Pucker up

A buddy came up to me a couple of weeks ago and said, "I hear you're the one to talk to about liquid lipsticks" and I guess in some circles, I am. I've tried A LOT of liquid lipsticks over the years, because I really like the fact that they set, making them pretty transfer-resistant (so in theory you could make out with someone and not leave them covered in your lipstick) and you don't have to worry about reapplying every couple of hours, or every time you take a sip of water. So because I wasn't prepared to sit her down and go over the finer points of all liquid lipsticks at the time, I wrote this instead.

I will say that although I have tried tons of different lipstick formulas, there are many I have not tried. Believe it or not, I do refuse to spend over a certain amount of money on a lipstick, and I hate being forced to buy products in kits. So everything below are products that can be found in stores or online, sold individually.

The issue with liquid lipsticks in general is that the longer lasting they are, the more they tend to dry out your lips, so that is something to keep in mind. I would definitely recommend exfoliating your lips regularly when using liquid lipsticks, because they cling and tend to highlight any cracks or flakes. I've tried to make note of which formulas I personally find to be the most drying. Below are my thoughts - my recommendations are in bold.

Lotions and potions

My skin is in better shape now than I think it's ever been. I've had super oily blemish-prone skin for most of my life, and in the past year or so it's been clearer and more balanced than it's been since I hit puberty. I thank/blame this on finally getting a beauty routine that works for me, heavily influenced by the skincare blogs I started reading a few years ago, followed by some trial and error. Increasing my water intake and cutting all soda/pop I think helped as well.

A couple of friends noticed the improvement in my skin and asked me to share what I'm using, so here goes. I do know it's kind of excessive, but it works for me, and as I've mentioned before, skincare and makeup are one of my favorite pastimes. I would highly recommend a routine of cleanse/acid toner/essence/serum/moisturizer using products targeted to your skin needs. What works for me won't necessarily work for everyone, and I've tried to make note of things that may not work well if you have dry or sensitive skin.

Current beauty favs

Despite telling myself I was going to hold back from beauty shopping this year, I've still managed to get my hands on some new (to me) things, and have been so impressed I feel the need to talk about them, because most are from brands I don't think that my friends who read this blog know much about, and/or they are new(ish) products you haven't tried. Also I haven't written a post in FOREVER so this is long overdue. So the following is a list of some of my current beauty favs, some old, some new, most I believe from brands that don't test on animals.