Bright Lips

It wasn’t too long ago that Bobbi Brown was touted as the neutrals queen. Heck, I even used to breeze by the counter without stopping because there was not enough “ooomph” to draw me in. But those times have changed – significantly. The collections and products she releases still have a great “neutral” quality to them, but the color ranges, formulations and innovations are holy grail worthy. And what impresses me even more is the fact that any and I mean A-N-Y skin tone can find a full look from Bobbi Brown – all the way from foundation and concealer to lipstick and blush. Many of my holy grail items (this finishing powder in Porcelain Pearl, this lip formula in Sunset Orange and this lip formula in Razzberry) come from BB and I’m sure the list will continue to grow with each new launch!  Here’s a look at her newest Hot Collection that certainly does not disappoint!

1. Cheek Palettes in Calypso and Pink – Remember how I was saying that any skin tone can wear Bobbi Brown? Well, these palettes are a perfect example of that. The pigmentation is rich, yet surprisingly easy to blend out to a more sheer application. The coral palette immediately elicited a gasp when I opened it. I mean – can you imagine a summer look without the complementary peachy flush on the cheeks? I guess you can, but who would want to? And while pink cheek colors are not entirely my bag, Bobbi managed to make these wearable for my pale skin by giving the effect of a rosy glow that looks great with the accompanying punchy pink lip colors in the collection. 

2. Sheer Lip Colors in Berry and Pink – I am already a fan of the Creamy Matte lip colors (I LIVE for Razzberry), so this formula was equally as fabulous though in a sheer texture. But though they fall more towards that sheer end of the spectrum, they still give quite a good amount of coverage as you can see from my swatches above. These punchy lip colors scream “pool party fabulousness” – am I right? Can’t you see these with larger than life sunglasses, a panama hat and a dress with a pattern so busy that it makes your lip color look tame? If you can’t imagine that, well then….we need to work on your imagination. LOL 

3. Art Sticks in Hot Berry and Hot Pink – HOLY GRAIL ALERT. I repeat, HOLY GRAIL FORMULA ALERT. As soon as these Art Sticks launched last year, I snagged one in Sunset Orange and after only using it one day, it became a holy grail. These Art Sticks are how every matte lip color should feel on the lips. Creamy, smooth, non-drying and velvety with incredible staying power – yet still emollient enough that it doesn’t take 3 years and 15 bottles of cleansing oil to remove! (you know those kinds, right? Ugh.) And of course in keeping with the bold and bright “hot” theme, these colors are sass incorporated. They ARE the look. Fresh skin, mascara for days, a bronzy cheek and these lip colors make for the perfect easy summer look. 

So many lipsticks, only one pair of lips. Amiright???? Either way, I can’t turn down a chance to try a new lip color, even if it may take me 178 years to finally finish all of them. I’ve tried a slew of colors in the past few weeks and narrowed it down to my 7 top favorites. Some are neutral and some are bold, so clearly I am turning over a new leaf permanently because my nude to bold ratio is almost even at this point. Who am I, right? But bold lips are often the easiest to throw on in the morning when I don’t want to fuss with eye makeup.

The NARS Velvet lip liners are the newest of the colors shown and I picked a vibrant orange in Playa Dorado and a bold pale peach in Anse Soleil.The texture gives a strong matte finish but I actually like wearing them as full lip colors rather than just a liner. The Playa Dorado is one that I have been pairing with my Clinique Baby Tints (read my review here) in Coming Up Rosy and Poppin Poppy. Because the NARS liner is so pigmented and the Baby Tints are so sheer, it’s like a match made in heaven. They are a bit more matte in my opinion than the NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencils, so a balm or gloss over top is a must for me. But the color pay off is IN-TEN-SE. And that’s what I love about it.

I’m new to the Lipstick Queen brand but one of my favorite nude lips is Saint Pinky Nude (seriously it’s perfect), so I was anxious to try more.The Velvet Rope lipsticks in Brat Pack and Private Party are truly decadent. They are quite a splurge at $50, but you seriously get what you pay for with these. These are one of the smoothest textures I’ve tried and they have the softness of a nourishing lip balm with the color pay-off of an intense matte texture. You can see even in my swatches how the color looks so even and creamy. And Brat Pack is such a gorgeous elegant red that I feel like a sassy pants (I mean, more than normal) whenever I wear it. The lipstick in Saint Rose is part of the their Sinner/Saint collection, and the Saint lipsticks are always more sheer and hydrating. The color is definitely unique in that it looks quite different swatched on the arm versus on the lips. On the lips, it looks like a red/rose, whereas on the arm is reads more plum. It’s different than anything I currently have in my collection (I know, I can’t believe it either) and that’s why I like it.

After going on and on about the Kevyn Aucoin loose shimmer shadows in Monday’s post, the love continues with two lip shades from the line. I posted a pic on Instagram when I first received the Expert Lip Color in Jorjia because I couldn’t believe how stunning this fuchsia looked on. And considering I wasn’t wearing any makeup in that picture, yet the color still looked amazing says everything. The Matte Lip Color in “For Keeps” is a bit more muted but I actually sheered it out a bit in the picture. If applied with a heavy hand, this color is an intense vibrant coral. I prefer the way I show it in the picture because it looks like a gorgeous nude lip. Usually I throw on a clear balm or sheer gold gloss and it makes a great complement to a bronzy smokey eye.

What new lip colors are you loving? Any recent purchases that you think I should know about? Let me know if the comments below!