February in Maine is not exactly the happiest of months. I have trouble getting excited about starting my day when it’s gray and dreary outside. I also find that my personal appearance tends to reap the consequences of the February blues. I’m much more likely to wear a ponytail, stick to a wardrobe of leggings and sweatshirts, and go barefaced in the winter than I am in the spring. It’s just hard to be enthusiastic about trying new beauty products when everything is so bleak. But no more! In an effort to be more Marilyn and less-slob, I decided to do a comparison of red lipsticks. I compared the lipsticks in 5 categories: color, texture, staying power, value, and kissability. All products listed below can be found at the Rite Aid on Maine St, right here in Brunswick.
1) We’ll start out with our bargain find, a Wet n’ Wild lipstick for only $0.99!! The color is 519A, Hot Red.
Color: As expected in a 99¢ lipstick, it took a lot of effort to make the lipstick opaque, rather than sheer. With a lot of layers, though, it had a really nice, thick but not slapped on look. The tint was a little more orange-y than I would have liked for my skin tone, but for someone darker skinned than me, it would be really pretty.
Texture: Surprisingly soft. And it didn’t dry my lips out, which is something that always worries me about lipstick.
Staying Power: Not really any. But at 99¢ a stick, you can afford to keep swiping it on!
Value: Off the charts! I was really impressed by how much I liked this lipstick because when I bought it, my expectations weren’t high.
Kissability: Left a perfectly shaped mark on my friend’s cheek! A+
2) Next up, Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick 006 Really Red ($7.99)
Color: The label on this lipstick said matte, which led me to believe that the lipstick would, in fact, be matte rather than shiny, sparkly, or glossy. In fact, it was the three latter much more than the former, so it lost points on that fact. The initial color was ok and it built up to a nice opaque tint, but faded to an orangey-pink with just a bit of wearing.
Texture: With this one, I continued to be impressed by the soft, moisturizing texture. No dry lips to be seen!
Staying Power: Meh. While I don’t expect long lasting color from any lipstick that isn’t specifically long lasting, I wasn’t impressed by how much this color faded.
Value: Average price for drugstore lipstick, but when you can get something better for $0.99, it didn’t seem like a deal.
Kissability: Came off as pink, rather than red.
3) L’Oréal Colour Riche 315 True Red
Color: The best of the three for my skin tone. I need a blue-based red and this one was perfect. I loved that it looked more like a classic, Marilyn red and that it took only a few swipes to get the opacity I was after.
Texture: Very smooth. Again, it was more moisturizing than I was expecting. Was there some big breakthrough in lipstick technology that I wasn’t aware of??
Staying Power: Again, nothing like a long lasting lipstick, but even after drinking water, my lips looked about the same. Stayed red, which made me really happy.
Value: At $8.95, it was the most expensive of the three, but it was also the best, so I would say that it’s definitely a good value
Kissability: Left a perfect red pout!
So when you see me next weekend, I will be rocking the ScarJo look, with my winning red lipstick. I hope to see some other brave colliegettes with crimson lips out with me! It seems dramatic, but I’m really excited to add this to my beauty routine.
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