Confession time: I have a lipstick addiction and it is serious. I like to reward myself each week for making it to Friday without hitting others or having a workplace meltdown and making all of my weekday workouts with a little treat por moi. Nine times out of 10 said treat is a lipstick. Ulta is like my second home and running off to pick my well-earned lipstick each week is the adult equivalent of catching the ice cream truck for kids. For this reason, I have a very large lipstick/lip gloss collection. I have tried all brands, high end and low end and there are a few staples I think every woman should have on hand.
1. Bit of Berry—Maybelline
This little darling is gorgeous and creamy. It won’t dry your lips out and it is the perfect color. It is a darker, sultry mauve shade and if I could rename it I would pick “seductress.” I find this hue to be more sexy than playful and love to wear it for a night out on the town with my man.
2. Snob—MAC
This is that impeccable babydoll pink shade that it a must-have for all women. It is fun and floral, it reminds me of spring time and pink lemonade. The texture of the lipstick is smooth with a satin finish and looks great on all skin types. Pair this lip with a brown and gold eyeshadow look and go on girl.
3. Stunner—Bareminerals Marvelous Moxie
Lip gloss is important. More times than not I match my lipstick with the perfect complimenting lip gloss because I do like a glossy finish on my lips (read: I went through the matte look, it is over). This lip gloss looks great by itself, I have to say. It has so much pigment and pop on its own and let me tell you, it will stay on forever. I am talking hours. This bright purple/pink color isn’t overly blinding or neon. I would wear this during the summer to a cookout or pool party.
4 . Eclair—NYX Butter Gloss
This gloss is my absolute favorite lip gloss in the world. I almost always use this to compliment any shade of pink lipstick I wear because it just goes with everything. The NYX butter gloss line is amazing and affordable, in fact, you should just buy butter gloss in all colors. They go on smooth, they don’t dry your lips out, they are shiny and brilliant and if you can’t tell, I love them!
5. F-BOMB—Urban Decay
Before you click the link for this lipstick and fall out of your chair let me warn you, this is a high-end lipstick. It is pricey. I struggled myself to buy it but I would not suggest you purchase it unless it was $22 worth of amazing-ness. This shade is the classic, “I don’t give a f*ck” rebel red shade that we all love. It is a matte lipstick which means that it isn’t glossy or wet looking, it looks as if you lips are actually red and the reason this lipstick is so amazing is that it will last you the entire night. This lipstick is a fighter and it has your back, girl. It will stay with you through four glasses of wine, a Billy Joel karaoke performance, a big ass cheeseburger and a make out session. In that order. I know from experience. Trust me.
6. Thalia—NYX Cream Lipstick
Mauve is my favorite lipstick color, by far. This lipstick is my favorite shade of mauve and the lipstick formula is phenomenal. I am pretty sure once I found this shade and fell in love with it, I wore it for a month straight. It is so elegant and classic, it isn’t a bold tint but it is beautiful so it transitions easily from daytime to nighttime.
7. Myth—MAC
Nude lips are the perfect addition to a smokey eye and this lipstick will give you an ideal nude lip. I like to use Myth and top it off with my NYX butter gloss I mentioned earlier for a flawless finish. Myth is also a great if you have a shade of lipstick that you love but find it to be too bold or bright, put this shade over it and you can easily lighten it up and make any lipstick look softer and more you.
8. Carmel Comfort—L’Oreal Colour Riche Balm
No lipstick collection is complete without a great caramel shade and I love this one from L’Oreal. I actually love this entire line. This shade is one of my favorite shades to wear in the fall because of the brown color with gold undertones. What I love about this line is that it’s extremely moisturizing balm and lipstick in one and it has SPF 15. I would wear the lighter pink shades in the summer and the darker shades for the drier winter months.
9. Lollipop—ColorBurst Lip Butter by Revlon
No lipstick collection is complete without plum and I have been rocking this shade for years. I believe it may have even started my love affair with lipstick, my first love. This shade is a great combination of purple and pink for those who want to try out the darker colors but aren’t ready for those deep vampy purple yet. And this line by Revlon is perfection: creamy, buttery, long lasting and moisturizing.
10. Heftiest Hibiscus—Clinique Chubby Stick
Wrapping up the list of must have lip products is an excellent red/orange hue, quintessential for summertime. Although this name sucks (I would have gone for juicy tomato) the pigment doesn’t. Plus this line is loaded with mango and shea butters so your lips will be soft and smooth all day.
Well, there you have it, darlings: a few must haves to add to your makeup collection. Let me say sorry to your bank accounts now because once you start buying, you probably won’t be able to stop. Happy shopping!
