Beauty Addict on a Mission: collection

Since the holidays are fast-approaching, more festive makeup looks are flooding my social media feeds. Personally, I would rock a red lip all year long, but I can completely understand why most people reserve it for special occasions. It's a bright, in-your-face pop of color that commands attention, not appropriate for your everyday wallflower. And while you might get tired of seeing all the red lippies, don't be fooled--not every red lipstick was created equal. There are red lipsticks with a blue undertone that make your teeth look whiter and there are also red lipsticks with an orange base that bring warmth to the complexion. As you can see most of my favorites come in liquid lipstick form and that's simply because they tend to provide an ease of application, as well as increased longevity. That being said, these reds are all my favorite as they suit me differently depending on the look I'm going for. See for yourself!

Left to Right: Covergirl Lip Perfection Lipstick in 305 Hot, Jeffree Star Velour Liquid Lipstick in Hoe Hoe Hoe, LA Girl Matte Flat Finish Pigment Gloss in Secret, Sephora Cream Lip Stain in 01 Always Red, & Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Fiery

♥ Covergirl Lip Perfection Lipstick in 305 Hot - While some drugstore lipsticks are good, I've never been WOW!'d before by them...that is, until I tried this lipstick. I remember taking a risk and trying it out the same night I had a date and boy did that risk pay off. This lipstick has such a glossy formula that it glides on like a dream, yet it also doesn't feather outside my lip line (what voodoo did you put in this stuff?!) Not only that, but it lasts through eating and drinking. It was still there at the end of the day! This is hands down my favorite lippie if I'm feeling like a shiny red lip.

♥ Jeffree Star Velour Liquid Lipstick in Hoe Hoe Hoe - The brand might not be the most accessible, nor the most clean-cut, but the rockstar edge certainly allows for the uniqueness that brought about this shade. The dark base contrasted against the pink micro glitter seems to attract the light like a highlight does for your face, making your lips look instantly more plump, while still remaining matte. And you don't have to worry about any grittiness; you don't feel the glitter at all. However, I have found that it takes some work to make the glitter really show. If you wait some time for the lipstick to completely dry down, you can run your finger over your lips and BAM, the pink glitter "activates".

♥ LA Girl Matte Flat Finish Pigment Gloss in Secret - When I first saw these pop up at a local beauty supply, I was instantly made a happy camper. LA Girl is so insanely affordable, so to see them enter into the liquid lipstick trend was pleasing. More people would have access to this trend and enjoy its benefits--I love it! Now I picked up this particular shade because I was going for the "vampy" look and I think this lippie succeeds in that area. It is a beautiful wine shade that is as matte as matte can get. And while being the most affordable, I find this lipstick to have the best applicator--it's long, yet slightly rigid, which is perfect for getting sharp lines AND it distributes just the right amount of product to cover my entire lips.

♥ Sephora Cream Lip Stain in 01 Always Red - I know that blue-based reds are a standard must-have, but if you have yellow or olive undertones, you need this! It is an orange-red, which is more flattering on warmer skin tones. I just love how much it pops on me compared to my other reds and yet I would feel comfortable rocking it at any time. Generally, Sephora Cream Lip Stains are much more affordable compared to higher end alternatives, but they're my absolute favorite formula because of how comfortable they are. I don't feel like I sucked all the hydration out of my lips when I wear them.

♥ Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Fiery - Stila was the first brand of liquid lipstick I ever tried and as such, it holds a special place in my heart. The formula is much different than all of the others as it is a thicker cream consistency. The Stay All Day Liquid Lipsticks are incredibly pigmented, which means you probably won't even need nearly as much as is dispensed on the applicator. As for this particular shade, I was expecting a warmer red based on the name, but on me it looks like your classic red. And who doesn't need one of those in their arsenal?

That sums up my top five. What are your favorite reds?

XO♥

In recent years, the drugstore has been taking great strides to keep up with the giant that is the highend makeup community. As it tries to keep up with the trends, the drugstore has always fell short when it came to the highlight department. They were either too powdery, not pigmented enough, or just plain not flattering. And while it still has a ways to go, I'm fairly confident that I can cover the bases with what I've collected thus far.

♥Milani Tantastic Face & Body Baked Bronzer in Fantastic in Gold - Though marketed as a bronzer, this product has white stripes marbled throughout as well as tons of shimmer that make it a beautiful highlight for medium and deeper skin complexions.
♥NYX Illuminator in Ritualistic - If you were ever considering Nars Albatross, but couldn't bring yourself to fork over that kind of cash, NYX has you covered. While it looks straight up white in the pan, Ritualistic is actually a white gold shade with a gold shift.
♥Physicians Formula Mineral Glow Pearls in Light Bronze Pearl - Reminiscent of the Guerlain Meteorites, this highlight is a pressed powder with interesting pearl detailing throughout. As the shade name suggests, this highlight is a light bronze with a more subtle sheen. I would say it would look best on those with medium complexions that are looking for a more natural glow.
♥Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips in Natural Nude - Products that contain stripes of various shades are highly customizable. Following the glowy trail of the Bobbi Brown Shimmer Bricks, this highlight marks an important step for the drugstore as a multitude of skin complexions can make this product work for them.

♥Wet n Wild Fergie Centerstage Collection in Hollywood Boulevard - At first glance, the marbling really threw me for a loop. While there is a light gold base, there is also pink and brown veining throughout and I wasn't convinced that this would be a good mix. However, out of the whole Centerstage highlight collection this is my favorite due to its smooth formula, as well as the fact that it is another beautiful dupe for Mac Whisper of Guilt.
♥Wet n Wild Fergie Centerstage Collection in Rose Champagne Glow - A stunning light pink highlight that will be great on fair skin, it is a lot more subtle on the skin than its gold sister, Hollywood Boulevard, but I love it because it reminds me of the famous Stila Eyeshadow in Kitten.
♥Wet n Wild Fergie Centerstage Collection in Rose Golden Goddess - Out of the three, this shade is much less shimmery and instead opts for a more subtle sheen. For this reason, it will work better as a glowy bronzer or blush on most skin tones. However, I wanted to include it because it works beautifully as a natural glow for deeper complexions.

Moral of this story is: don't count the drugstore out. They have a variety of highlights to choose from depending on what you're looking for. I'm more of an all-or-nothing kind of gal myself, so if you're anything like me, I would highly suggest looking into the Wet n Wild Fergie Centerstage Collection, the NYX Illuminators, or even the Milani Tantastic Baked Bronzers.

XO♥

Featured On This Post