Lucky Things Beauty: 7 things we love about lipstick

Yesterday in the office we had a beauty chat break (whilst working of course). We paused in our working day to appreciate the big L….lipstick. I always remember my mum trying to encourage me to wear lipstick from what I thought was an early age. Maybe I was 12 or 13. That was young to be wearing make up in my day. I kept refusing or maybe I was just rebelling. I used to say “No Mum I don’t need to wear lipstick, I have my lip balm”. Me and my school crew were well into lip balm at the time. The Body Shop had opened in our town and it was our make up Mecca!

Six years later and I’m in London at uni. I start getting involved in the fashion industry and I first come across MAC. It was another world. Me and my colleagues were given MAC discount cards. Amazing as it made quality make up affordable for us girls at the start of our London careers. So I guess I will always be loyal to MAC, plus I would always find make up for my shade of Mauritian skin. It ended up being their recycling programme that encouraged me to start using lipstick a bit more in my mid-20s. To this day, you can take back six old MAC containers and pick up a free lipstick. Magic! I did this the other day and it was a cool me-treat. Make up is definitely one of my lucky things.

Back to the office. Some of the girls are so fabulous at wearing lipstick. It’s like they were born with bright lips. Miss J who I sit next to pulls off a great red lipstick. I could have written a post on 7 reasons why I don’t wear lipstick but I’ve been converted again.  Our workmate C came back from Space NK and we made her try on her new lippy accessories. She looked fab! Next thing we know, we’re all reaching into our handbags and popping a layer of lipstick on. Gutted I’d left my new hot pink MAC lipstick at home, I popped on some MAC lip pot to add a bit of colour to my afternoon (half-lip balm half-lip colour!)
So, here are 7 things we love about our lipsticks…
1. They transform your look. I know when I wear red lipstick I’m making a bold statement. If it’s a super bright tone I’m in the mode of “look at me”. It might end up on my teeth but hey it’s the beauty effort that counts (actually I do care so please always tell me so I can quickly wipe it off!)

2. It brightens up our day...just like wearing bright colours, lipstick can brighten up your outfit whether it’s a bold, pastel or subtle tone. It adds a little colour. I joked about with the girls at work today that next week we should all have a lipstick day. Maybe we should officially set a date!

3. Lipstick is actually easy to wear these days. Years ago, one of my friends showed me her matt powder-blotting-reapply-blotting-powder routine. Maybe that’s another reason why I stayed away from lipstick as I felt the application process was way too long. Now there are lots of easy apply brands out there (see below).

4. It becomes part of our style routine. For some, lipstick is like wearing their ring or jewellery. For me it’s usually blusher but I’m going to embrace lipstick more. I think me and lipstick could get on quite well.

5. It makes us feel great. If something’s missing from our daily beauty routine it can ruin our day! We may not feel ourselves. Make up is like our beauty armour. Yes it’s also about going au naturel at times and celebrating the look we were born with. But there’s also nothing wrong with wearing make up because it makes us feel good about ourselves. People can’t help but comment on lipstick wearing so have fun enjoying those pretty compliments.

6. It’s fun! Whether it’s about finding a new shade of lipstick to match a new outfit (or in my case to match my hot pink midi skirt or pink shoes), it’s fun researching and having mini makeovers in store. It’s something that can’t be done online. The experience of trying out make up with brand advisers there and a spectrum of products to play around with is all part of the fun. Beauty playgrounds for us grown-up girls!

7. It’s about experimenting. Sometimes you will be inspired by something and think I should try that! It’s exciting trying out different shades and exploring new beauty finds. If I want to try out a new bold colour I would always buy a cheaper brand to practice wearing it first. The recent hot pink lipstick I picked up from MAC was inspired my Big Munch’s love for hot pink and her new pink bucket from our recent holiday in Devon! She reminded me I should wear bright pink more. If only she knew how much she inspired my style…

Nowadays there are some amazing stay-around-for-long-time lip brands. Here are a few favourites you might want to check out.

Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick, Stila.co.uk £16 – Thanks to the lovely T and J who introduced this gem to me and the girls at work. It goes on like lipgloss but then dries with a long-lasting matt finish. Long gone are my days hanging out at make up counters in Selfridges and John Lewis trying out loads of beauty treats. You’ve got to love working with a great bunch of girls. It’s like everyone does the research and you get to hear about the latest beauty finds! Lipstick_beso_grande_grande
MAC Matt lipsticks, maccosmetics.co.uk £15.50

I always go for the matt lipsticks as they have more super-staying-power. MAC ones still leave my lips feeling moisturised which is nice.

mac_sku_MCF32X_640x600_0.jpg
Nars lip pencils, JohnLewis.com £20

Ok so this isn’t a lipstick per se but it’s lip colour on a stick! I bought this for my hen do and wedding day. Yep I actually broke away from MAC for once and loved my NARS adventure. These last for ages and so are worth the investment. Chubby lip pencils are so much easier to apply. Don’t forget to pick up a large enough pencil sharpener for this one!Nars lip pencil

 

Thanks to the girl crew at work for inspiring this post. It’s wonderful being around people who inspire you to write about cute lucky things.

