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A nude lip liner. That was one of the first makeup products I remember falling in love with as a teenage girl. I remember seeing my mom and her friends getting ready to go out to dinner and realized just how magical a lipstick can be. Long before the world knew who Kylie Jenner is, I saw one of my mom’s friends instantly make her rather thin lips look fuller, just by using a nude lip liner and a tinted lip balm. I was so intrigued and curious, she actually ended up buying me my very own, first lip liner.
A lipstick itself though was what I found a bit more intimidating at first. Now, it’s one of my favorite things about makeup- applying lipstick. It’s always that final touch, that step that just puts everything together and it not only can change the way you look but also the way you feel.
Lip balms… we all hoard them, don’t we? I mean, as someone who suffers from chronically dry lips, I actually do use a prescription ointment, but you know… A girl needs to have some options in that department.
Lano Lips and Agave Lip Mask from Bite Beauty both helped me deal with bleeding, cracking skin during my acne treatment. Dior’s Lip Glow, along with Creme de Rose, has been a favorite for many years. Anything that comes in a pot, like the Laneige Sleeping Lip Mask and these beautiful Emile Cordon balms, usually stay on my nightstand. I don’t like the idea of dipping my fingers (or even the spatulas most of them come with) in the product throughout the day. Doesn’t mean I like them any less, but they generally work best as overnight treatments.
Patchology’s Lip Service is my favorite to use in the morning while I do my skincare routine because it’s thick, creamy and it acts like a great, quick lip mask. Context Skin’s Lip Balm is also a great simple product with SPF 30 that Mark actually really likes, too.
Urban Decay’s Hi-Fi Shine in Obsessed, MAC’s Retro Matte in Burnt Spice, Glossier’s Generation G in Zip, Urban Decay’s Hi-Fi Shine in Candy Flip, Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat in Pillow Talk, Urban Decay’s Hi-Fi Shine in Fuel, Burberry Liquid Lip Velvet in Oxblood, Urban Decay’s Hi-Fi Shine in 1993, Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk and Bond Girl.
I’ve almost always been a matte-lip kind of girl, but surprisingly, I have found a new love for lip glosses. Urban Decay’s new Hi-Fi shine glosses* are probably some of the most comfortable lip glosses I’ve ever used. You get everything you like- like shine, a tint of color, hydrating formula- and nothing you don’t like- like tackiness and stickiness. These wear incredibly comfortable. Certain shades are more tinted than others so they work great for no makeup days, light makeup days, or you can even use them on top of your lipstick.
Glossier’s Lip Gloss is also nice on those “minimal-makeup days” but it is a bit thicker and slightly sticky. While I do love this gloss, I just don’t get the $14 price tag for a product as simple as a clear gloss. Don’t get me wrong- it really is nice, but… it is just clear lip gloss.
You may have noticed that I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with Glossier. There’s a bunch of their products that I constantly repurchase (like the Milky Jelly Cleanser or Boy Brow) but their whole “cool girl” marketing sometimes just puts me off and their prices don’t always seem justified. Take their Generation G sheer lippies. The shade “Zip” is honestly one of the best “everyday” lip products I own, I love how comfortable it feels, how it’s not an intimidating shade and works well with my fair complexion. But holy shit does the packaging suck. It’s cute and all, but it just feels so… cheap, and for 18 bucks a pop, it should feel a bit more sturdy and the lipstick shouldn’t be breaking off mid-application. Still, if you’re not a “lipstick kind of girl” but want to try adding some color, I really, really love these.
No secret here that I also love CT’s Pillow Talk– both the lip cheat and the lipstick. It’s one of those nude, creamy lipsticks that is universally flattering- I’ve used it on my sister who has a deeper skin tone, my mom who has blonde hair, and it always looks beautiful. Whenever I can’t decide which lipstick to go with, I end up reaching for Pillow Talk. I also love Bond Girl, which is a deeper plum-ish, berry shade that just like Pillow Talk, has a matte, yet hydrating and very comfortable and long-lasting formula.
