Four Fabulous Lipsticks for the Holidays

I’m slightly obsessed with bright lipstick at the moment.  But why shouldn’t I be? It’s the holidays!  It’s time for sparkle and shine, parties and party dresses, red and green decorations and twinkling lights. I refuse to be drab this time of year. I want to shine and I’ve  found an easy, and relatively inexpensive, way to it. Just add a bit of bright, sparkly or shiny lipstick to a simple outfit and voila, holiday glamour has arrived. Well, maybe it’s not quite that simple, but a bit of bright color is lovely for a holiday party. In case you are just not a glittery person I have included in this list of personal favorites one really gorgeous creamy matte color.

The lip colors presented in this review all came from one of my favorite stores, Sephora. They offer a number of cosmetic brands that I can’t find at my local department stores. Make Up Forever is one such brand and it’s one of my favorites. Everything I have purchased from them has been delightful, though rather expensive.  Sephora also sells its own line of high-end makeup at a much lower cost. If you haven’t been to one of these beautiful chain of stores filled with fun displays and enticing cosmetics I highly recommend a visit, even if it’s just to look.

Bright Red Glittery Gloss

These days it seems like many companies are offering collections of sparkly lip gloss in bright colors, but for years I searched and couldn’t find anything I liked. Last year I found a gorgeous sparkly ruby-red gloss in the Lab Shine Star Collection. It’s called Pearly Ruby Red #S8. The beauty of wearing a lip gloss is that it immediately makes your lips look fuller and poutier.  I don’t know about you, but “full” and “pouty” are words I like when describing my lips so even though this little tube of lip color set me back a few dollars, I think it was worth it.

• Color – Super shiny ruby-red with glitter
• Staying Power – For a lip gloss it stays on for a fairly long time.
• Feel – Slippery and slightly sticky
• Bleed – I haven’t had a problem with this gloss moving around once it’s on my lips, but I do wear either a pigmented or clear lip liner with it.
• Smell – Chemicals and honey come to mind when I smell this gloss. That sounds just awful, I know, but in fact the smell is not unpleasant, just difficult to describe.
• Price – $18

Red and Sparkly Lipstick

The photograph does not do this lipstick justice.  Pearly Bright Red #21 in the  Rouge Artist Intense collection by Make Up Forever is a bright red with golden shimmer, not exactly an easy to find color.  I almost always wear this lipstick in the evening, because it’s a bit too over the top for every day.

• Color – Bright red with golden shimmer
• Staying Power – Very good.  It stays put pretty well even though beverages. Even though it’s heavily pigmented I find it does not stain my lips the way other bright lipsticks do.
• Feel – Slightly dry but not irritatingly so.
• Bleed – I have not noticed this lipstick bleeding into the fine lines around my mouth but I do wear a clear lip liner with it.
• Smell – The pleasant smell reminds me of old-fashioned lipstick.
• Price – $19

Lip Attitude in “Star – Excited Pink” by Sephora

Glitter makeup is not just for teenagers.  Anyone can wear glittery lipstick, especially if it’s a sheer, beautiful, soft reddish pink like this one.

• Color – Sheer dark pink with flecks of glitter.
• Staying Power – This is essentially a lip gloss in solid form, and the staying power isn’t great.
• Feel – Slippery and smooth.
• Bleed – Although the lip gloss does migrate it doesn’t settle in, but rather smooths itself out around the mouth a bit.  This doesn’t look bad at all though.
• Smell – Softly sweet and candy-like
• Price – $12

“Cruella” Velvet Matte Lip Pencil by Nars

Nars’ Velvet Matte lip pencil in Cruella has been a holiday favorite for a few years now.  I have never found anything quite like it before or since.  It’s a deep, luscious, not quite burgundy red. Although its dramatic enough for the evening it’s also really beautiful during the day.

• Color – Deep red.
• Staying Power – Very good. The color lasts a long time.
• Feel – It’s matte, so it is kind of dry but I don’t find it bothersome.
• Bleed – Usually matte lipsticks don’t budge once you put them on, but unfortunately this one does bleed into the fine lines around my mouth.  I wear it with a fair amount of clear or colored lip liner to keep it in check.
• Smell – It smells slightly of  licorice.
• Price – $24

Clockwise from top left: Lip Attitude in “Star – Excited Pink” by Sephora, #21 Rouge Artist Intense by Make Up Forever, #S8 Lab Shine Star Collection by Make Up Forever, and Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in “Cruella”. 

Have you ever tried any of these products?  Have you been to Sephora?  What do you think of Sephora?

(Updated in 2012 – Sadly the sparkly pink lipstick by Sephora has been discontinued.)