Lipstick: Led to red
Dadgummit, I'm seeing red.
At my usual drugstore, I noticed that there are no new testers from the usual mid-priced brands like L'Oreal, Revlon, or Maybelline, only a row of stubby tubes and gaping holes. Apparently this has been the case for several years.
The excuse is Covid. (Even if someone were to swipe of Piccadilly Pink right on the kisser, is that a spreader event?) Hypocrisy has hit the counters: all the "prestige brands" such as Smashbox, Nars, Clinque— oh nooooo, they still have a fresh rack of testers.
The logic seems to be if you have at least 30 bucks to spend on lippie, you are not going to infect anyone.
The replacement is a "virtual try-on" app that uses your uploaded photo to show the colour. All pinks yield screaming fuchsia, reds look like blobs of blood; you cannot assess texture, emollience, or the depth of a shade.
The removal of testers cuts the merchandising costs and forces customers to spend three to four times as much for the prestige product, or take a chance. Judging from evidence, customers have literally taken the matter into their own hands and peeled off the adhesive seals to create DIY testers. Well, they asked for it.
I was hoping to sample some reds because Gwen of perfumeniche encouraged me to try bolder colour. She looks fabulous in her signature red!
I've always disliked wearing reds as much as I love them on others; she thought I simply hadn't found the right one.
The comfort zone
First, I showed Gwen my comfort zone, a warm, medium nude with a bit of sheen, Marcelle "Romanesque":
Gwen tactfully said, "Just play with a few other reds."
Blued reds
Below, left: Revlon "Red is On", which supposedly works for my "winter" colouring but is straight-up fuchsia, not red, on me. Gwen did not rule it out, but I do; I feel slightly crazed, and it makes me look tired. (I took the photo with no makeup at all, to make the lips stand out.) Right, Revlon "Wardrobe", a deep, blued berry, delivered a "Mommy Dearest" vibe. I could not get it off fast enough.
Warming up
My "colour seasons" wallet is so old it could qualify for its own pension, but I bucked its cool-palette dominion, bought a poppy with a shot of yellow in it, and the glory of red was unfurled.
This is Maybelline SuperStay Matte Ink in "Dancer", a high-pigment paint-on that won't budge or smudge. (One of my refusal reasons was the precision required to get a crisp, accurate application.) The $7 sale price was attractive. Gwen advised matte for staying power, but I added a slick of clear gloss.
If you're interested in a similar experiment, there is a more efficient way to do it than four trips to the store! I could have visited Sephora to try many reds at once. But I'd done that when I moved from red hair to gray, and, though the makeup artist was attentive, the MAC colours she recommended were not what I had liked once I took them home.
Red has a role now: definitely after 5 p.m., to enliven black and navy, and just for fun. We're heading into holiday season; I found"Dancer" just in time.
Comments
Although I've worn red lipstick in my time, I have to say that it's not a colour I particularly like on myself. And all colours of lipstick take on a slightly coral tint a moment or two after I apply them, even when I use a barrier balm first, which makes the whole thing a bit frustrating...
Your eventual choice is spot-on and that tone makes you look healthy and gently glowy (which, for me now, is the ultimate goal of makeup). I think blue-toned reds can be really quite hard to pull off over 50 if flattering (rather than dramatic) is the desired effect.
I've never particularly liked bold lipstick colors on me--and these days, I've gone to the Neutrogena "crayons." They're subtle, unfussy, and inexpensive.
Jean Shaw: Thank you, these emollient crayons are so comfortable to wear and easy to apply. The full name is Neutrogena Moisturesmooth Colour Stick. Burt's Bees also make a good inexpensive one. They are wonderful especially in our harsh winter.
I tend to stick with pinks and berry colors, but I also wear a Mac lip liner pencil in Auburn that I love. No lipstick necessary - just line and fill the lips with the soft pencil. Go figure.
Leslie M: You can approach liner as if it is matte lipstick in pencil form. Because the pigment gets 'pushed' into the lip more thoroughly than swiped-on lipstick, it lasts longer. The pros always apply lipstick with a brush, for that reason.
When young, big eye make up was the thing. Eyeliner, false lashes, different eye shadows, what a lot of work was this.
I started using lipsticks when Yves Saint Laurent had his first Make up line. Does anyone remember the iconic lipstick Nr. 19?
For a few years I bought Soft Sensation Lip Butter in "Magic Magenta" from Margret Astor, but sadly it's discontinued. I couldn't replace it with another Drugstore product, so I bought from Lancome Absolue Drama Matte 388 and was shocked that I had to spend 37 Euros...
It's a good blueish red and I apply ith with a brush.It's very dry, so I begin with a bit of lip balm underneath. Never too much lip color, otherwise it's too harsh!
Duchess, do you skip Mascara? I try to get used to the no make up but lipstick look. My lashes are so sparse nowadays that it it's hard to get a good result.
I wear mascara, and with thinner lashes, have learned that freshness counts. I either ask the consultant in the store what is the newest shipment or look for expiration codes on the packaging. Also I avoid "lash thickening" mascara b/c it glops on those thin lashes. It is counterintuitive but a 'supple' formula like Clinique's is better than the heavy or fibre-enhanced formulas.
I found that mascara became very difficult to remove, whatever its price and formulation, as my lashes grew weaker and more sparse. Having to manhandle the lashes each night was just compounding the problem but I really needed the definition that mascara provided.
After reading a comment a 60+ woman had left on the Boots website about the product, I started using Rapid Lash serum each night. It made a huge difference - though it took about 3 months to get to optimum effect. You have to keep using it to keep the effect.
My lashes are now *much* longer and, because their natural growth pattern is extended, there are more lashes there at any given time meaning a thicker look. Also, the individual lashes have become generally more robust.
About 2 months ago I got the Rapid Shield lash conditioner, a companion product, as I saw you could buy them together quite reasonably. The tubes last for ages.
I use the 2 products every night and, in spite of preexisting dry eyes and a delicate skin, experience no irritation. The effect has been remarkable and I no longer need mascara at all, which I'm very happy about. An old friend with whom I lunched recently asked whether I'd had lash extensions!
I have dark lashes, so I use just a tiny amount of clear brow gel on a spoolie to separate and define the lashes nicely.
Sorry, this post has gone on way longer than I intended and sounds like an infomercial (which it's absolutely not!) but I hope my own experience may be useful to those ladies of the Passage who are struggling with this issue. Perhaps lashes warrant a post all to themselves, Duchesse... ;)
https://melissajanelee.com/rapidlash/
There are a few products on the market here (Germany), but way too pricey.
Rapid Shield sounds wonderful, gonna check where to order. I definately will give it a try.
It would be a dream to skip Mascara.
BTW, I use Tube Mascara which is easy to remove. Warm water with body temperature 37 degree will do.