Online you
can find many reviews about make up. Lately mostly about lipstick. Red
lipstick.
Yes, I too
started the quest for the perfect red lipstick. I searched high and low, cheap
and très expensive and I did find some pretty colors. But none were the one. I
had to apply layer upon layer to get what I wanted. So when I went out I
dragged about 4 different lipsticks along to keep my lip tan up.
For someone
like me it was too much work.
I am a girl
that likes to look pretty at times but doesn't want to spend too much time on
her looks. When me and my girls go out I am usually the one that is done the
quickest. Hair, outfit, make up, nails, heels, done. Most of the time picking
my shoes take up most of my prepping time.
So no, I do
not like to spend that much time to get lucious lips.
The first
color I bought was bright bright red from an old skool brand everybody knows;
Miss Sporty. The price was low, the color even brighter. Like the beautiful red
pin ups from the '50ies used to wear. I was in love!
Luckily the
color matches my skin tone so I don't look sick. It doesn't make my teeth look
yellow either.
And this is
a point I really want to stretch to you: the color HAS to match with you. Not
just your skin tone but also with your teeth.
As you
already know there are various red lipsticks and all these different colors
have different under tones; e.g. brown, pink, purple or even orange.
If your
teeth aren't Colgate-ready (let's be honest, most of us don't have a toothpaste
smile), avoid the orange undertone! It makes your teeth look very yellow. And
so far that hasn't been a fashion statement ever!
So I was
over the moon. I thought my lipstick quest was over even before it
started. Quel joie!
WRONG!
Eventhough
the lipstick turned my lips bright red in one go and they did not feel dry,
there was this big issue. Well two actually.
One was that
the lipstick stained. A lot. Clumsy me had smeared red all over the place in no
time (glass, hands, cheeks, you name it).
The other
issue was that it wasn't what you call 'long lasting'. After an hour or so half
of it was worn off (it was probably somewhere on my face or clothes) and the
rest had gathered in cracks on my lips. Which meant I had one big dried out red
line running across my lower lip. Charming.
So I
continued my quest.
The next one
was a burgundy red from Max Factor. The casing is pretty, but the smell! Like
someone burnt their Barbie dolls on a barbecue. Ugh. The color is pretty too,
but I can only wear it in the summer. In the winter this color makes me look
really pale.
It has a
velvety feel on the lips and is a bit longer lasting than the Miss Sporty
stick.
But, I still
wasn't too satisfied because I want a color to wear during the day, all year
long.
Next test
subject: Sephora lip color. The color holds between bright red and dark red, it
has a shimmer and is some sort of a crayon. I do thin that is pretty handy,
most of my lipsticks are ruined because the stick broke off or I crushed it in
the cap.. Clumsy me..
It smears
pretty smoothly, not too muh staining, except for on the glass.
The
durability is not really great, but doable. I had to retouch once during a
night out.
It is
getting better but still not exactly what I want. The color is very pretty, but
the shimmer makes it an evening lipstick for me.
On to the
next..
During my
Hunt for Red lipstick I cheated. I found this lovely velvety long lasting
lipstick. Only thing was: it is pink.
I am still
in love with it. The color is this deep, rich, lucious pink. Yay! I am happy!
Only it's
not red. Otherwise it is perfect. Except it isn't red.
And thus my
quest continues.
I never knew
it would be this hard to find the perfect match for me. I know I can be picky,
but I just know what I want. I think...
Since I know
I am not the only one with this dilemma I started googling. I google
everything. I love it. And so I found Red Velveteen from Lime Crime. It is
supposed to dry on your lips but won't dry them out. And 'they' say it will
stay on for 8 hours straight. Hmmm...
Now,I must
add a side note here; Lime Crime is not the most 'valid' brand out there. If
you are interested in the full story, look it up yourself, but the bottom line
is that this particular brand seems to have 'copied' the products from other
make up brands. I do not know nor do I want to get involved in make up
politics.
What I did
do, in order to calm my concious, was googling. Again: I love google. I checked
to see if there were any other brands with a similar product: no there are not.
So that
calmed my nerves a bit and, judging the raving reviews, this is THE product
when it comes to lip coloring.
Ok. I had to
try it so I ordered it. It is not available here in the Netherlands. You can
order it through Germany or Amazon.com. Amazon.co.uk also sells it, but somehow
it is cheaper on the US website and the delivery time is also shorter. The
price is a wee bit high: EUR 16,- but that isn't much if it really is the holy
grail in lipsticks.
So after I
ordered it I was antsy as hell. Just like a kid on Christmas eve. After what
seemed like an eternity (ok, maybe 2 days?) it arrived. The color is velvet red
(there is also coral and pink) and it comes like a lipgloss. But it really is a
lipstick.
The
packaging is pretty, the casing is elegant and the smell... Heavenly! It smells
like toffee!
The color is
a vibrant red, no shimmer or glitter. Perfect for day and night for me.
Ok, on to
the ultimate test. Will it fulfill all my expectations?
When getting
ready for one of my fav concerts I decide to put it to the test; drinks, diner,
boyfriend, warm surroundings and me 'singing' all night long.
It does take
some time to dry, but when it does, it's lovely! The color stays alive the
entire time you wear it, no smudging or smearing, it really does what it
promises!
I am used to
putting my lip balm on very frequently, so it took some getting used to, but
they don't feel really dry. Ok, they do feel a bit more dry than usually, but
nothing in the regions of a dried plum.
Ladies and
gentlemen: I HAVE FOUND THE PERFECT MATCH!
Now, you go try it!
Love,
Jazz.
