For my last installment of Pucker Up! I’m focusing on lipstick. It’s what I wear the most, it’s what I love the most. It was the first makeup item I bought myself when I got a job as a teen (L’Oreal chubby lip pencil in Cayenne). My lipstick obsession got me my cosmetics boutique job in college. So, yeah, I like lipstick. A lot.
What do I look for in a lipstick, you ask?
  • pigment
  • moisture (sometimes)
  • wearability (does it stay put? does it turn into weird balls of goop on my mouth?)
  • a good shade of red (always)
  • good smell/flavor (example of good smell: Chanel/ bad smell: L’Oreal…this is subjective, obvi!)
  • a case that is unlikely to open in my purse…bonus points if it looks cool.
 Who makes the grade? Let’s take a look!

Bésame Cosmetics – Classic Color Lipstick

Kicking things off with the lipstick for pinups and nostalgia lovers, Bésame’s cosmetics look like what women used in the 1940′s. You won’t mind reapplying with a tube this striking. The formula is rich, pigmented, and smooth. They call the finish “semi-matte” and I would agree, it’s not drying but stays put. While they don’t offer the largest range of colors, they do offer an excellent selection of the classics. This is Bésame Red pictured above, a true red that tends toward blue. These lipsticks seem to have a slightly vanilla-y smell, it’s quite subtle. Putting this one makes me feel instantly more polished and pretty!

MAC – Lipstick

I mean, you knew MAC would be on this list, right? I like the Satin, Amplified and Lustre formulas best. But for staying power you cannot beat their matte formula — it’s the workhorse of lipsticks. Not to mention that they aren’t much more than drugstore lipsticks, and so worth it. Plus, if you’re like me, and you use enough of them that you use them up, the Back to MAC program is a fantastic way to get a free product for recycling 6 of  your empties at the MAC pro stores or online. In addition to the original lipsticks, I also love the Mattene line, that Dita Von Teese originally launched for them. These are super creamy and smoother than any matte lipstick I’ve used.

Revlon – Super Lustrous Lipstick

This is my budget baby. Available everywhere, and super wearable, my favorite is Love That Red. My grandma wears Revlon — it’s still around for a reason. It’s a good, basic creme formula, it doesn’t smell weird, and there’s a decent selection of colors. I also like that Revlon’s tubes are clear plastic on top so you can see the real color before you buy.

Honorable Mentions

What you thought I really only liked 3 brands of lipsticks? Au contraire, my pets.

  • Kate Spade – SUPERCALIFRAGILIPSTICK! in Adventurous Red. Umm yeah. Best name and best packaging. Push in the end of the gold tube to release the lipstick. It’s the James Bond of lipsticks, and it’s super moisturizing and smooth. My bestie bought this for me, so my obsession is all her fault!
  • Make Up For Ever – Rouge Artist Intense Lipstick in Moulin Rouge I know a certain pinup photographer who swears by this stuff. MUFE has some of the most pigmented lipsticks out there, but Moulin Rouge is a particularly fabulous red. MUFE has tons of formulas and colors though, so this is definitely a line worth checking out.
  • Chanel – Rouge Allure Satin Lipstick It’s Chanel ok, how could it be bad? But really, the satin formula feels amazing, it smells amazing, and the tube is fancy. Passion is my favorite shade. Oui oui!
  • Three Custom Color – A Century in Red lip palette. The product that got me a job. A shade of red specific to what women wore in each decade of the 20th century. It’s a brilliant idea with endless color mixing possibilities.
  • NARS Lipstick – Red Lizard (my fav!), Fire Down Below, Jungle Red, Joyous Red (love this one too!), Shanghai Express. Oh, and the Dragon Girl Velvet Matte Lip Pencil too. Apparently the French like red lipstick. NARS lipsticks are creamy and bold, not for the faint of heart! They do make colors other than red, Dolce Vita is one of my favorite “your lips but better” pinks of all time.
So, this concludes my January exploration of the lip products I love. Did I leave something out? Leave me a comment! Do you want me to do more series like this? Let me know you enjoyed it! Did you miss the earlier posts? Check here, here, and here.

Per usual, all the opinions here are mine and I was not compensated by anyone.