Lip Do's and Lip Don'ts

Just to start things off on a semi-positive note, school has been going well, I can't believe I'm almost done the beauty/ fashion portion of the program! That being said, I wanted to share something I've been working on with you that I'm super proud of!

(The two sides of my business card.. in case you couldn't tell)

Anyway, been trying out a ton of different makeups and so without further adue, let's talk about lips!

It's come to my attention that out generation (25 and under) really aren't too picky when it comes to two of the most important features of our face! Seriously, we do so much with our lips on a daily basis, I mean they're right there in the middle of our faces (not like eyebrows, which you can easily cover with fringe), that there really is no good reason to not make them look their best!

One thing I've been loving for the last couple months is lipstick (Pink Nouveau from MAC, to be specific, my FAVOURITE, I'm a little obsessed with this colour as of late). So I thought it was pretty strange a little under two months ago when I started realizing how many girls don't wear it.. ever. We definitely have a gloss epidemic on our hands, which isn't bad at all, just strange. I mean women (and men) have been wearing the stuff for hundreds of years, so why are we suddenly colour-phobic?

Lipstick, just like most other makeup is a great way to express your mood, personality, etc. Lip colour is also one of the most primal forms of attraction, and conveyance of such um 'desires' to potential mates.

Colour Key

burgundy - stern, aggressive

red - sexy, seductive

pink - playful, flirty

pale pink - innocent, pure

peach - fun, spunky

nude - "not interested"

Though you really may be opposed to the idea of something on your lips (I know I was at first), lip colours are something I feel like everyone should try from time to time. Maybe it's just a cultural thing, we associate lipstick with going through our mom's purses, and thus feeling older or something? Maybe it was just the push of the '90s that gave us this need to go with only gloss. Or perhaps it's just the fact that the market is pushing new innovations in makeup that allow us to never have to wear lipstick again.  Either way, maybe finding that daily colour that gives you an extra little bounce in your step, to something nice on occasion, might be enough to sway you to try something new.

Which brings me to my next point (along to trying 'something new' lines,) unfortunately try I did. I was helping my mom try to find one of her lipsticks that we later found out had been retired, when I decided to try a new colour of my own. After hearing a whole slew of great things about the Revlon Colour Stay lipsticks, I bought their colour '011 Stormy Pink'. Now I'm not going to say it was a bad product, because it wasn't. I actually really did like the colour, it's pretty similar to my MAC lipstick actually. I just find that their lips colours go on a lot sheerer than MAC, Dior, or Makeup Forever's, which is only frustrating for me because I really like brighter, bolder colours. However it is a good starter though if you're not used to having anything there. Some other options for those who want to give a little colour a chance are lip stains, which can range in price from $6 (CDN+taxes) from 'Joe Fresh' to over $30 (CDN+taxes) for the 'Givenchy' lip stain magic marker at Sephora.

Anyway, there's my bit on lips.. though on a side note, if you are going to give lipstick a try, your best bet is to do it with a liner. Lip liners make your colour last so much longer, and give you a better edge just in case your hand gets a little jittery while re-applying. Though you can pretty much find any colour everywhere, for those in Canada, I'm going to advise you go check out your local Shoppers Drugmart, the 'AnnaBelle' brand tends to go on sale fairly regularly, while still providing an excellent product. When using lip liner, start out by lining the inside of your mid upper lip, NOT going outside of the natural lipline. After finising the 'cupid's bow', draw up from the outer corners to connect the line, and follow the same idea for the bottom lip. First and formost, please use the same colours for the lip liner and lip stick, not matching isn't cute.

Drugstore Discount Duds

My local Real Canadian Superstore was recently having a cosmetics and beauty department sale, that I happened upon while out grabbing some groceries with my mom. Naturually I decided to battle it out with the other shoppers to try and get my hands on some new products at 50% off. I love these kinds of sales because they make trying new products a lot more accesable (less risk because you onlay paid half price). I can usually find something I end up liking, or get some favourites on sale.
Anyway, this time I picked up 4 products I hadn't tried before, and unfortunatly wan't very impressed.


Milani Glitz Glamour Gloss in 04 'Struck by Beauty'

Though the irredescent pink colour looks lovely in the tube, it's a bit lacking on the lips, welling up in any crease and around the edges of your lips (even after you whipe the excess off!). The gloss is one of the stickiest I've tried, and the product has the overwhelming smell of candy strawberries (which I'm alright with, but I know a lot of people hate smells in their beauty products). The usual retail it $8.99 (CAD + taxes), fortunatly I only paid $4.00 for this lip disaster. Really, I doubt I'm ever going to use this, even combined with other products, the stickieness is far too much. Overall, I would urge you to save your money, perhaps buy something from a more reputable brand because this is a waste of money.

Milani Runway Eyes Shadow in 09 Caribbean Sea

I though I might take a chance with this eyeshadow, I mean how wrong can you go with eyeshadow? Well though this wasn't the worst purchase, I really feel like I should have saved my money. The sadow is severly chalky, the pigmentation is so low that you can barely see anything except for a few sparkles. The shadow also claims to work wet, but barely changes in either department. It could work as a hilighter for the brow bone, or when burring out other shadows. On a scale of 1-10 I'd probably give it a 5.7, which isn't too bad, but I still would have liked a higher quality product. The retail value is $6.99 in store, so for quality similar to that of a dollar store brand, I guess three dollars wasn't too much.



Ardell Brow Sculpting Gel

So I've been needing some of this ever since I descided to grow my eyebrows back in, and was happy to find some on sale for $2.00. I was happy to find that the packaging not only came with the brow gel, but also a miniature pair of tweezers. The gel is of adverage quality, but I can't help but find it not quite up to par. It's a little thick in the tube, but comes out watery on the brush. Also, the product isn't the best as far as endurance goes, it seems to dissapear all together after a couple hours! Retail value is $4.99, and I would only suggest this one if you're on a budget/ desperate.



Revlon ColorStay Bonding Color 1 in 02 Always Sheer Camisole

Finally, a recogniseable brand. I'm alright with revlon nail polishes, and really I just needed a natural base polish colour to add to my collection. I used this a couple days ago and have yet to see chipping (given I did use a top coat, but still), as well the colour is nice and consistent, and easily darkens with layering. I think this usually retails for about $3.99 or so, which isn't bad for nail polish. On a side note, the finish is really smooth and milky, and I find this colour to be complimentary with really everything.