I never really liked dark and intense lip colors, until I cut my hair short. I just find them so much easier to pull off now. Whenever I want to go for a more intense, “statement” lip color, I always grab Burberry’s Liquid Lip Velvet in Oxblood. When they called it “liquid lip velvet” they meant it. These have such a cushion soft formula that dries completely matte and lasts the entire day or night.
Regardless of how long-lasting each formula is, I always use MAC’s Prep + Prime Lip. It’s a color-free base that stops your lipstick for feathering out, bleeding, and also helps it last much longer. Seriously, this stuff is amazing and if you’re a fellow lipstick lover, you need this!
15 Comments
Jaynie Shannon
May 5, 2018 at 12:21 pmOoo this is such an interesting post! I definitely use different lippies for different occasions. That Hi-Shine gloss by Urban Decay looks beautiful!
Jaynie Shannon | Beauty, Lifestyle & Parenting xx
xx
Paula @ lifestylegleam.com
May 8, 2018 at 11:28 amThose glosses are really amazing!
Dany Queen
May 5, 2018 at 1:15 pmI’m definitely more of a clear of slightly tined balm and gloss girl, so its really nice to have so many different products to take a look at. Thanks for the recommendations!! xx
Dany | Danielle Reine
Paula @ lifestylegleam.com
May 8, 2018 at 11:48 amThank you, Danielle! I always go back and forth but I do love a good tinted balm, that’s for sure! :)
Danielle Alexa
May 5, 2018 at 1:21 pmI think I am going to have to try Lano Lips, everybody seems to rave about it. Plus, I have super chapped lips!
Danielle xx
https://www.fashionbeautyblog.co.uk/
Paula @ lifestylegleam.com
May 8, 2018 at 11:47 amI’m sure you’d like it, it’s one of my favorite lip treatments!
Linda Libra Loca
May 5, 2018 at 2:21 pmFor me it was the other way round, I early on purchased a lipstick, but only bought a lip liner when I was already at uni.
Anne – Linda, Libra, Loca
Paula @ lifestylegleam.com
May 8, 2018 at 11:47 amIt’s so interesting to see how different everyone’s first experiences with makeup were!
Janet
May 6, 2018 at 9:02 pmPackaging plays a huge part in sales and really loving a product. I still get a little extra beat in my heart when I’m opening that Sephora or Birchbox package!
Jane
Paula @ lifestylegleam.com
May 8, 2018 at 11:49 amYes, that is so true! It’s definitely the first thing I tend to pay attention to! x
The Sunday Mode
May 8, 2018 at 6:10 amIs the Dior Lip Glow kind of more of a day time lip balm compared to the Creme De Rose? I love love the Creme De Rose but only for nighttime so I need a good lip balm that I can put underneath lipsticks during the day!
Julia // The Sunday Mode
Paula @ lifestylegleam.com
May 8, 2018 at 11:47 amYes, definitely! It enhances the natural color of your lips so it gives you a pretty, pink tint. x
Jasmine Talks Beauty
May 15, 2018 at 3:21 pmI always have to have some sort of multi-use ointment in my bag like Lanolips! I also love Charlotte Tilbury for a matte formula :)
Jasmine xx
Jasmine Talks Beauty
Natalie Redman
May 27, 2018 at 7:56 pmCT Bond Girl – I want!
http://www.upyourvlog.com
lawler || yvettemypet
June 3, 2018 at 12:39 pmI am experiencing a serious devotion to lip balms at the moment (that’s the nice way of saying “a slightly out of control addiction”). I think I am going to cave and get the Patchology product you mentioned. I also found new flavors of Lano at Net-a-Porter (those I did buy). AND those new Fresh lip balms are out in flavors like chocolate and peach. I have the caramel one in a mini and I LOVE it.