright-but-wearable purply pink, that brightens the face but isn't OMGWOWYOU'REWEARINGLIPSTICK bright.
MAC Fresh Amour Mattene is a light, white blue-toned lavender that can be incredibly hard to wear. On its own it's like Nicki Minaj jizz lips, but if it's rubbed in a bit or worn with a pink lipstain/liner/gloss it's infinitely more wearable. It's also incredibly creamy and feels lovely on the lips, even though it has a matte finish.
Revlon Luxurious Living Lipstick in Orchid Beach is the brightest lipstick I have ever found at the drugstore, and I just about did a nervous pee when I first saw it. It's an almost-neon Barbie Pink with old lady Estee Lauder-esque packaging and an old school crayon lipstick scent, which I find strangely comforting. It has a very thin texture but is incredibly pigmented, and I won't even lie - sometimes I take this out just to stare at it.
Geek Chic Cosmetics Joystick in Lipstick of the Shifting Sands was a surprising hit with me. I knew from the photo and description that it'd be pretty, but when I tried it on it was one of those shades that just worked. The website describes it as a 'bright pink just loaded with silver shimmer' which doesn't even begin to describe how beautiful it is. It's bright and eye-catching without being too obnoxious, it has a sheen without being incredibly frosty, and it applies like an absolute dream.
Y'all know I love my NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Damned. I bought it because of True Blood, even though the NARS Facebook page states that Pam was apparently wearing Cruella (either she was holding Cruella and was actually wearing something else, or it's bullshit entirely). It's a gorgeous vampy berry shade that glides on the lips and sets to a matte finish. It's lovely worn lightly as a stain, on its own for a deep berry lip, or with a darker liner for an even vampier look.
Finally we have the Rimmel Lasting Finish Kate Lipstick in 04, the vampiest lipstick I own. This is a lovely deep blackened red-toned purple, and I enjoy playing up its undertones with different lipliners. Wear a purple lipliner or lipstain, it appears more purple. Wear a reddish or berry lipstain/lipliner, it appears more berry-toned. It can also look near black if you apply several layers, and the texture is thin but creamy. This is the deepest lipstick I've seen in the drugstore in these parts, and I have to applaud Rimmel for taking a risk with this shade!
What are your favourite lipsticks, in terms of individual products and shades in general? Do you tend to gravitate more toward one type of colour than any other? I'm interested to see how my taste in lipstick changes over the next year, I have to wonder if 2012's favourites will see a post full of red, nude, or even brown lipsticks! A lot can happen in a year, maybe the beauty world will experience a 90's beauty revival and we'll all be walking around sporting poop-tones on our gobs ;]
LIPGLOSSES:
 |
| Top to Bottom: MAC Cremesheen Glass in Chillin', Sportsgirl Give Some Lip Liquid Lip Colours in Bohemian, Forever Young, Dress Up, Tutti Frutti, Candy Floss and Nudie Run. |
MAC Cremesheen Glass in Chillin' was limited edition with MAC In The Groove in 2010, and it's a sheer milky blue with barely visible pink microshimmer. I love layering this one over purple lipsticks, or even over fuchsias and pinks with blue sheens. The Cremesheen Glass formula has barely any stickiness to it, so I also like using it to tone down the stickiness of other MAC lipgloss formulas. I can layer this either underneath or on top of said lipgloss, and it'll create a less sticky lip that I can actually bear to wear.
The Sportsgirl Give Some Lip Liquid Lip Colours (glosses) are all basically the same in formula, so I'll just give a general overview. They're non-sticky, semi-sheer to semi-opaque depending on the shade, and somehow manage to be cream textures with a high gloss finish. They don't really have any taste, and smell faintly of something sweet and foody (caramel? vanilla?) For those who haven't heard me rave about Sportsgirl non-stop, Sportsgirl is in Australian women's clothing chain with pleasantly affordable high quality cosmetics.
Bohemian is the lovechild of Nudie Run and Tutti Frutti, and it's a wearable nude-ish orange coral. I love wearing this one with a bold blue/green/teal/yellow eye and a peachy cheek.
Forever Young is fucking amazing. Seriously, that should be the colour description on the Sportsgirl website. It's a bright ass hot pink that borders on neon, and is an absolute stunner over light, bright and dark pink lipsticks. I love this one so much that I bought 2 backups!
 |
| L - R: MAC Chillin', Sportsgirl Bohemian, Forever Young, Dress Up, Tutti Frutti, Candy Floss and Nudie Run. |
Tutti Frutti is a bright reddened coral. It's absolutely stunning over MAC Viva Glam Cyndi and Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in Coral Queen.
