By now I have faith that y'all are scouring your nearest Sephora, Ulta, Blue Mercury, MAC and drugstores for lipstick. I believe it's happening so don't fight me on this. While you're clearing the counters for the perfect shades, consider 2 lipstick alternatives: lip stains and colored glosses.
Lip stain
As the name suggests, lip stains are much more concentrated in color than lipstick and leave the color on your lips. If you've ever woken up from a night of wine drinking (cause wine is still on sale at Walmart, thank you Heavenly Father) and your lips were purple that's essentially the effect of a lip stain. Lip stains are often matte, I haven't seen one that had significant shine, and so they can also be drying on the lips. However, proper preparation will promote perfect performance and prevents a parched pucker. Info Tip #2 has all the info you need on prepping your lips. Also because of their staying power a little goes a long way.
Colored Lip Gloss
Lip gloss has been with us forever, from the rollerball in the tube to LipSmackers to NARS. Lip gloss has come a long way and it's most recent innovation: decentcolor is keeping lip gloss present. Colored lipgloss gives you the high shine with the color. It can also be a bit more sheer for those who want the look but don't want the heavy color. With lip glosses I find comparing formulas to be helpful because some lip glosses can be heavy. Lipgloss can also be messy when it smudges so invest in a you-colored lip liner to line the perimeter of your lips and keep that gloss where it belongs. As with lip stains, lip prep is important and should be followed.
What are some of your favorite red lip glosses and lip stains? Send them to blackgurlboldlips@gmail.com