So what do you love about wearing lipstick? What’s your top tip for keeping your lipstick all neat and smudge-free? What colour lipstick would you love to wear? Go on leave a comment and share the blog love… Your comments always make me smile. Enjoy Lucky Things

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The Pramshed

(Photos have been sourced from the credited retail websites)

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23 thoughts on “Lucky Things Beauty: 7 things we love about lipstick

  1. sunloveraliciareg says:

    Sunita I can’t do without my matte Mac lipsticks either!! Brighter the better! Ha! I wear to work everyday! Even if I don’t put on any foundation that day I have to wear my lippy! I too prefer ‘retro matte’ like ‘ruby woo’ and ‘flatoutfabulous’ , they stay on literally ALL DAY for me!
    And you’re right they definitely make me feel great and brightens up my day! Great post and cheers for the other suggestions 🙂 Happy Friday Hun! Alicia Xx

    • Sunita says:

      Ah that’s so cool to know matt MAC lipsticks also work for you! You always look amazing. Never a smudge in sight 😉 thanks so much for the recommendations. Happy Friday too lovely Alicia X

  2. themotherhub says:

    I never used to wear lipstick, but around a year ago I just started for some reason – now I wear red, bright pinks and coral and I love it! Makes me feel brighter and more confident – I dont know why. Ruby Woo is on my wishlist. I do love the Kate Moss for Rimmel range tho.

    • Sunita says:

      Ah coral. Yes that’s a good one. Will add that to my me-treat wish list. Thanks for reminding me about the Rimmel range. Agree wearing lipstick makes you feel all bright and confident. I’ve had so much fun wearing mine today and tonight! Xxx

  3. amytreasure0 says:

    I adore bright lipsticks, MAC are my fav but I have a few of the NARS ones and Tom Ford are beautiful quality if a little on the expensive side! x

    • Sunita says:

      Yep I’m keen to try Stila too. It really seems to work. My colleagues who wear it never have to worry about reapplying their lipstick lots throughout the day and after eating! #brilliantblogposts #brillblogposts Enjoy Lucky Things. Thanks for looking and for your comment X Sunita

  4. Abby says:

    I could not leave the house without putting my lipstick on! Seriously I feel naked without it! It just totally brightens your face. Love mac lipstick, I’m seriously in love with satin ‘brave’, have you tried it? Great post! #brilliantblogposts
    Abby at http://www.peppermintcove.com

    • Sunita says:

      Hey Abby. I’m def getting back into lipstick. Will check out the Satin Brave from MAC. Looking forward to checking out your blog too. Lovely to hang out via #brilliantblogposts keep in touch X Sunita

  5. Sunita says:

    Ah Kat, Lipcote!!! Now that’s a blast from the past. Do they still sell it? I also used to wear it in my 20s. Have fun experimenting with lipstick too. What’s your favourite colour? I’m going to wear red this weekend. #mumsthatslay X Sunita

  6. aliduke79hotmailcom says:

    I am getting more and more into wearing make up at the moment and it doesn’t feel complete unless I have some lippy on. I am loving lip crayons at the moment.
    #fortheloveofBLOG

    • Sunita says:

      Hey Ali Lovely you also love lippy! Lip crayons are cool aren’t they? I sometimes struggle to find the right pencil sharpener for them though. I love my NARS one. I’ve had it for years. #fortheloveofBLOG

  7. alex says:

    yeah, lipstick is definitely an accessory for me – i want it to stand out! However, i do get nervous when trying new colours, I just wish someone could come lipstick shopping with me and give me constructive opinions! #fortheloveofBLOG

    • Sunita says:

      That’s so cool. It’s lovely when you want to stand out a bit. Hope you can find a buddy who can give you a good opinion on lipstick shades. Maybe that’s a dream job – lipstick adviser! #fortheloveofBLOG

  8. A Mum Track Mind (@amumtrackmind) says:

    I totally didn’t know that about the Mac recycling! I love Mac! They do such great staples don’t they? I’m rubbish with lipstick though – I think they either look odd on me or they dry my lips out. I do love a coloured gloss though! Thanks for sharing on #fortheloveofBLOG x

    • Sunita says:

      Gosh the MAC recycling is a great thing. It takes a while to use up those containers but such a nice treat when you get to choose one of their lipsticks for free! Yes, try out a coloured gloss or a lip pot (coloured lip balm). The Stila lip pens are pretty cool too. Maybe try out some cheaper brands and see how you get on? x Sunita #fortheloveofBLOG

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