Welcome back to another episode of The Color Analysis Wars! Tan tan tan (dramatic sound effects). In this series I have collaborated with my friend Fran from Being Cute is Not a Crime to compare how lipsticks look like on the two of us. To know more, read the first episode with the introduction here. Just to remind you, Fran has been analyzed as Deep Winter and I am a Deep Autumn, thanks to Giusy from Rossetto e Merletto. .Moving on to this post, we’re taking a look at nude lipsticks that suits us deep seasons. The main characteristics of these lipsticks is that they do not contain any white or grey, two colors that “kill” deep autumns and winters.
MAC Cosmetics has a habit of launching Limited Editions every few weeks and I am never one to pay much attention. However, the It’s a Strike collection struck me (lol, I had to) for the gorgeous lipstick so I picked up MAC Bowl Me Over lipstick and I’m in love and I want to talk to you about it.
Welcome to the first of The Color Analysis Wars! In this series in collaboration with Fran from Being Cute is not a Crime, we will explore some principles of Colour Analysis by comparing lipsticks on ourselves. If your are new to the concept of Seasonal Color Analysis, I will add here a piece written by Rachel at Truth is Beauty:
Start by understanding that every part of your natural coloring is in harmony with every other part.
Your eyes, skin and true hair color all complement each other perfectly, exactly as they are.
To look your most beautiful, you don’t need to color your hair. You don’t need to wear expensive makeup or expensive clothes.
You only need to identify the palette of colors that harmonizes perfectly with the colors that are already in you.
The natural palette of your body harmonizes with one of 12 palettes that differ in warmth, chroma (brightness), and value (lightness). We call these different palettes seasons.
I got distracted during the weekend so last week’s Lipsticks Of The Week post is going up today instead. As usual I invite you to join us in the Tag following the starter post by ItsFranciFra here and check out my previous lipstick diaries here. Let’s get started!
If you’re asking yourself what I’m talking about, check out ItsFranciFra’s introduction to #LipsticksOfTheWeek here and my other ones here. Now that intros are done, let’s talk about lipsticks!
Welcome back for the third episode of the I Goth You TAG by Sue of Cosmetic Mind where we explore our dark side. The first episode featured my first ever black smokey eye and you can read it here. I had to skip the second one on scary movies and series because I’m a chicken and can’t watch them without having nightmares for days (I am legend on a stormy night anyone?). But here we are for the episode dedicated to Morticia Adams and her iconic look, the embodiment of goth! The focus is particularly on out favorite dark lipsticks, and boy do I have a lot! So grab a cup of tea and let’s get on with them.
At the beginning of my journey with makeup I refused to wear nude lipsticks because I thought they wouldn’t add to a look and I was better off with some lip balm and be happy. This was when “nude” to me was synonym to “concealer lips” or to Myth by MAC, colors that didn’t fit me or my skin tone. With time I learned there are out there shades that embody that “my lips but better” lip color that I was missing. These shades will fit best those with warm undertones and medium contrast in their colors, among which I fall. Well, once I found that out I ended up hoarding warm nude lipsticks and liquid lipsticks, which brings us to today’s post.
You might have noticed a week (or two?) of silence on this blog, but now I’m back! I finally got my doctorate and am now officially an unemployed doctor of philosophy. So now my days will be spent job seeking and of course blogging!
Better late than never they say, so MAC released their own liquid lipstick line last month and I finally get around to talking about them. The expectations were high, the colour range wide and interesting, so I was (almost) first in line to go check them out in store when they released. I ahd watched all the swatches and reviews on Youtube and set my heart on Oh Lady. Unfortunately I wasn’t fast enough to catch the color I desired, but I managed to order it online the next day.
Ah Valentine’s Day, a day to celebrate love and wear anything pink you can imagine. I have never been a big fan of the holiday as a commercial invention to sell, so no gift guides from me here. Nonetheless, I do take it as and excuse to go out for a nice dinner with my other half and dress up nicely, because why not!
As soon as the weather turns to fall with cooler temperatures and cloudy days one of the first things I do is switch out my bright coral and pink lipsticks for the darker vampier shades. I am talking dark reds like MAC Diva and striking shades like MAC Rebel. If then October is also my birthday month and my friends don’t know what to get me, dark MAC lipsticks I say! And dark lips go nowhere without a pairing lip liner, to keep the edges clean and increase the staying power. So here is a small birthday haul with two new dark lip combos featuring two MAC lipsticks from the new permanent matte shades in The Matte Lip Collection and two matching lip pencils.
The first lip combo is MAC Nightmoth lip liner and MAC Instigator lipstick. The lip pencil has been on my most wanted for a very long time, being the darkest one I found in the market. Nightmoth is described as a “blackened plum” and is indeed a dark plum color with a strong burgundy red component. The formula of MAC lip liners is always wonderful, creamy to apply and extremely long lasting. It is perfect to wear on its own (as you see above) or paired with most dark lipsticks that are dark red or plum. I find that it is great to darken up other lighter lipsticks like MAC Diva and MAC Rebel, giving them a little extra oomph. Then of course it is a perfect match for MAC Instigator lipstick, even though the latter has more of a purple tone to it as you can see in the pictures above. MAC Instigator is described as a “deep blackened plum with a matte finish” as well, but has is slightly cooler than NIghtmoth with more berry-purple undertones. I was once again impressed with the matte finish of this lipstick, which is the only way I would wear such dark shades. In my head matte means dry and pulling on the lips but this is very comfortable to apply and wear, last well on its own and even better with a lip liner. You can see that when I applied Instigator on top of Nightmoth, it appears even darker and a bit more plum than alone, so that with the lipstick and lip liner there are three possible looks. Of course there is also the option of using the lip pencil only to outline the lips without filling them in, which is my preferred way to wear MAC Instigator. As you can see the finish is not completely matte but with more of a satin sheen. The lasting power on me is around 4 hours for the lipstick alone and around 6 hours when I use Nighmoth all over the lips as a base. Slightly less than a lip stain, but on the other hand it is easier to re-apply the lipstick when the lips feel slightly dry and you’re left with the lip pencil alone.
The other lip combo I received is MAC Chestnut lip liner and MAC Antique Velvet. I first laid my eyes on this lipstick when I went to my local MAC counter to swatch the newly released matte shades and I had a wonderful makeup artist apply it on me. She told me that if I liked it and wanted to wear in for the rest of the day she would put some lip pencil as well to make the look clean and perfect. Once she applied MAC Chestnut on the outer edges I was sold! These are a perfect color match and work incredibly well together. Antique Velvet is described as an “intense brown” and is the color of chocolate, a dark warm brown. The texture is slightly more drying than Instigator but still comfortable to wear. There is still a slight satin sheen to it when applied same as the previous one. I find it an incredibly peculiar shade that complements quite well my red hair and the warmer complexions. The lasting power of the lipstick is longer in this case, lasting a good 5 hours and for me not making it necessary to put the lip pencil all over the lips, but only on the outline, saving me from the drier feeling that the pencil gives.
I am so happy with these new lippies and see myself wearing them constantly through fall and winter. My favorite look is a light eye look with winged liner and one of these dark lip combos. Easy and of impact at the same time.
What do you think? Would you wear these dark shades?
