favorite lipsticks (drugstore & designer)

One of my favorite things to do before shopping online for any kind of makeup is to try to research blogs and YouTube for opinions on products, color swatches, and high quality photos  since the company's websites don't always the best job of matching the true colors to their swatches!


So here is my lipstick collection with (hopefully) pictures that actually do the colors justice! I've divided them by brand categories, and I'll try to give my opinions about each of them. As you'll probably be able to tell, my favorite colors are rosy, taupey pinks...as they most resemble my natural lip color. But I love a fun pop of color every now and then too! Okay, so let's get into it.......


MAC Lipsticks: Myth, Creme Cup, Snob, Speak Louder, Girl About Town, Brick-O-La, Russian Red, Impassioned

•  Myth - beigey nude that completely mutes out your lips. I've heard Creme D'Nude is a lot creamier and easier to work with, but since I don't wear nudes a lot I haven't picked that one up yet. I think Myth is almost like a concealer for lips. When I have worn it, I wear a colored gloss over top and it really makes the subtle color pop! 
• Creme Cup - I LOVE this cremesheen color! This is a perfect everyday pink for me. It's a little lighter and pinker than my natural lip color, but I love it alone or with a gloss overtop (my favorite is NARS Ophelia lip gloss)
• Snob - A little lighter and more lilac-y than Creme Cup, Snob is a Satin finish, but looks a little bit frosty in my opinion. I still love it, but it's a little too light for everyday for me.
• Speak Louder - This cremesheen is described as a "poppy blue pink" on the MAC site, but to me it looks a little more raspberry. It's not as bright as Girl About Town, but it's definitely a nice, bold everyday lip!
• Brick-O-La - I would call this color a deep rose. It's an amplified color that goes on a little darker than it looks in the tube. It's still lovely, but I usually dab it on lightly instead of fully dragging it over my lips for a lighter, more wearable color.
• Russian Red - This wearable red has blue undertones, so it is great for my light/medium complexion! I don't wear a red lip often, but if I do I most often turn to this color. It's a matte finish and it stays in place for hours!
• Impassioned - What a FUN color! This bright, HOT pink is super fun to wear! I defintiely have to keep the rest of my makeup very minimal, because this amplified color does all the work and requires very few touch-ups if applied correctly.

Dolce Vita, Damage, Jungle Red

 

• Dolce Vita - This is a perfect, mauvey rose to wear everyday. This texture of this lipstick is SO creamy, it feels like a lipstick/lipgloss in one. Not all of my NARS lipsticks are this glossy...this one is just formulated beautifully in my opinion. It's a bit more sheer than Damage and Jungle Red, but the color definitely shows up nicely. As you can see, I've put quite a dent in it!
• Damage - This is a cross between a rose and a red. It has purpley tones to it, and is pretty opaque. It's not as glossy as Dolce Vita, but still very beautiful. It reminds me of a very sophisticated business woman color...not too bright like a red, but more dramatic and mature than a pink.
• Jungle Red - this is my second favorite red after Russian Red by MAC. It's more of an orangey red than Russian Red, so I think it would be beautiful with a nice tan in the summer, but it's probably a little too bright for me in the winter.

Dolce Vita, Damage, Jungle Red





Nice Knickers, Skinny Dip, Jing-a-Ling

These Benefit Slim Lipsticks are super glossy and are pretty sheer, but can be packed on for full coverage. I love Skinny Dip for everyday, because it's a creamy matte rosy beige color. Jing-a-Ling is a beautiful pink with a little hint of frost. Nice Knickers is a rosy pink that falls somewhere between light pink and hot pink. All 3 of these are a part of Benefit's Silky Finish Lipstick line and just glide right on smoothly with a beautiful glossy finish.


Illamasqua "Climax", YSL Rouge Personnel #13, Laura Mercier "Dry Rose", and American Beauty #05 "Candy Rose"

I picked up Illamasqua's "Climax" recently and am in LOVE with it! It's a matte pinky rose, SUPER creamy, and the packaging is sleek and gorgeous. I think the Sephora site described it as a deep dusty rose, but I think it's a bit lighter than that description would have you believe. It's creamier than a cremesheen from MAC, in my opinion. This might be my new favorite nudey rose color (aside from Dolce Vita by NARS)!


I bought this YSL Rouge Personnel lipstick at a CCO and was in love with the packaging and bright color. It goes on a bit more orangey and much brighter than it looks in the tube, so I usually have to pair it with a more muted lipgloss. It's a bit sheer so I have to really pack it on if I want it to look more opaque. I think it would look beautiful with a summer tan, but it's definitely not a winter color for me!


This Laura Mercier Dry Rose color is not exactly what I would call a rose. I bought it online simply because of its name, but was a bit disappointed with the color accuracy. It's still a lovely color, but more of a burgundy or deep wine than a true rose color. It is a very sophisticated looking color, in my opinion.


Finally, this American Beauty Candy Rose color was my absolute FAVORITE summer lipstick last year! I purchased it from Kohl's, so I think this would fall somewhere between a drugstore brand and a designer brand? It's a beautiful pinky/coral color that looks great on fair-to-medium skintones. With a little tinted moisturizer over a glowy tan, this was a must-have summer color!




NYX Round Lipsticks in Narcissus (509) and Paris (620)

 

Narcissus (509) and Paris (620)

If you decide to dress up as Barbie for Halloween this year, Narcissus by NYX is the color for you! This is the exact color I imagine when I hear bubblegum pink. And for less than $5, you really can't beat this! This is a little too bright for me to wear everyday, but I am definitely going to find a way to wear this for my costume this year! Paris is another shade of these NYX round lipsticks that I love. It's a pretty bluish pink perfect for everyday. I'm not crazy about the formula of these lipsticks, as they tend to dry out my lips pretty quickly, but so far Paris has worked well without cracking or bleeding throughout the day!
 

Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in "Airy Fairy" and Rimmel Moisture Renew in "Vintage Pink"


 

Airy Fairy and Vintage Pink

Finally, these Rimmel shades have won my award for "Best Drugstore Lipsticks"! Airy Fairy is a gorgeous pinky-nude for everyday. I wore it today with my NARS Ophelia lipgloss over top and it was a perfect combination. They are creamy and come in a great variety of colors. The Rimmel Moisture Renew lipsticks are, in my opinion, on par with the creaminess of the MAC creemsheen shades and the NARS lipsticks! Look at how creamy and glossy this Vintage Pink color looks in the picture! This color is a pretty purple-y pink and a great everyday shade for me. I'll be looking for more shades from this collection in the future!


I hope this was helpful to those who've stumbled across it! I'll try to work on my favorites from my eye shadow, blush and nail polish collections as well!