Monday, November 19, 2007

Le Maquillage - Les Levres


Une femme is an admitted lipstick/lipgloss junkie. It's the one bit of maquillage I rarely leave the house without.

Clear or light pink lip gloss (remember "Slicker"?) was the first bit of makeup I was allowed to wear at 14. Throughout my teen years, the trend was toward lighter, sheer colors and red lipstick was seen as something only worn by old movie stars and our grandmothers. Somewhere in my mid-20's, I decided that red lipstick was very sophisticated, and started my search for a shade of red I could wear without feeling either clownish or like my grandmother. I'm still searching.

There was a brief glimmer of hope around 1985 in a shade by Clinique, a gorgeous Chinese red that looked wonderful with my skin tone. But alas, the next time I went to buy it, they'd either discontinued it or changed the formula. I have yet to find another I can wear and feel that my lips belong to the rest of my face.


So in the meantime, I move around from one shade of brownish pink to another (with variations on pale or darker, browner to pinker to peachy/apricot, from very sheer gloss to more saturated sticks). It's hard to find lippies that don't have blue undertones, which make me look sallow, or that aren't the color of liver paté once applied. I have a shoebox-sized container under the bathroom sink of those that looked good in the store, or for a week or so, but ultimately didn't make the cut.

Some recent winners:

T. LeClerc Satin lipstick in Sauvage. This is a nice peachy/cinnamon color that goes on smoothly and isn't drying. Also looks good with a little bit of the T. LeClerc Lip Gloss in Caramel over the top.

Chanel "Le Crayon Levres" pencil in Nude over the entire lip with Glossimer in Glow on top is great for a very natural look.

Saturday I picked up some of the Chanel "Ultra Wear Lip Colour" to test drive. I've had terrible results with every "long-lasting" lip color product I've tried; either they're very drying or they look blotchy after an hour or two or both. This one has two chambers, one for color and the other for a clear gloss that can be re-applied over the color periodically to moisturize and freshen. I'm still getting the hang of it, but seem to get pretty good results if I use the Nude lip pencil, apply the color sparingly (I'm currently using Amber), and let the color set for an entire minute without touching or rubbing my lips together before applying the gloss. Even after eating and drinking, the color seems to mostly stay on (in fact, you need an oil-based cleanser to remove it). I'm going to keep playing with it for a few days before I render a final verdict.

Nars makes some nice lipsticks and glosses. I like their Satin Lipstick in Blonde Venus for a summery-warm nude lip. Nice with their Giza gloss over top.

MAC lipstick in "Charismatic". This is as close to a red that I've found recently that feels wearable.


Some also-rans:

Bobbi Brown lip glosses. These are pretty and stay on, but incredibly sticky any small particles of food, dust, dog hair, etc. will adhere to your lips so stubbornly that you need to remove the gloss completely to get rid of them.

MAC Lipglass. Really nice color and great saturation for a gloss, but I'm getting away from a glassy-glossy look.

MAC Viva Glam lipstick: just a little too purple for me.


Here's a question for you (and une femme's first poll): reapplying lipstick in public, oui ou non? My very prim-and-proper little grandmother used to pull our her compact and tube and reapply her lipstick while still at the table after a lunch or dinner out. I've never had a problem with (PDLA) Public Displays of Lipstick Application, but I've read recently that this is considered trés gauche. I've posted the poll over to the right, so here's your chance to weigh in on this critical issue for our time. ;-) And if you have recommendations for a warm based red lipstick that is moisturizing, let me know in the comments.

Posted by at 5:55 AM
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15 comments:

  1. That's funny - I have trouble finding a blue based red - everything everywhere seems to be yellow based.

    I recently bought a Chanel Hydrabase lipstick. Love the texture. Bought it in a summer shade - would love to find something deeper for winter.

    My normal go-to lipstick is Revlon ColorStay in Garnet. It has pretty good staying power and doesn't get on my teeth.
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  2. That is funny because it seems to me that most of Chanel's red's are blue based! But I love the texture of their lipsticks.

    I've been reluctant in recent years to buy lipsticks I can't try first, but maybe I'll have a look at that Revlon. Thanks!
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  3. Try NARS Shanghai Red. I think it's a true red. It's not moisturizing, but neither does it suck all the moisture out of your lips. You may also want to try the Ecco Bella lip pencil in crimson http://www.eccobella.com/product_info.php?cPath=42&products_id=45&osCsid=2c058c36e792c629b13fb03db6543cea (also available at Whole Foods and similar stores). It's a very creamy pencil that I use as a liner or an all-over color (biscotti is nice, too). Another source is Besame--you can buy samples of their lipstick for not very much money. It's not drying and it lasts and lasts. They seem to have a fair number of retail outlets in S. California: http://www.besamecosmetics.com/home/?page=store_locations.

