The Perfect Pink Lipstick

When I was younger, I wore vibrant reds and deep burgundies (which are on trend now) to express my love of dramatic lip colour as well to show my wannabe bad attitude.  (psst...I was sooo unsuccessful with the last one! Lol!)

Once I outgrew the “in your face strong lip”, I discovered the simplicity of the nude glossy lip, and I fully embraced it for years. 

After needing a slight change a few years ago, I fell in love with the subtle beauty of pink lip gloss. I didn’t like wearing barely there colours anymore, and wearing discreet pinks kept my look natural but polished.  Suffice it to say, I wore pale pink lip gloss for years...until....

I had a brief stint with vibrant reds last winter (I’m sure I will be embracing the sultry colour again very soon!).  Reds allowed me to tap into my inner vixen and add more “sex appeal” to my look.  But since I am a creature of habit, my love affair with all things pink resurfaced.

Perhaps my revisit to pink is the Minaj effect.    Although Nicki Minaj’s overall look can be a bit much to say the least, her pout is always painted with the perfect shade of pink – whether it’s baby pink, fuchsia, or even bubblegum, it always seems to work.  She actually made me realize that wearing pink doesn’t have to look childish; it can be sexy and fashion forward. 

As much as I loved my tried and true staple lip gloss (ahem, L’Oreal Rich Pink 120 still rocks), I wanted to find new shade that would add a bit of punch and zing.  I turned to YouTube to help me search out the perfect pink (yes, some people go to department stores, I check out YouTube!).  Thanks to BeautyByJJ for showing me how each one of her pink lip colours looks.  Very helpful.

Here are my new go-tos

Pink in the Afternoon

 Pink in the Afternoon - Revlon 415

It’s pink, but very appropriate for work.  Not too flashy, just enough femininity!

Airy Fairy

Airy Fairy – Rimmel 070

This was my go to lipstick in the summer.  It looked very sexy when my skin was tanned and radiant.  For the fall, I wear it with a swipe of pink lipgloss.  (*I use L’Oreal 120)

Candy Pink

Candy Pink – Revlon 008

This is a definite favourite.  It’s just enough pink without being too over the top.  A bonus is that my lips look plump and hydrated when I wear it. It’s a pink lip colour that can be worn for any occasion.

Spellbound

Spellbound – COVERGIRL 325

Just bought this after seeing it featured on a few blogs.  I love the way it looks.  It’s got all the swagger and sexiness of a red lip, but the flirtiness of a pink. 

p.s. if you are applying a pink lipstick, be sure to line your lips with a pink or nude lip liner.  I use Annabelle waterproof lip liner in Nude.

So those are my round up of pink lipsticks.  What are some of your faves?

Michelle

Save or splurge?

Anyone that knows me is fully aware that I am a slightly frugal (ahem, cheap) girl. I looove scoring a bargain, but more importantly, I believe in spending my money wisely.



I’m not the kind of girl that plunks down a lot of money on designer products, because frankly, you can get the same results from more affordable selections.


Through my many years of trial and error, I have to come to the conclusion that I would probably think twice before spending a lot of money on higher priced cosmetics.


There is one product in particular that you don’t need to spend a lot of money on to get great results.


Lip gloss


Honestly, I have tried tons of designer lip glosses and I have gotten the same, if not better results, from drugstore items.

My new go-to lipgloss is L’Oreal Paris Colour Riche in Rich Rose. I use this lipgloss (which costs less than $10!! Woo hooo) practically every day. It provides me with vibrant colour, staying power, and the most important thing of all, it is not gloppy.


I’m not saying that you can’t pamper yourself and treat yourself to something nice, but just remember, if you can save on one item, you can splurge somewhere else.


Have fun shopping!

Michelle

Beauty 411

My latest go-to lip gloss

Glamour-Full, Clinique

It’s funny how my new go-to lip gloss happens to be something that I got for free. It was a gift with purchase when I bought a bottle of Clinique’s  Dramatically Different Moisturizing lotion a couple months ago (*btw, this moisturizer has been a part of my beauty regimen for as long as I can remember).  I also received a mini version of their Lash Doubling mascara (this is also an exceptional product!), a makeup case and some eye shadow.

Normally the makeup palette in the bonus gifts doesn’t really go with my skin tone and I end up tossing it out or giving it to friends, but the sample size of Glamour-full full potential lips plump and shine lip gloss that was included, wasn’t a stark contrast to my complexion. 

The colour itself is a mixture of muted pink and lavender hues. When I apply it, it gives my lips that glossy, shiny effect with just a whisper of pink.

My lips are quite full already, so I haven’t noticed a plumping effect (you might feel a slight tingling when you wear it the first couple of times). But other than that, this is a great lip gloss.

P.S.  If the Clinique lip gloss is a bit too pricey and you want to try a less expensive brand, you should take a look at Barely Nude Infallible Lip Gloss from L’Oreal.  It’s a great lip gloss (I bought this one too!) and the colour is as delicate as the Clinique lip gloss.   

P.S S. Both lip glosses look fantastic when worn with a smoky eye.

Michelle

Beauty 411

Joe Fresh Face!

Have you heard….Joe Fresh sells cosmetics now! Being a Joe Fresh devotee—I love its cheap chic philosophy—I had to run out and check out their new beauty line.

When I entered the Joe Fresh section of my local supermarket, I was approached by a super-excited salesgirl. I asked about the new cosmetics line and she eagerly walked me over to the display. I followed and I found the cutest display of extremely reasonably priced makeup. She gave me a coupon towards the purchase of a lip product, so I HAD to search out a shade perfect for me. Cool! I found one! Since I was already there, I thought to pick up a tube of mascara as well.

Ginger Lip gloss

First things first, I love the packaging. The clear tubular casing is streamlined, chic and esthetically pleasing. It completely appeals to my minimalist sensibility.

I chose the lip gloss called ginger as it had a nice pink hue and also seemed quite appropriate for spring. This product was surprisingly very vibrant. Unlike other product lines, this lip colour was bold and rich, and actually retained its colour after applied. It came out smooth, not clumpy and easily glided on my lips. Kudos to Joe Fresh! I would buy this product again.

Volumizing and lengthening Mascara

There was only one style of mascara, so I picked it up. It was good, but not quite different from most drugstore mascaras. It went on well; however, you had to put on several coats for it to show some drama.

Bottom line, it did the trick but I would only wear it when I didn’t need a totally made up look.

The Joe Fresh line is definitely worth a try. Just like with its fashions, their cosmetics line is meant to provide their customers with items that won’t break the bank but keep you looking hot!

Michelle