Sunday, January 19, 2014

Your Lips But Better


NYX mega shine lipgloss in beige, estee lauder pure colour lipstick in crystal baby, l'oreal colour riche nutrishine in nudy pink,
australis colour inject mineral lipstick in boogie woogie, maybelline baby lips pink glow in baby pink


swatches: australis lipstick in boogie woogie, estee lauder lipstick in crystal baby, NYX lipgloss in beige
swatches you can't even see: l'oreal lip balm, maybelline baby lips

if you've been reading my blog for a while you may have noticed that red lipstick is a near-daily occurrence for me. i know some people are intimidated by the thought of wearing bold lip colours but i'm the opposite. i have quite pigmented lips even when they're bare so i find it hard to pick a nude that doesn't make me look like i'm wearing concealer on my lips or that isn't too brown for my skintone. but these are five lip products i've found that are perfect for days when i want to wear a bold blush or eyes or just want a more natural look.




these NYX mega shine lip glosses don't seem to be talked about as much as say the NYX butter glosses which were a new release last year, but i've heard this shade was a hit back in the day and i can definitely see why. hands down my most perfect "your lips but better" shade, it's the exact colour of my lips and when i put it on they just look smooth and glossy and my whole face looks a bit more put together. i believe the estee lauder lipstick must have been in one of their gift with purchase offers from a while back because it's in the older packaging and because i would never have chosen a shade like this on my own, but it actually works really well for me. it's a really neutral lipstick that isn't too light or too dark but i do like wearing it with a sheer pink lipgloss over the top as well as on its own. the australis lipstick is the darkest of the lot but it's still fairly neutral on me and it's great for when i want some colour but don't want it to be too bold. i actually think these lipsticks are really good quality, they're smooth but they don't slide around and they smell like my cabbage patch kid dolls from when i was little.

this l'oreal nutrishine is a bit of an anomaly, the nutrishine range is the brand's offering to the tinted lip balm/lipstick-hybrid family that most drugstore brands have these days (think revlon lip butters, maybelline colour whispers, etc). i only have two shades (nudy pink and nudy peach) which aren't really shades so much as they are sligthtly tinted balms. the thing that makes these different from a normal balm is that after a couple of swipes they become super glossy. they're not exactly a nude product but they do add a little bit of shine to otherwise bare lips. now i don't really get the whole baby lips thing, they remind me of using lipsmackers in primary school and they're just not a product that piques my interest. having said that, the pink glow offering is a different story. i bought this just to see what all the fuss was about and whenever i used it on bare lips i could swear it was actually changing the colour despite being a clear balm. turns out i was right! like the vastly more expensive dior addict lip glow, this reacts to the pH balance of your lips and turns them into your own customised colour, and they definitely work because i noticed the difference before even reading about the product - not bad for under a fiver.

14 comments:

  1. I like the packaging of the Baby Lips they sell in Australia much better than the ones in the US x

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  2. M.A.C Ruby Woo is a staple lipstick of mine and I too find it hard on casual days to have 'bare lips'. I have been using Babylips as a pre-application to my matte lipsticks for a while now, because it moisturises and hydrates my lips perfectly. Thank you for recommending these lip products with just the right amount of natural pink stains/pigments.

    Paige | paperdoll-chronicles.blogspot.com

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  3. Not bad in the slightest! I'm with you completely when it comes to sporting red lippy. I tend to feel much more conscious of my lips (perhaps because they're not terribly full or big?) when I don't have red or burgundy lipstick on than when I'm sporting paler shades. I've been wearing red lipstick for so many years now, it feels as much a part of my daily attire as my unmentionables, and though I will dabble in lighter hues sometimes (and adore Clinique's Raspberry Glace for a softer hued lipstick), I rarely go long without returning to my beloved, vintage approved reds.

    Big hugs, oodles of thanks for your lovely comment on my latest outfit post (it's true, I do genuinely feel blessed to have a "live in" photographer who is so sweet, patient and always happy to point his lens in my direction), and the very happiest of Sunday wishes,

    ♥ Jessica

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  4. I have quite pigmented lips myself and I've always struggled finding the perfect shade too. I used to be really into the whole 60s kind of Edie Sedgwick nude lips, but luckily I've now learnt that they don't suit me! A lot of those lighter shades end up showing all the lines and highlighting the dryness of my lips too - not a pleasant look!

    Apart from the Maybelline Baby Lips, I haven't tried any of these products, but the Estee Lauder lipstick looks like a really gorgeous shade. The Baby Lips really aren't that all amazing, but I couldn't resist the super cute packaging! I like wearing it underneath lipstick as it's quite lightweight and doesn't take away the effect of lipstick like my other thicker and more hydrating lip balms can.

    http://likeneonlove.com

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  5. i always enjoy posts like this - love to see what everyone is currently using and loving. actually i have been having a bit of a revival in my love for beauty blog posts / youtube posts, so this post comes at a great time. i too always tend to wear red as if it were my normal color - with the exception of when i had pink hair - and also find it really hard to wear a nude that doesn't make me feel all washed out, but these are some great recommendations to look into.

    rae from love from berlin

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  6. great reviews! i'm quite a lim balm addict and the only one that works for me is the aloe lip from forever products. while i don't endorse the whole avon/amway door-to-door cosmetics sales rep and don't really buy their eco crap, this is the only shit that works! it's super greasy and slightly shiny but yeah perfect.
    i still need to find the perfect red lipstick... bought a drugstore maybelline recently, not as matte as i would want but nice for a change.

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  7. Happy I stumbled across your blog! I'll definitely be back. x

    Macie,
    Amen Fashion †

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  8. Love the NYX lipgloss really want to try other NYX products x

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  9. do you ever get irritations from wearing lipsticks every day? i cant wear lipsticks more than three days in a row without getting a skin reaction, i've no idea if it's an ingredient common to all lipsticks or to a few brands/groups. But yeah, really saddens me, maybe i should switch to natural/organic for that too :(

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  10. Chrystal Baby is such a classic! Very popular with my Brides. I also love "Mayflower" from Nars.
    I love bold colours and wear a lot of bright orange, red or pink. But sometimes I like a simple clean moisturizing lipcolour, that is just like a balm, but better.

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  11. Ah, always looking for a lipstick like that. Personally I just use a tinted lip balm - it moisturizes my lips & makes them a bit livelier :) Love Burt's Bees! x

    Živa from Nothin' Fancy. Really.

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  12. I love shades like this! I have the same problem with my lips being so pigmented that I can never make colours nude shades work! xx

    wildflowerofprague.blogspot.cz

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  13. So glad someone gets my love for NYX Beige. It's the perfect colour and the formula is so unlike your typical gloss, which I usually hate!

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