So, I pretty much never wear lipstick. In fact, I stick to one trusty makeup routine no matter the occasion. But laaaaately, I've been thinking that I'm looking a bit washed out.
During the Summer, my skin get's a deep shade of of bronzy brown and my lips kinda ripen to a pink hue. In the Winter... forget about it. My skin get's super pale and my lips begin to prune and darken a horrible death color. Then they fade away. Surprisingly it took me a while to realize what the issue was. Then I figured it out:
Your girl needs lipstick. Stat!
So I went to various stores and rifled through my old lipsticks and after much testing, I was right. Lipstick not only brought out my blush but brought out my teeth, my eyes - everything. Mama liked! So, I picked out the best shades for Winter - and Summer... Well, they're amazing shades all around - and incase you too are having trouble finding color lately, I thought I'd share my findings.
Let's start with Red:
M.A.C. Ruby Woo with Lip Glass on top (for extra shine!!)
Obviously, this is a power pop color for everyone. Some save it for special occasions and some wear it every single day. It's a classic. I love it best with white and navy to make it even preppier!
So after I found my shades, it inspired me to wear more color as well. So then I experimented with lip/top color combinations.
Next is Powder Pink:
NARS Roman Holiday
Usually girls with my skin tone shy away from ultra light pinks. The trick for wearing milky light colors is to find the correct undertone that matches your skin.
It can often look to chalky if you aren't careful.
After Rihanna began wearing lilac and cotton candy colors on her lips, I had to try it. I wear this shade every once in a while, usually going out at night (only because it looks great in photos with a flash!) and during the Spring and Summer but I'm leaving this baby out all year because it's sickening!
On to Party Pink:
Surprisingly enough, this particular type of lip color is a sheer. Which makes wearing colors like puce and fuchsia excellent for the office! I found this shade at Rite-Aid and immediately recalled
Bobby Brown's 'Pretty Powerful' campaign. A concept I totally could get behind, in her 'Pretty Powerful' book, I was surprised to find
she consistently used bright pinks on almost every woman she consulted to upgrade their natural beauty. I was sold. I love bright pinks on jewel tones and black!
And now Nude:
Dior Addict Ultra #531 - this color is rare and no longer made but you'll find
Neglige Pink is similar!
I went through a frost phase and this Dior frosty gloss was the only frost that stayed with me. I loooove nudes. Maybe because I've always been intimidated by lipsticks and nude meets me in the middle. It's not too clear in the photos but this nude is a bit coral and pretty frosty. It's light and goes with almost everything.
The coral hue is especially warming for my face. I found nude colors pop most on mink, white and cobalt.
And speaking of warming - I love a good Merlot:
M.A.C. Mattene shades (mine is in the middle)
Getting back in to Fall/Winter spirit, I love dark purples and merlot shades. I love them against worn denim, cognac and chocolatey browns!
I also wore this shade with a particularly stunning black dress in an earlier post,
'Parlez Vous Le Francais' and I still don't know the name of it... :-/
It's by M.A.C. and just like one of M.A.C.'s Mattene shades as it is a matte finish.
So this will definitely keep me perkier looking through this grueling Northwest weather. And if you're living under dark clouds as well,
I hope my lil adventure helped put some color back on your face too!
