Lip Colour Essentials

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I believe you should have at least 3 lip colours in your makeup collection. I can't give you specifics as our complexions, natural lip colours and tastes differ. However, if you have the 3 following lip colours, you won't NEED anything else. Sure, you may WANT a black/blue/purple/orange/white/pastel yellow lipstick, but you don't NEED it. This can also save you money. Well, that depends on your taste, I guess. YSL ain't gon' save you money, honey.

1. You need a colour that's a shade or two lighter than your natural lip colour. The nudey colour your lips are when you wake up, before you brush your teeth or lick them or kiss someone or walk into the door, you know, when they're still kind of pale? That's the colour you want but with a hint of pink. A HINT, not a bucket. This colour is great for when you're playing up your eyes (e.g. dark, smokey eyes). It's also great for day-time and natural looks. For me, that colour is MAC Jubilee.

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2. You also need a colour that is a shade or two darker than your natural lip colour. Think about how your lips look after you've brushed your teeth, and the toothpaste has tingled it and buzzed up the circulation. They look bright. That's what you want. This can be the only thing you apply with a coat of mascara. You know how so many makeup artists say if you wear only one thing on your face, make it mascara? This shade of lipstick is MY mascara. I can look like I've seen a ghost or like I'm ill, and one coat of MAC Sophisto on my lips brings my face back to life. And seemingly a punch of health.

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When you mix shade 1. and shade 2., you should get your natural lip colour,  approximately. Yes, I've tried this, yes it works. Also, you can use this to even out your lips if you so wish. For example, if your top lip is thinner than your bottom lip and you want them to look more even, you could apply the lighter shade to the top, and the darker shade to the bottom. Press (not rub, and do that dumb thing they do in movies, which also "stretches" your skin, BTW) lips together once, blend with a lip brush and dab a little more light shade on your top lip. See third shade in pic below.

This is one "coat" of each colour. The MAC Jubilee looks more pink on my lips and not as "tan" as it looks on my wrist.  See when 1+2 are mixed? Again, one coat of each colour, mixed. And don't you just LOVE how intense ONE coat of YSL Rose Stiletto is? I took a pic with flash (right) - I swear those colours don't look so damn shimmery on my face.

The third lip colour essential is a bright colour. I think red (the right shade of red for YOU) should be a staple, but I'm much more of a pink girl. A bright pink. I like blue-toned reds and they don't look terrible on me, but bright pink (it's close enough to red, y'all) suits me better. My perfect bright pink is YSL's Rouge Pur Couture in Rose Stiletto. It's meant to be the pink that suits everyone, and after turning up the lipstick for the first time I thought it looked like an "old lady pink" (sorry) but when I put it on my lips, I was SOLD! And I haven't tried another pink since. And I'm not really looking. There are days when I'm just too lazy to apply "full" makeup (or when the man gives me 15 minutes notice that we're going somewhere and I still need to shower AND moisturize my whole body), and a bright lipstick is perfect for those days. You don't have to wear anything else, except mascara. If you're not that into mascara, skip it. (Cue attack from makeup artists, everywhere) A statement lip is all you need, day or night.

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You don't need a nude lipstick, especially if you really can't afford to be purchasing yet another lipstick. Use your foundation. When you apply your foundation to your face, include your lips. Depending on the consistency/coverage of your foundation and the desired effect on your lips, you may need to add a second layer of foundation to your lips. Once the rest of your face is done, just add a gloss. Nude lip complete.

And if you're a total lip product junkie, and want one more colour, make it a berry. Berries suit everyone, and is a great autumn/winter addition. But if it suits you, and you love it, I say wear it all year round. Lucky for me, my #2 darker shade doubles up as a berry, when layered.

Hey, you need not spend half of your beauty budget on lip products. It's one of those things where you can get away with "cheaper" brands. And, actually, many "cheap" brands have great quality lip products.  Try Yardley, Essence, Rimmel, NYX. I love MAC lipsticks, but if I can't afford to buy another one by the time my current favourites run out, and I don't get gift cards as gifts (duh, why else would you get a GIFT card. Facepalm.) and my mom doesn't feel sorry for me, and my boyfriend doesn't get the hint and no-one asks me if I want anything, I'd definitely match my colours with a cheaper brand.