    Good luck!
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  4. I swear by Lancome's Red Stilletto. I apply it with a lip brush so it's not too bold. It's the only shade I wear any more. If I want a more demure look I start at the center of my lips and blend it out. For VaVaVoom, I apply it directly, all over!
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  5. I miss Clinique's Angel Red, kind of a sheer warm red.
    I now use MAC Redwood glaze, again a sheer warm red. Don't know if I'm hitting the red sweet spot or not, but it seems to work. This is a toughie!
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  6. Thanks, everyone. I'm taking notes!
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  7. Chanel just came out with a color called "champagne red" that is an extremely lovely yellow-based red.

    It is quite odd, though, that you can't find one you like. Perhaps you are not able to really 'see' the colors of the lipsticks that you already own?
    To really understand the colors of lipstick, and what will look good on you, I recommend that you make a lipstick palette.

    A lipstick palette will also allow you to take all of your lipstick with you when you go to buy new lipstick -- doesn't it always look different in the store? This way, you'll have more of a reference.

    Buy some little empty eyshadow tins (i can send you a link to someplace that sells them if you want, and can't find them), or chip the shadow out of some old ones you already have. Try to get stainless steel, so they'll stick to a magnet (you can buy strip magnets - line a tin or CD case with the strip magnets) Then take a steak knife and slice off a small disc of lipstick. Press it into the pan, and scrape the knife across the top to break up the form of the lipstick. The resulting material will show you the 'true' color and composition of your lipstick. (you may also want to number your lipsticks and the bottoms of the little pans to keep track of which is which).

    Figuring out what the colors really look like in the lipsticks you like and don't is a hugely helpful exercise. Also, it allows you to take scads more lipstick with you on a trip! :)
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  8. Re-applying lipstick is the ONLY making up Miss Janey beleives is OK to do in public. She may have hallucinated this, but she thinks she may have even read in some etiquette book that this is the case.
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  9. My favourite red ever is a dark bloody red that's a little bit sheer because it cost one pound and you have to reapply it about a hundred times a day. Going to the bathroom to do this would be out of the question. I entirely agree about lipstick in public being fine to do. It's an old fashioned sexy way to get a man to notice you in a fancy place, too.
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  10. Not a red lipstick user myself, so I'm afraid I can't offer any advice, but, oh, how I love that magazine ad at the top of your post! "Optimiste"--isn't that what every woman is at the makeup counter! "From Paris, city of gaiety"--don't you miss "gaiety"? And "Tussy"--j'adore that silly name. Is the company still in existence?
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  11. Bujoux du JourNov 19, 2007 09:39 PM
    I wear a darker blood red when I wear red, but I'm a brunette with olive skin. But mostly I wear glosses in mauves and warm darker pink tones.
    I think it's perfectly fine to do a quick nose powder or a reapplication of lipstick (retire to the Ladies if you need to blot your face, or line your lips with a pencil, though). As Alice says, Men will notice. And they do say they think it's sexy.
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  12. I swear by using different coloured lip pencils and a lip brush with a palette of lip colour.

    The same lip colour can look vastly different by putting down a base coat of a coloured lip pencil. Try a pinker pencil with a more neutral lipstick to have just a hint of freshness. Or a darker pencil with a sheer bronze lipstick for a more dramatic look. Mix and Match and I have heaps of different colours with 3 pencils and 6 lipsticks.

    I always apply lipstick with a brush as it gives much greater control over coverage and application. Also I seem to use a lot less product like this so my little lipstick palettes last ages. I can also take 6 or more lipsticks with me and they take up almost no room, excellent!

    So maybe you should try the same lipsticks with a different pencil, it may give you the colour you really want. Also it will be a colour unique to you. In my experience the tone of the base pencil seems to over ride the tone of the lipstick, so a yellow based pencil will make a blue based lip colour seem more yellow based (to me anyway).
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  13. Make-up in public (considering it is 'toilette') is a no-no, especially if you use public transport. I do not know how it is in your part of the world but in London, everyone takes the underground/ tube. It is packed and amid all that, a woman will be applying her maquillage. A bit like dressing in public... Please, no...not even lipstick.
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  14. I've seen women on the bus do the whole face, like, slept in and running late for work, and out comes the whole makeup bag. While kind of fascinating to onlookers - especially when the bus goes around a sharp corner or brakes suddenly - it's not exactly chic. But I admit to applying lipstick in public, it takes about 2 seconds, I say why not. You have to be quick though - businesslike, nonchalant, no preening, get it right the first time. A good trick is to pretend to be looking in a shop window.
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  15. I think the general rule in ettiquette books is that the only makeup that it is acceptable to apply in public is lipstick, and that only if one uses an attractive compact.

    However, I must say I view full makeup application on the train as fascinating performance art.
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