Red lipsticks

It seems everyone these days is talking about red lipstick - and justifiably so as red lipstick can pretty much make or break an outfit. I tend to wear a lighter, more coral shade of red to work (though I work in a free thinking museum, I'm still an office worker), but at night and on weekends it's bright red all the way. It's gotten to the point where I feel blah and washed out without it. So here's my recommendations and tips for red lipstick...

First: Make sure your lips are moisturized and clean. You don't want residue or flakiness to ruin your perfect pout!

Second: you must line your lips!! I've used a variety of lip liners, most recently Besame's until it slid out of the tube and got mushed in the cap(!), and I've found the brand really makes little to no difference. Some people just line the outside, some completely fill in, I'm a little bit in between myself. Again, not a huge deal eitehr way, as long as you use it to begin with!

Third: Apply your lipstick in one even movement on top and bottom lips. Blot with a tissue and apply another coat

Fourth: Reline the outside of your lips. This will give you a crisp outer line and make sure your lipstick doesn't run into the creases on the edges of your lips

Fifth: I almost always top off my lip stick with sealant. No matter your lipstick, they usually aren't designed to stay against eating, drinking, talking, etc. This stuff will hold any lipstick in place for numerous hours more than it's normal lasting time. I've even had it hold lipstick on overnight while sleeping when I was a very bad girl and didn't wash my face before bed after a night out! My favorite by far is Make up Forever Lip Seal - which scarily enough I can't find a picture of online. If they discontinued it I might cry because it is the greatest thing ever created!



As for lipstick colors, I'm very very pale but I have olive undertones. For me red lipstick can get too pink really quickly so I usually need a bit of a blue tone.



One of my favorite matte lipsticks is Make up Forever. I use Blue Red 205, but Cherry Red 207 and Red 206 are equally wonderful!

I'm a huge fan also of Besame's lipsticks. They're matte, smooth and they don't dry out my lips. I've noticed they have a tendency sometimes to bleed at the edges, and wear off in the centers, which is where lip liner and sealer come in. Don't forget your new friends! Besame truly has some of the best colors and consistencies, and how can you beat the super cute little gold container! I also love the smell of their makeup. I'm such a sucker.
I usually always use their "Classic Enchanting Lipsticks" but now I'm really curious about their "Voluptuous Lip Color Set". Unfortunately $35.00 isn't something I can spend on lipstick right now, so I'll just have to hold out until I can't take it anymore.

Now the best news of all... I just recently was gifted some of the new L'Oreal Infallible Never Fail Lip Color

This stuff is GOD SEND!! I don't know what this stuff is made out of - I'm almost convinced it's part super glue - but it DOES NOT MOVE. I can't vouch for the new colors, but I have the Target special edition red, and it's a miracle in a bottle. You can spot this one as it's the only one instead of having the silver shiny case, it's bright red and only sold in Target stores. It's so bright red and really truly doesn't come off. I even tried to scrub with soap and water because I was gob smacked, and still couldn't get it off. Only good quality make up remover is getting that stuff to go anywhere. Seriously - go by the stuff now! You won't be sorry!


So that's it - simple and easy. I won't talk about MAC's lipstick colors, because frankly, I don't really like them. They're way too shiny for my tastes and maybe I talk too much, but I can't get them to last more than 30 minutes on me. To each their own I always say.

Me showing off my new hat to my mother, while looking awfully tired from sitting in an airport for 5 hours waiting for my plane to finally take off for home!


No matter what color you choose, remember, it's the manner in which you carry yourself while wearing it. Red lipstick isn't for the timid, but it isn't only for the bad girls either ;)

Black eyeliner

Like most vintage, retro, rockabilly, pin-up, what have you, girls out there - I am constantly on the hunt for the best red lipstick (right now Make up Forever #205) and the best black eyeliner. It is essential to the look. Applying it is a skill, and an art form, and it has taken me years to get it down to where it only takes me about 5 minutes to get it just the way I like it. I've dabbled with liquid with a brush, with a felt tip, out of the jar, everything. For many people, their problem is in the application. For me, it's the longevity of the product. I have a very oily face that doesn't take too kindly to keeping make up on all day. I don't wear eye shadows or much during the day when I'm at my regular 9-5 - so my eyeliner has to stay put on its own without much to help it along.

Here are some items I've found recently that have a better chance of doing the trick than others, and if they can last on me for nearly 8 hours, a normal person would probably have to scrub their face off to remove it.

Almay Liquid Eyeliner -
The small felt brush is usually only left to the professionals because it's much easier to get a wayward line here and there. Though I've read reviews about this one smudging easily, I felt it's got nearly the best staying power and it is an intense solid black line.

Bobbi Brown Long Wear Gel Eyeliner -

Definitely the priciest of the bunch, but I had to try it based on a review I read online where the girl couldn't even get it off with water. The part right along the lash line does last for hours and hours, and takes some real makeup remover to get it off, but my cats eye wing was gone after about 4 hours. Since it's just in the pot, you need to make sure you have your own brush to use.

Make up Forever Waterproof Eyeliner -
I love Make up Forever, so it was no shock for me to try out their liquid eyeliner. It's a thin long brush, super easy to use for one solid flowing line winging out at the ends. This lasts for hours, but can start to look not as black after a few and might need a touch up.


For those wishing for some tutorial on how to get the perfect winged eyeliner:



Remember, practice makes perfect!

Revlon scented polish

Ah yes, another chunk of time gone by with not enough posting. Silly work getting in the way of my fun pet project.

So what can pull me out of my busy hole you may ask? Scented nailpolish! Really, it doesn't get better than that.
I read that Revlon was coming out with this stuff a few weeks ago and didn't really think twice about it, until I saw it in my local drug store. Pretty neon shades that claim to smell good after drying? Too good to pass up.



After selecting a papaya flavor (I would have preferred the silver sparkle - not pictured - but it smelled like coconut, ick) I headed home for the closest I get to an experiment. 3 days later I have to say my nails STILL smell like papaya and it's a bit of a refreshing surprise those times when my fingers get close to my face. It's also not chipping nearly as fast as some other brands I've tried. So that's just a win-win in my book.

Give it a whirl, but just don't sniff it out of the jar. Trust me, it doesn't smell the same as when it dries. You can thank me later for holding onto your brain cells.


image courtesy of fashionista.com since I'm too lazy to shoot the display myself.