Saturday, April 26, 2008

The L Word



That's right.




Lipstick.




Specifically, which one to wear to my wedding.




There are a lot of things to consider at this point. First of all, I'm usually a gloss girl. I like 'em sheer and shiny. However, I can't say that my future husband is going to look great in pictures wiping a bunch of goo off his mouth the second after the big kiss.




Second, there is the photo factor. I know that shiny can play poorly in photographs and I don't want my lips to be so pale during the wedding that I look washed out in the pictures.




Third, and most importantly, I want to look like me. Not some fantasy version of me where I can pull off a bright crimson mouth like Katherine Heigl at the Oscars, but me me. The girl who wears pink lipglosses like they are going out of style.




So, when the makeup artist gave me a really dark mouth at my trial, the hunt was on for a better alternative.




I searched high and low, looking for the right combination of sheer and rosy to make my mouth look like mine, but better.




A bunch of first attempts at Bergdorf's with my sister failed miserably, although she picked up a few items. I was given corals which made me want to yak and the same deep fuchsia color that the artist gave me.




A few weeks later, I stopped into the Space NK in Scarsdale before the catering tasting (yeah, that's right, my caterer is from Scarsdale. And she is AWESOME. If you want a rec, email me) and tried out a few. I liked a By Terry lipgloss, but the $55 price tag made me cringe a little. I'm kind of absurd when it comes to spending for makeup, but that crosses the line for me.




Next up, the salesperson recommended Talitha lip gloss by NARS.




It's a nice rosy color, deeper than what I'm used to, but my fiance said it didn't look gooey. I believe his actual words were, It wouldn't be terrible to kiss you with that on. True love, people. True love.




But I had my doubts.




So I dragged out every lipgloss hidden in purses around my apartment and started trying on. The winner? Bobbi Brown lipgloss in Hot Pink. Which isn't actually hot pink.




But the gloss factor bothered me. A stop into Blue Mercury revealed that the lip gloss, layered with the Creamy Lipstick in Pink Ballet was a nice combo.




But then again...there is always Black Honey by Clinique.




So, basically, I'm nowhere right now on this. My final dress fitting is today, and I'm planning on bringing the arsenal with me and trying them on while the hemming is done.




I'll let you know...

12 comments:

Apocalypstick said...

Look. There's no way you're going to be up for re-applying lip product on your wedding day. Forget about gloss. Those Bobbi Brown creamy lipsticks won't hold up over the hours like you're going to need them to, and forget about Black Honey, which is pretty much a glorified lipbalm. Even traditional lipstick won't last (and if you are not a lipstick girl in your everyday life, you are going to be fucking miserable if you have your mouth all caked up with the stuff all day.) If you can't find a true stain (Vincent Longo makes several, also The Balm) that you like--many of them may be too deep or bright for you-- I strongly urge you to find a pencil you can stand (I'd rec MAC Quartz for you based on other colors you've mentioned that work), color in your whole mouth with that sucker, and then go with whatever gloss you love normally. By the time it wears off, you'll still have color and not look like the Corpse Bride.

Mazel tov!

grey cat and me said...

I love Chanel pink sugar lipstick--it is lightweight and is a natural looking pink. I agree on finding a good pencil to use underneath as well.

Rae // theNotice said...

Find a lipstick with a bit of sheen, so it's similar to your usual gloss and keeps you looking young - and then spritz your face with something like MAC Fix+, or paint your lips with a layer of Benefit's She-laq. As mentioned, you don't want to be reapplying through the day!

(Also, Mrs. Depoint's stain idea is a really good one - instead of liner, though, you could line your lips with the stain and a fine, straight-edged eyeliner brush.)

Beth said...

It's hard to rec a lippie w/o knowing what you look like, but I recc getting thee to a MAC store to get a pro-longwear lippie in a pinky-rose color.

Anonymous said...

Laura Mercier...Tea Rose

Anonymous said...

If you have a gloss color you really love, what about going to a Prescriptives counter and have a custom lipstick made? They can match anything.

Thirkellgirl said...

I think you need to go with a Bobbi Brown lip SHEER. Nothing is going to hold up all day, and they're a good compromise between a gloss and a lip color.

Anonymous said...

Don't worry about your lipcolor, you have better things to worry about on your wedding day! I have never seen a bride look bad, so don't stress things. Just forget about lipstick, smack some cherry chapstick on there, and enjoy your day!!

Anonymous said...

I'll say it again L'oreal Endless Teaberry, I know the colors all look the same in the packaging but I swear for $8 what do you have to lose. (Yeah I know $8, I'm a government worker too) failng that MAC pro longwear was the answer for many of my bride friends and family.

Elsie said...

I did straight up Clinique gloss in "Sure Thing" which is now discontinued I think. It was the perfect amount of shine/color and played well in the wedding photos.

Anonymous said...

Benefit has some new lipstick's that go on very gloss like. Not heavy and a wide spectra of colors. Worth looking into.

Anonymous said...

What lip color did you end up going with?

I'm not much of a lipstick girl and I picked up the MAC long last gloss. It can feel a little dry when you put it on but I didn't have to reapply all day, despite lots of kissing and champagne sipping!