Girly Pinks: My Favorites

I love to accessorize with pink. It brings out my inner Barbie Girl. I have gathered my six favorite pink lip colors from 'soft and natural' to 'kick you in the face'. If you like this post, LET ME KNOW! Xo

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics makes a large variety of pinks for the lips but this is their best true pretty princess pink. With that thick signature lip tar texture it applies potent and smooth. This is an extremely hydrating matte that doesn't sit in the creases of the lips providing a plump fuller lip look. If applied very thin and set with a translucent powder, I can nearly promise, this lip color will last you all night long.

Though I am no longer a supporter of the Lime Crime company, that does not mean their products are bad. Their Geradium lipstick is extraordinarily hydrating and has a unique pink shade that nearly glows it is so bright. With buildable coverage, this can be a subtle pink or a shocking pink, perfect for the bright sunny weather.

This is the softest and most natural of the pinks today. Yves Saint Laurent makes these beautiful glossy stains in luxurious packaging and my favorite fluffy application brush ever. This particular shade enhances the natural pink of the lips and can be a great product for a soft natural makeup look for those who want a light lip but are not fond of nudes. This is a pricey little product worth every penny.

The exact opposite of the YSL, this matte liquid lipstick is shocking, in your face and perfect for eye grabbing look. Once dried and set on the lips, the product is nearly set like concrete. I unfortunately find the Lime Crime Velvetines very drying on the lips and they do cake a bit during top up reapplications. For a similar sexy matte pink with more hydrating, try Jeffree Star Cosmetics' Prom Night. (A product I sadly do not own)

This pink is my FAVORITE of all the pinks. It is perfect for that Mad Men 1960's sex pot look and also is not that bright or intense. A smooth soft color, Pink Plaid is perfect for daily use and looks good on any skin tone!

Last but not least, Pink Plaid's princess-like sister, Snob. Just slightly lighter and brighter than the shade above, this is a nice product for a nude lip alternative and a subtle kissable pout for a night out!

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I do hope you enjoyed this post! I received great praise for the Classic Reds lip color post so I will be continuing with the lip color series. Up next are purples, nudes, and dark lip colors. 

Classic Red Lips: My Favorites

There is nothing more classic about makeup than red lips. They suit everyone because of the thousands of shades and sheens available. I decided to pick out six of my favorite reds and share them with you. I have a English rose complexion but feel these reds would suit any skin tone.

A cult product from MAC Cosmetics, Ruby Woo is the most matte red lipstick available. You nearly have to drag it across the lips its so matte and solid. This classic red is unmovable once set into the lips. This is what I wore on my wedding day. It is absolutely kissable without transfer. I do not recommend it for dryer lips unless you prep the lips with chap-stick or MAC prep+prime lip primer.

This is definitely a color for the more adventurous type. This nearly neon orange-red is the perfect summer lip with a velvet matte finish that makes the lips pop! Especially recommended on nights out when your tan is intense, this color glows.

This is the perfect product for those with dry lips, especially those who find their lips cake easily with tube lipstick on. A pink-red, this color gives that vintage flare and oddly enough, this product smells really really good.

Not everyone feels they can rock a bright red lipstick so luckily there is this. A sheer classic red to give a soft glamorous look with a satin finish and a lot of lip hydration. This particular red is a bit pink but Chanel makes many shades of red!

Some want to a natural look but some want to be 'in your face' fabulous, like me. Well, this is the stuff. Most shocking pigmentation, most intense velvet matte finish, and most swagger because it was designed by the Almighty Jeffree Star. This product is hard to get your hands on but if you see it in stock, GRAB IT!

Lush Cosmetics are always a surprise to me on their luxurious feel and intense pigmentation (though slightly staining on the lips). 

Each LUSH color is given a name relevant to a trait or emotion you need more of in your life or that you possess already. Any LUSH team member can assist you in picking colors through their color wheel service or use their website and see what colors inspire your mind the most. 

I hope you enjoyed this post, I am currently working on putting together lip color posts for PINKS, NUDES, PURPLES, and DARKS. Xo Taylor

LOTD: Pretty in Pink

Today's subtle look using Illamasqua Aura Palette, Benefit Roller Lash Mascara and OCC Digitalis Lip Tar

Working with my beloved beauty blender I did my foundation, contour and blusher. So far this application sponge is worth its weight in gold. 

Sitting in the DPD depot that unexpectedly closed early on me is my Illamasqua order of their new gel contour sticks. 

Applied with the side of the palm, this intriguing gel gives a sculpted contour with a soft natural finish. 

Prepare for a massive review once it arrives! Co Taylor 

Jeffree Star Velour Lipstick

My idol, Jeffree Star, has opened the door to my dreams by starting a cosmetic range beginning with velour finish lipsticks. He makes a purple called I'm Royalty and his signature pink called Prom Night. I bought the classic red cleverly called Redrum because I do not have enough red lipstick, she said sarcastically.

