Monday was National Lipstick Day, and being that lipstick is one of my favorite things to “accessorize” with, I thought it was only fitting to share some of my go-to lipstick shades. I remember the first lipstick I was ever allowed to wear. I was 11 and in the 5th grade. It was a super pinky nude lipstick, and tbh it wasn’t the most flattering (and I had to swipe on like 20 layers in order for it to show up haha), but from the moment my mom gave me the tube I was hooked on makeup and knew I needed more. During the 90s it was somewhat acceptable to wear red or berry lipsticks as a teenager (remember mood changing lipstick that would stain your lips so bad you almost had to scrape it off??), and for black girls, we were even allowed to wear super dark, almost brown lipsticks as well (like here on Aaliyah). I look back at some of my pictures from my teenage years and even though I was in full tomboy mode with my personal style, I was allowed to wear a face full of makeup (my own version of street but sweet ala Baby Girl).
Anyhoo, as I got older, my love for makeup grew even more (at one point I even wanted to be a makeup artist), and while I love experimenting with different colors and formulas, there are a handful of lipsticks that I find myself keeping in rotation:
MAC Retro Matte Lipstick in Ruby Woo
This has been my all-time favorite red lipstick. I gravitate towards matte lipsticks, and this blue-based red shade is one of the most flattering colors ever-so many skin tones can rock it but it is especially beautiful on brown skin.
NYX Professional Makeup Lip Lingerie Liquid Lipstick in Seduction
So this is technically not a true “lipstick” but this has been my go-to nude shade for the last 2 years. I’ve gone through a few tubes already and will be sad if it’s ever discontinued. It’s gorgeous alone, but I will sometimes layer it under a brighter red or orange lipstick to make my own custom color, and it helps ensure that the color lasts without drying out my lips.
Clarins Joli Rouge Lipstick in Papaya
The Pantone color of the year is Living Coral, and the color Papaya is their interpretation of that. It’s a poppy corally shade that I like to wear when I want to do a super fresh faced, springy look. It comes in 3 different finishes, so I alternate them depending on what mood I’m in. Because this shade is so punchy it’s best with a nude liner, but sometimes I layer a gloss over it as well to make my lips look juicy.
NYX Professional Makeup Soft Matte Lip Cream in Copenhagen
Ok so this is another matte cream vs traditional lipstick but work with me, lol. When I’m feeling vampy or the weather is cool and I want to embrace the “dark side”, I love, love, love this warm oxblood color. They have a cooler, deeper shade that I sometimes wear as well (Transylvania), but Copenhagen is the perfect Fall shade and a must for everyone.
I have a pretty large collection of lipsticks and am always switching products out, but these are some of my ride or die shades that I will always buy no matter what.