Shop smart, and remember to add a smile to your lip colour. :-) (Would you like some crackers for all that cheese?)

Have any must-have/can't-live-without lip colours? Share below.

Miss B

Bobbi Brown BB Cream SPF 35

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I'm still on a mission to find the perfect BB Cream for myself. I've never really owned (a full coverage) foundation. The first and last time I had foundation on my face was for my matric dance when I had my makeup done. I don't like it. Or I don't like the idea of the "masking" effect, rather. Yes, I know we've come a long way and there are super stuff on the market that "melts" into your face and becomes a "second skin". Maybe I'm just hesitant because I have a post-acne reactive skin. Either way, I prefer tinted moisturizers, and now BB creams. Plus, I'm a sucker for multi-purpose products.

Bobbi Brown BB Cream SPF 35 is said to cover imperfections and, therefore, even skin tone; moisturize and control oil; brighten skin instantly and over time; help reduce the appearance of wrinkles and help protect against UVA/UVB radiation.

I haven't worn this on it's own (without sunscreen underneath) during the day so I can't really comment on the protection element, but it definitely provides some cover, moisturizes and brightens. I'm not entirely convinced on the oil control factor, as my forehead can get oily over time, and I've noticed this while wearing this BB cream. However, I don't think it's anything a little powder can't fix, and I'm hardly ever without blotting sheets. I'm not big on powder.

It comes in 5 shades: Extra Light, Light, Fair, Medium, and Medium to Dark. At first glance, I assumed I'd be the Fair, but after testing it (and the Medium) on my skin, with much appreciated help from one of the assistants at Bobbi Brown, I'm the "Medium to Dark" shade. There wasn't anything darker, but it works for me.

I swatched it next to a little blemish, see?

Made sure I spread it over the blemish.

Completely blended. A bit pink on my hand, I know. But, blemish covered.

It has a light-to-medium texture, with no obvious scent, and would probably be best applied with warm fingers. I often use a foundation brush to apply this, but I find I look a bit like a pastry that has just been brushed with melted butter or egg yolk: a bit wet and slightly yellow. So, I always end up using my fingers to blend it into my hairline and all along the "perimeter" of my face, right down to my jawline. I also do this above my brows and on the sides of my nose. It just looks better once I've gone over it gently with my fingers and once I do it, it really looks like it just "melts" into my skin.

On first application, before blending completely, it looks like it has yellow undertones (hence the butter/egg yolk brushing), which is great, because I have yellow undertones, so matchy-matchy, right?. But on my hand it looks pinkish. The pink is not obvious on my face, though, and I suppose it contributes to brightening up my face. Also, the yellow undertones help cover any under-eye blueness, and some slightly green veins showing through the delicate skin around the eyes. Mine are quite obvious, and I didn't need to use concealer with this Bobbi Brown BB cream. I just dabbed a little more (a second layer, as such) BB cream over the visible veins, and they were gone. Gone gone. Looked completely covered, but still natural, like I never had it to begin with.

It provides a smooth, medium coverage. My face looks matte but not dry, and usually by the time I've applied the rest of my makeup, it looks more natural and glowy, but not shiny. If you want a more matte look, you could apply powder, but as mentioned above, I don't love powder. I know it sets your makeup, etc, but I'm a minimalist, and I don't like looking too matte. I like the radiant, glowy, I-just-moisturized look.

Overall, I like it, and it looks natural on photos, with minimal flashback, despite the high SPF. Unfortunately, I can't use this everyday. I've been using it for almost 4 months and noticed that I start breaking out when I use this on consecutive days for longer than 2-3 days. It may be a little too rich for my combination skin, so I save it for "special occasions." Having said that, I think this would be great for someone with a normal-to-dry skin.

Have you tried this one? How does it work for you? What are your favourite BB Creams?

Miss B