Candy Floss is a light white milky pink with a hint of peach. I don't really suit milky pale colours, but this is nice applied sheerly over a nude lipstick for a hint of shine.
Nudie Run is my holy grail nude lipgloss, and I also own 2 backups of this one! There aren't enough words for how much I love this lipgloss, it's my perfect peachy brown nude that goes with everything. It nudes out my natural lip colour without giving me jizz lips, and works well either on its own or over a coordinating lipliner and lipstick. It's just the perfect lipgloss: it makes sure the focus is on the eyes, but doesn't make the rest of my face look dead either.
 |
| L - R: MAC Chillin', Sportsgirl Bohemian, Forever Young, Dress Up, Tutti Frutti, Candy Floss and Nudie Run. |
LIPSTICKS:
MAC Impassioned is described on the website as an 'amped up fuchsia', but it's actually a bright yellow-toned watermelon pink. It's incredibly pigmented owing to its Amplified finish, and dries to a cream finish on me.
I don't know what the official description for MAC Show Orchid is, but to me it's a hot fuchsia pink with a subtle blurple flash!
MAC Violetta is a bit of a chameleon. When I first swatched it in store during the Venomous Villains run, I never bought it because it swatched pure pink on me. Then a few months later I found myself looking at swatches online, and decided to bite the bullet and order it anyway. Turns out my non-Venomous Villains tube is the purple I'd always hoped it would be! To me, my tube is basically a magenta purple with a sheen.
If MAC Impassioned is an amped-up fuchsia, MAC Fusion Pink is an even more amped-up version of Impassioned. It leans a bit more on the reddened coral side, with a subtle pink (and possibly purple?) flash.
MAC Syrup looks really freakin' boring in comparison to the other shades, but it's a hidden gem. It's described on the website as a 'cloudy pink', which is an absolutely shite description. At first glance it looks like a boring dusty purply pink, and in one layer it's just that. But if you build it up on the lips it turns into the most beautiful bright-but-wearable purply pink, that brightens the face but isn't OMGWOWYOU'REWEARINGLIPSTICK bright.
 |
| L - R: MAC Impassioned, Show Orchid, Violetta, Fusion Pink and Syrup. |
MAC Fresh Amour Mattene is a light, white blue-toned lavender that can be incredibly hard to wear. On its own it's like Nicki Minaj jizz lips, but if it's rubbed in a bit or worn with a pink lipstain/liner/gloss it's infinitely more wearable. It's also incredibly creamy and feels lovely on the lips, even though it has a matte finish.
Revlon Luxurious Living Lipstick in Orchid Beach is the brightest lipstick I have ever found at the drugstore, and I just about did a nervous pee when I first saw it. It's an almost-neon Barbie Pink with old lady Estee Lauder-esque packaging and an old school crayon lipstick scent, which I find strangely comforting. It has a very thin texture but is incredibly pigmented, and I won't even lie - sometimes I take this out just to stare at it.
Geek Chic Cosmetics Joystick in Lipstick of the Shifting Sands was a surprising hit with me. I knew from the photo and description that it'd be pretty, but when I tried it on it was one of those shades that just worked. The website describes it as a 'bright pink just loaded with silver shimmer' which doesn't even begin to describe how beautiful it is. It's bright and eye-catching without being too obnoxious, it has a sheen without being incredibly frosty, and it applies like an absolute dream.
Y'all know I love my NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Damned. I bought it because of True Blood, even though the NARS Facebook page states that Pam was apparently wearing Cruella (either she was holding Cruella and was actually wearing something else, or it's bullshit entirely). It's a gorgeous vampy berry shade that glides on the lips and sets to a matte finish. It's lovely worn lightly as a stain, on its own for a deep berry lip, or with a darker liner for an even vampier look.
Finally we have the Rimmel Lasting Finish Kate Lipstick in 04, the vampiest lipstick I own. This is a lovely deep blackened red-toned purple, and I enjoy playing up its undertones with different lipliners. Wear a purple lipliner or lipstain, it appears more purple. Wear a reddish or berry lipstain/lipliner, it appears more berry-toned. It can also look near black if you apply several layers, and the texture is thin but creamy. This is the deepest lipstick I've seen in the drugstore in these parts, and I have to applaud Rimmel for taking a risk with this shade!
 |
| L - R: MAC Fresh Amour Mattene, Revlon Orchid Beach, Geek Chic Shifting Sands, NARS Damned, Rimmel 04 |
---
