Bright lips are everywhere. And again, and again and again, I see ads for red lipstick. And again, and again and again I read and hear how all women can wear red or burgundy or dark lipstick.
Me–with the big, bright lips from my blog post of three years ago Makeup Me A Kardashian! You have NO idea how long it took to get those lips to look like that. Red lips are too much of a hassle. And that was my bio hair before I lost most of the crown. Lots of Toppik!
It’s a fallacy. It’s a non-truth. It’s a downright lie! And it seems that lies are becoming the new normal.
Dark lipstick and red lipstick do not look good on everyone.
These women are young. And even though the photos are filtered, I can guarantee there are no deep ines or wrinkles around their mouths. Girls better enjoy this look now because their dark lippie time is limited!!
Pro-aging does have some drawbacks—let me explain. Certain features don’t age as well as other features do.
Some of us may find that our eyelids are drooping and we don’t appear as awake and bright-eyed as we did when we were younger.
Some of us may ask where our eyelids have gone?
We may have jowls. We definitely have more lines and wrinkles.
…and some of us have jowls (I hide mine with layered wigs!!)
And for a number of us, our lips have turned into the most unattractive feature of our face.
That would be me–ol’ fish lips!
I can tell you that when I was in my twenties, I had a great mouth. My lips were as what the beauty industry calls “bee stung” lips. Full—very full and very nice, to be exact. Those bee-stung lips of mine collected quite a few drinks in bars back in the day!
It also helped that youth was on my side because there were no lines around my mouth at all.
I wore brighter lipstick back then—and although I did wear burgundy and wine-colored lipsticks back then, red just never did it for me
And as I’ve aged my once-bee stung lips have morphed from the insect colony to more of the aquatic life. I have fish lips. Fish lips are rubbery, almost shapeless and rather unattractive blobs of flesh that have taken the place of a proper set of lips.
Did photographer Richard Austin try to find a fish with my lips? Although I do like the color of these fish lips!!
Like Don Knotts in the film, The Incredible Mr. Limpet—just call me Donna Knotts!
Yeah—just call me Donna Knotts!
On the plus side, the fish lips were made for smiling because they do give off quite a sweet grin!
Talk about a paradox–fish lips may not be the most attractive, but they create a very nice smile!
But here’s the thing. These lips are not made for the dark lipsticks and these is where the beauty industry errs. The reality is these lips look better in a paler shade and I don’t understand why paler shades of lipstick and glosses aren’t given the love or recognition they so deserve.
I’m a fan of the paler shades of lip colors. The Frenchman is always telling me to go with more color when I film my YouTube videos. And he’s correct because my mouth always looks washed out. But the truth is, I kind of don’t care because I love a pale lip!
Yesterday I hit Ulta in search of some pale lippies and was successful in my endeavor.
Here’s what I purchased.
My lippie purchase from yesterday. From top clockwise. NYX Candy Slick; Tarte Glide & Go Buttery Lipstick; Essence Shine, Shine, Shine Gloss and Colourpop Ultra Glossy lip.
Tarte Glide & Go Buttery Lipstick in “Bare Bud”. It appears warmer than it goes on the lips but this is a buttery lipstick that is very hydrating—and due to the hydration effect, it isn’t a dry matte. I applied this at around 8 this morning and it lasted without reapplying for a few hours. It is flattering to the mature face!
This really is a beautiful pale neutral..
Here I am, old sweats, and Bare Bud on my lips. It’s a beautiful shade!
Colourpop Ultra Glossy Lip Gloss in “Snow Day”.
Colourpop Snow Day..
Shiny, glittery and a hint of color to swipe over a lipstick.
A pretty pale pinky shine!
I love a shiny gloss. I can’t help it. Worn over lipstick it just makes the lips feel and look better. This sparkly almost clear gloss delivers. And can be worn over a slightly darker lip color to make it a bit lighter in hue!
NYX Candy Slick in Sugarcoated Kiss.
I’m a huge fan of NYX lip products. The Butter Gloss is fantastic!!! So I HAD to try this and I’m happy I did!
Very similar to Tarte’s Bare Bud in color but in a gloss!
Again—another gloss that appears more on the warm side than it applies. This goes on very natural and has a nice pale coral color. With glosses, they never wear as long as lipsticks but over a lipstick, they work well.
Earlier this morning–in the kitchen with pearls and an apron–I’m the epitome of class–LOL. I’m wearing the NYX Sugarcoated Kiss over the Colourpop Snow Day!
Essence Shine, Shine, Shine.
This is my fifth tube of this gloss. I love the clear because it gives a great shine! My other tubes of this gloss have acquired more color because I wear this over practically every lipstick I own. At $3.99 it’s a fantastic value and a great product!
My natural lips are very pigmented so when I wear this, it’s always over a lighter lipstick!
What I had on hand.
Buxom Dolly gloss. This neutral shade is one of my favorites. It more of a cool almost flesh tone and I am just about to repurchase. My sister purchased this after seeing it on me. It really is a universally flattering gloss.
Buxom’s Dolly is one of the greatest shades of lipgloss ever–and it stays on for a long time!
Dolly is a beautiful neutral pale shade! I need to buy more!
Guerlain Kiss Kiss Number 560 Pushy Pink.
This is my favorite pale coral pink. And has been discontinued. It may have been renamed—I’m not sure. But—when I get back to Paris, I’m headed to the Guerlain boutique to find out if A it was discontinued or renamed. It upsets me to no end that this perfect shade of pale with a hint of color is no more. Just. My. Luck!
It is beyond me as to why Guerlain would ever discontinue this PERFECT pink/coral shade. I’m flummoxed over this. Hopefully they have renamed it!
A word of caution though. Not all pale shades are created the same. Find out what pale shades work with your coloring. Some pale lipsticks look horrific on me due to my pink undertones. But I will say that paler shades are definitely easier for the mature woman to wear than the darker ones!
Out and about earlier today with a pale lip and dark eyes. I love that combo!
What’s your preference? Have you found that as you age, your mouth and lips have changed? Do you still wear dark lipstick? Share your faves in the comments!
Have a few laughs at my YouTube video addressing my fish lips!!
