Lip-STICK

Hey guys,
I've never really been big on lip products - Vaseline, maybe a pink lipgloss and that about sums it up. Recently I've gotten into lipsticks, and they're my new fetish :-) Here's a list of my favourite lip smackers and a very handy tip:

• Vaseline Lip Therapy Rosy Lips - not reeeeally a lipstick, but this stuff is AMAZING. It conditions, soothes, tints and it smells like FLOWERS. Although the product looks really dark and thick, it comes out with a perfect pretty rose-pink tint. Get it. Love it.

• Bobbi Brown Coral Lip Quad - lightweight, reasonable pigmented glosses. The pinkest shade gives a healthy, girlie glow to lips; the nudes are season-perfect and the golden colour? OH. MY GOODNESS. Has there ever been ANYTHING cooler?

• Clinique Different Lipstick in Sweet Honey - not nearly as brown as it photographs. It's a dark pink with hints of gold and a slight shimmer/sheen to it. This darkens my lips when I want more than just my Vaseline but don't want to go all-out burgundy. The best part? This is the only lipstick I've found that doesn't leave that heavy, I-am-wearing-a-kilo-of-lipstick sensation on my lips, yet it still manages to moisturise and is beautifully pigmented. How do they do it?

• NARS lipstick in Scarlet Empress - hsjdbfbhvslkbubdvjksjbvsnovn. There aren't words to describe how this product excites me. It is the perfect rouge noir/burgundy/plum colour that I've been searching for for weeks. I wanted something that would be showy-showy for nights, but that I could still wear during the day with brown mascara and an otherwise bare face. I'd been inspired by the look Jessica Lowndes wore in an issue of InStyle magazine. I wanted something a little more beetroot... and I found it! If I had to name a fault, it would be that this is not as heavily pigmented as I would like, but this does mean it's okay to wear in the day. I will just have to use more of it if I were going out.

Jessica Lowndes

... and on to the tip! One of the most frustrating things about lip colour, especially if you are wearing a darker shade, is how patchy and icky it looks as it starts to wear off. So how do you prevent this? It's all in the application:

1. When brushing your teeth, gently rub your lips with your toothbrush to remove dead skin and flakes. To amp up the exfoliating power, add a pinch of granulated sugar to your toothbrush.
2. Massage in a colourless lip salve for about 30 seconds before gently wiping off. If you leave the balm on, you can go ahead and give up on your lipstick having any staying power.
3. Line your lips with a creme lip liner that is either a close or perfect match to your lipstick. Then fill in your lips.
4. Using a lip brush (never to be undervalued) paint the colour from the tube onto your lips. You can blot and repeat but at this point I get lazy and to be honest, you don't really need it.
5. To touch up, you can just reapply straight from the tube!

Have you guys tried this? Did you like it? Are there any other tips you have on making lip colour last? I'd love to know!

Until next time,

x