Best of 2016: Lipstick
I hope you’ve been enjoying your New Year! Here’s to hoping that 2017 is gentler yet still fierce. Because I think we can all agree that 2016 was a little rough around the edges. It wasn’t all bad though! We saw a lot of great releases, collaborations and more in the beauty community last year that blessed us with a lot of great products. I know I’m a little late to the party but there was no way I could truly kiss 2016 goodbye until I shared all of my favorite products with you. It’s only right!
It’s very clear that I’m a lipstick junkie (and proud) so I have to kick off my 2016 faves roundup by covering my favorite and most reached for lipsticks last year. The lineup includes:
Bite Beauty Matte Creme Lip Crayon in Cava Cava made a late appearance to my collection last year but I know in my heart that I would have worn it so much more had Influenster sent it to me sooner. Cava is a cool grey mauve with a creamy matte finish that’s super comfortable to wear. I was blown away with how velvety smooth Cava felt the first time I applied it. The Bite Beauty Matte Creme Lip Crayons glide on like silk and have a plush texture that lightly hugs lips without feeling heavy or too drying. I also love that Bite chose to go the chubby pencil route with their creamy matte formula because it makes Cava (and the rest of the gang) incredibly easy to apply–even without a liner. You can bet your bottom dollar the Bite Beauty Cava Matte Creme Lip Crayon will still be one of my nude lip favorites this year.
Too Faced Melted Matte Lipstick in Queen B It took Too Faced quite some time to jump into the liquid lipstick gang but I have to give them their props because they did it right. Queen B was my top pick when the Melted Matte Lipsticks finally made their way to Ulta and it still makes an appearance in my makeup bag. Queen B is a cool mauvey pink with an ultra matte finish that isn’t too drying. Thanks to Too Faced’s lip plumping technology, my lips still look full, juicy and kissable every time I wear Queen B. At first, I just used to rock Queen B with a brown lip liner and call it a day but as it got colder out I found myself using it for ombre lips. Just pop a little Queen B in the center of my vampy (or bold) lipstick and bam! Instant masterpiece every time. If you’ve been searching for a good liquid lipstick that isn’t too drying you should give Queen B a try!
ColourPop Matte X Lippie Stix in Pillow Talk If you haven’t noticed yet, nude lips were definitely the move last year. Sometimes I just find myself in a nude lip rut and end up rocking nude lips for weeks at a time. One of my go to nudes earlier last year was ColourPop Pillow Talk Matte X Lippie Stix. I’ve always been a huge fan of ColourPop’s Ultra Matte Lips but I can admit that they can be a bit drying so when they announced a line of Matte X Lippie Stix I jumped on it. Pillow Talk was one of those must have shades for me because I love brown lips and I love grey nudes–Pillow Talk is a sexy mix of both. And it’s way more comfortable to wear than Ultra Matte Lip. So I lived in Pillow Talk for quite some time. It’s a beautiful nude for brown skin and looks amazing when paired with smokey eyes. It’s normally hard to find a good nude matte but ColourPop nailed it with Pillow Talk!
Tarte The Lip Sculptor Lipstick & Lip Gloss in Rogue You know that one lipstick you toss in your makeup bag and it just sticks? That’s what happened with the Tarte Rogue Lip Sculptor. One day I decided I wanted to wear it and months later it’s still in my makeup bag and almost all used up. Rogue is a deep burgundy wine with a cream finish and lots of sheen. The formula is very creamy and buttery so it feels amazing on the lips and makes my lips look full and juicy. Rogue quickly became my go to lipstick (and gloss) once it started to get cold because the color is perfect for winter and fall. Plus, the buttery formula keeps my lips hydrated and drenched in color all day long. I do plan on retiring Rogue from my work makeup bag one of these days but it will soon be replaced with another Tarte Lip Sculptor because those things are life.
MAC Lipstick in Strip Me Down Every now and then, MAC comes out with a good collection that blows me away. Last year, that collection was their collaboration with Taraji P. Henson. Hands down. Her collection slayed! It was a small collection (of course) but I loved all of her pieces including her Strip Me Down Lipstick. Strip Me Down is a soft peachy beige that’s like your typical nude lip but better. Normally, peachy beige nudes are so pale that they make darker women look like they’ve been bobbing for powdered donuts. Not Strip Me Down though. Strip Me Down was a deep peachy beige that was dark enough for us dark skin divas to pull off effortlessly. Yaaaaas, Taraji and MAC! Once I got my hands on my Taraji goodies, I wore Strip Me Down, Highlight the Truth and Taraji Glow everyday faithfully for weeks. They go so well together!
Smashbox Always on Liquid Lipstick in Out Loud It’s nice to step out of your comfort zone but I have to admit that I’m good for staying in my safe place. Even with lipstick. I normally stick to nudes, pinks and purples. I’ll even do an occasional blue. However, it’s rare to catch me in an orange lip. I love me some orange blushes but for some reason I’m not too keen on orange lips. Well I wasn’t. Now I’m staring to come around just a little bit because of the Smashbox Out Loud Always On Liquid Lipstick. It’s a warm brick orange that looks amazing when paired with vampy purple and red lip liners. My Clinique counter manager and skin therapist convinced me to try Out Loud after seeing how amazing they looked in it. Next thing I knew, I was wearing Out Loud every single time I went out. Every. Single. Time. This went on for months and it still happens on occasion if I’m feeling a little fierce and sexy. Out Loud is just one of those out of the box colors that work like a charm!
Bite Beauty Cava Matte Creme Lip Crayon, Too Faced Queen B Melted Matte Lipstick, ColourPop Pillow Talk Matte X Lippie Stix, Tarte Rogue Lip Sculptor Lipstick & Gloss, MAC Strip Me Down Lipstick and Smashbox Out Loud Always On Liquid Lipstick
Left (top to bottom): Bite Beauty Cava Matte Creme Lip Crayon, ColourPop Pillow Talk Matte X Lippie Stix and MAC Strip Me Down Lipstick
Right (top to bottom: Too Faced Queen B Melted Matte Lipstick, Tarte Rogue Lip Sculptor Lipstick and Lip Gloss and Smashbox Out Loud Always On Liquid Lipstick
