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Wed Sep 26, 2007 12:39 am |
The last couple of years I’ve been searching for the ultimate sheer lipsticks. I’m in my mid-fifties and I’ve found that matte lipsticks are too harsh and severe, nude lipsticks make me look corpse-like, and bright pigmented lipsticks look garish. What I need are lipsticks that add a wash of definite but transparent color, with a moist rather than matte look but no shimmer. (I’ve never liked the feel of lipglosses—they feel too sticky to me, so they’re out.) Having concluded that sheer lipsticks are most flattering for me, I’ve tried quite a few and thought I’d review some of them.
First off, the also rans for me were Nars and Lorac. Lorac’s supposed sheers simply aren’t—they’re ordinary lipsticks, not at all transparent, and heavy on the lips. Pass. Nars’ Gypsy was a nice enough subtle red and Dolce Vita a pleasant pinky-beige. But they were too drying and not transparent enough. I also tried Burt Bees Lip Shimmers, but really didn’t like them at all. Too much menthol or mint was rather irritating, and the colors were one-dimensional. On the plus side, they’re all natural and really cheap. But not for me.
Next up—the honorable mentions. Shiseido Honey Tea, a very pretty deep brown-red sheer that works great for me color-wise, as I’m pale with yellow undertones. But also too drying. So I do wear these from time to time, but not very often. Jane Iredale’s Lipshere in Babe has a more emollient feel, but the color is a tad too cool for me. It’s a plummy dark mauve with a bit of brown tone to it. Again, I do wear it but it isn’t the most flattering color I have. And it has an annoying (to me) vanilla-ish scent. A close runner up to the winners is the Lipstick Queen Saint line of sheer lipsticks. They’re gorgeous, really—I have Saint Natural, a rich mocha rose, and Saint Berry, a deep berry. Despite their high quality, I’ve downgraded them slightly because they aren’t really very sheer and they are a bit drying for everyday wear. (But I do sneak them into the rotation just because they’re so very pretty…)
Now for the winners: Vincent Longo Lipstains (not the wand type but the lipstick type) are almost perfect—sheer, yet pronouncedly colored, beautifully moist in looks and feel, SPF built in, and gorgeous colors. My favorites are Love Toast, a pink-beige-mauve tone that is perfect for the “no makeup” look, Nude, a slightly warmer but similar tone with more beige and less pink, and Belle Etoile, a beautiful raisin-brown-plum tone. (I think that one might be my desert island lipstick…) A surprise winner is Garden Botanika’s tinted Vitamin E sticks. They’re kind of a lip balm that has a surprising amount of pigment as well, and feel great on the lips. I took one of them on a two week road trip and my lips looked and felt terrific using it everyday. The colors I’ve tried are Camellia, a dusty pink that didn’t do much for me but would probably be better for cool-toned folks, Twig, a lovely terracotta color that is my favorite of the lot, Black Currant, a cool deep berry tone, and Rhubarb, a deep brick red. I borrowed one of these from my daughter on a ski trip or I never would have tried them. But I’m really glad I did—they are a lip treatment masquerading as pretty sheer lipsticks. And my third set of winners is Julie Hewett—I’ve tried the Bijou Sheers in Biba, Kiki, and Jules, and Film Noir as well. What can I say that hasn’t been said about these exceptional lipsticks? They look great-- rich but sheer, and both look and feel moist, due to their camellia oil base. They layer beautifully both under and over other lipsticks or can be worn by themselves. Biba is a sheer nude that I mainly use to warm up too-cool lipsticks and to moisten too-dry ones. Kiki is a neutral pale pink with a hint of peach that is subtle on its own and can also be used like Biba to adjust other lipsticks. And Jules, ah Jules, is the perfect rust-brown-red. With a wash of Kiki underneath, it’s my ideal autumn color. Film Noir isn’t one of the Bijou Sheers but it’s also quite sheer. It’s a lovely rich berry tone—not as dark or purple as I had feared. You can ramp it up by applying extra layers, but for daytime it’s pretty on its own. I think Film Noir is a touch more pigmented than the Bijou Sheers, and perhaps a tad less creamy. But all four of these are A plus lipsticks in my book.
So there you have it—about two years worth of experimenting, resulting in a generous handful of winners. Am I still looking for sheer lipsticks? Not actively, at the moment, but if you have some good suggestions, I’m game to try some more. |
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Wed Sep 26, 2007 3:17 am |
I love estee lauder sheer lipstick. It's so smooth and colorful. |
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Sun Sep 30, 2007 6:49 pm |
Ah how I love the unmitigated joy that JH's lipsticks bring everyone, it seems! I started the original thread about them and am always pleased to see such happy, happy users of her products such as myself. I truly am amazed by her makeup too--it's just exceptional!
--avalange
p.s. LOVE Vincent Longo too, but there's something about JH's makeup, something ineffable, that makes it more lovable than other brands out there...
My favorite is Celeste at the moment--a lovely sheer coral.
sister sweets wrote: |
The beautiful JH sheers and film noir arrived today - I am amazed at these products. They are sheer and layerable. The colors are wearable and I wore the Kiki this evening under the Film Noir. They feel wonderful on.
I also got the Mandy palette which way surpassed any expectations. The colors are beautiful - I love the cheekies. The quality of JH products is better than any in my past and I've tried lots. Now I want more -
Next stop Gem Noir and maybe some pencils. |
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_________________ http://newnaturalbeauty.tumblr.com/ 37, light-toned olive skin, broken caps, normal skin. My staples: Osea cleansing milk, Algae Oil, Advanced Protection Cream, Eyes & Lips, Tata Harper, Julie Hewett makeup, Amazing Cosmetics Powder, & By Terry Light Expert, Burnout, and daily inversion therapy and green smoothies! |
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Mon Oct 08, 2007 6:24 pm |
Wow! Thanks everyone for all these wonderful suggestions. Today I finally took my field trip to Sephora to check out their lipsticks, and what a disappointment! Since my last visit (okay, probably a year ago...) the place has really changed. Lots of lines gone (Becca, Pout, Cargo, and saddest of all to me, Vincent Longo.) Seems they are concentrating more on popular department store type brands--Clinique, Shiseido, Nars, etc. as well as their own brand. I asked a helpful Sales Assistant for the 531 and 529 lipsticks to try, but they've changed all the numbers. She did show me a few candidates, but they were not at all sheer but matte nude (which she assured me would look great on me, but which sadly did not.)
While I was there, I thought I'd check out the recommended Clinique Almost Lipsticks in Black Honey and Black Raisin. Black Honey was nicely sheer but a tad too cool--it turns fuchsia on me. But Black Raisin is gorgeous--it is exactly raisin colored and very, very sheer. Definitely a winner for me. |
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