First of all, the packaging and the tube itself, absolutely gorgeous. It makes me think of Barbie all grown up. It is so professional, so beautiful. The red is classic vintage red and dries with the matte velour finish that does not budge, does not blot off and is kissable!

Here I am, with my Jeffree Star inspired manicure (I am such a fan-girl for him!) 

The color in the tube is the same color and same strength whence applied. It dries quickly but my favorite thing about it is that unlike other ultra matte lip products- my lips do not feel dry. They feel hydrated and flexible. In other unnamed brands, I find lots of dryness which causes clumps when I top up the color later in the day.

The applicator is very unique. It has a deep bend that contours to the shape of the lip and makes application a very easy and flawless process. I have never bought a product with an applicator like this before. I love it!!!!

This is my sassy selfie with "eyebrows on fleek", my Jeffree Star manicure and my new favourite lip product of all time, Redrum by Jeffree Star Cosmetics. I will buy ANY product he makes and once I have money, EVERY product he makes.

Black Velvet, if you please

Last Night, I played around with the most naughty of lipsticks in my collection- Black Velvet by Lime Crime. (Reminds me of the lovely Alannah Myles song...) This liquid lipstick is from the Velvetine collection where the colours dry completely matte. Black Velvet dries to a matte leather look. Though black is intense, you can wear it as the prime time of your look to make a statement without coming off as a scary 1990's goth.

Follow the trend! I decided to vamp it up with Eladora eyelashes, soft pink blush and light eyebrows...and for some reason I put a necklace on my head too. Necklace from H&M.

Foundation- Bobbi Brown foundation stick

Bronzer- Chanel soleil bronzer in oasis

Blusher- MAC stay pretty

Eyeshadow and Brows- Urban Decay Naked Basics palette

Lips- you know.

And here is one just for the lashes!

Red Lipstick: The Timeless Choice

Red lipstick is the oldest shade of lipstick since the beginning of makeup thousands of years ago. Precious gemstones and red pigments were ground together and applied to the lips and cheeks, berries were used as stains and terrifyingly, led based creams with intense red pigment rose onto the scene. From there on, lipstick became the tube based travel friendly confidence provider it is now.

Every skin colour suites red lipstick, especially because it comes in many shades from true red, pink red, purple red, blue red, etc.

I sport the same red lipstick almost every single day- Lady Danger matte by MAC

This has always been my favourite red just because of how bright it is. Lady Danger has a slightly orange hue which bounces off my pink toned skin and that gives it that POP.

Now matter if your look is vintage, funky, retro, modern, simplistic. A red lipstick always works.

MY TOP 5 FAVOURITES

1. Lady Danger by MAC

2. Red Velvet by Lime Crime

3. Ruby Woo by MAC

4. Retrofuturist by Lime Crime

5. Strength from the LUSH cosmetics range

MEET MY COLLECTION: lipsticks

These next series of posts are dedicated to introducing you all to my collections to give you a taste of what kind of products I will be using in my posts.

In honour of it being International Lipstick Day I am going to start with my lipstick collection.

I always prefer lipstick over lip glosses mostly because of pigment intensity and texture.

My collection of lipsticks is vast, featuring the brands MAC, Lime Crime, YSL, Chanel, Lancôme, Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics, and Besáme. The few lip glosses I do have are Urban Decay and Bobbi Brown.

MAC: For as much MAC as I own, it is not my favourite brand. They do have amazing lipsticks though, I tend to lean more towards the amplified and matte lipsticks but always buy a Viva Glam in order to support their AIDS foundation. These lipsticks last ages and I rely on them to give me that pop of pigment.

LIME CRIME: This is my favourite brand for lip colours because of how long they last on the lips. Lime Crime lipsticks are all vegan and all high in pigment in hues not found in other brands. Their Velvetines collection blows my mind it is so amazing and I used them almost every single day because of the lack of necessity to touch them up throughout the day.

OCC: Another vegan brand of high intensity and a newer one to my collection. I nabbed some of their products at the recent IMATS and have been very impressed with their brightness and their ability to mix together to make custom shades depending on my mood.

YSL, CHANEL, LANCÔME: Sometimes I feel like I have been a good girl and deserve a goodie, this is when the designer products appear. These products are designed for a more mature skin so are all very hydrating and smooth and act as sweet kicks to my makeup look whenever I find it necessary to glam it up a little bit.

BESÁME: This is a new brand I have discovered recently that is the most vintage brand of all time. Created by a vintage cosmetic historian, the colours are exactly that of products from the 1940's and 1950's providing the most accurately vintage look.

LIP GLOSSES: The ones I have mostly were free with purchases mini lip glosses that I use mostly on clients rather than myself. All in a menagerie of natural and nude shades except for one, my Lime Crime gloss which is fuchsia and red glitter.