n00dz (and neutrals!)

I'm on my way to the beach right now, and in honor of the bare skin I'll be sporting, I think it's time we get down to it. After all that talk of a bold lip, why don't I share my nude collection?  And I don't mean risque photography...I'm talking about the big lip trend for this fall:  nudes!

There are SO many nude lipsticks out there.  Like...an overwhelming amount of them.  I'm guilty of buying up all the neutral lip shades I can get my hands on.  Even though my husband thinks they "all look the same."  They don't.

I have more neutral and nude lipsticks than anything else in my collection.  The reason?  I love bold lips.  We've already discussed this.  But, bold lips aren't right for every occasion.  Neutral lips are sexy any day of the week and for any event.

Nudes to me are shades that are peachy, pinky, brownish, grayish colors.  I consider neutrals to be any sort of muted color that's...well...neutral.  Some of my neutrals are reddish, or purplish, or something like that.

I'm going to be swatching some of these shades multiple times so you can see how they compare to one another.

Let's start with the Nood Collection from Melt:

I obsessed over this collection for MONTHS.  Of course I got them all.  N00d is by far my favorite of the collection, and maybe my favorite nude in general.  Sext is a little light for me.  I'm super fair, so this shade kind of blends in with my skin.  If I wear it with a liner, it's much better.  Laced is a good one to wear any day of the week.  Catsuit is a little more vampy, so I usually wear it if I'm going out for the evening.  And it's perfect for fall!  All of these shades are matte, but the formula is slightly creamier than Melt's usual.

Now for Lime Crime:

Babette, Coquette, Cashmere, Bleached, and Faded I would consider to be nudes.  Faded is almost a perfect match to my natural lip color.  The rest are what I would call neutrals.  They aren't really nudes, but they aren't super bright or saturated.  But I love them!  Babette and Coquette are matte lipsticks, and the rest are liquids. 

Here's some from Colourpop:

I wrote about Colourpop a few weeks ago, so check out my post to get a full review!  Brink and Grunge are matte Lippie Stix and the rest are liquids.

Here's some randoms:

The Jeffree Star shades are liquids.  Too Faced Melted lipsticks are creamy liquid lipsticks with long wear.  Creme d'Nude is a cremesheen lipstick.  Stone and Lolita are matte.


And here's a comparison of some possible dupes!  As you can see, none of these shades are exact matches, but some are pretty close!

Nude lips are my Holy Grail.  I obviously can't get enough.    With so many finishes and formulas, it's hard not to want them all.

Now I'm going to put my toes in the sand!


Life's a beach my pretties!

Bold lips? YES YOU CAN!!!

When it comes to lipstick, I fear no shade.  I will wear any color any time.  And I really mean any color.  The only thing that bothers me about my bold lip choices is hearing people say “Wow!  I love your lip color!  I could never pull it off though.”  Ummmmm what?  Of course you can!

When I first started falling in love with lipstick, I had the same thoughts.  But then I remembered that makeup is supposed to be fun.  I’m sure some people see me with turquoise lips and think I look ridiculous, but I think I look fabulous!  And that’s all that matters.

I think everyone should feel confident enough to rock a bold lip color.  Step out of your comfort zone!  I promise you won’t regret it!  Most companies have social media accounts, Instagram included.  I research lipsticks on Instagram more than anywhere else.  I primarily search using #hashtags.  This way I can see shades on different skin tones, and find one close to my own so I get a decent idea of how I might look with certain lip colors.  This is a good way to find normal photos and see how the lipsticks look in natural light, with no retouching. 

Now I’m going to show off some of my collection.  I always use a lip scrub and apply a thick layer of lip balm before applying any lipstick. 

Before we talk swatches, here’s a mini-review of each brand/formula:

Lime Crime Velvetines:  these are liquid to matte.  They are the fastest drying of all the liquid brands I have tried.  I personally find the formula to be consistent between shades, although I’ve read other reviews that suggest otherwise.  These dry my lips out more than some other brands, but I still love them!  They smell like cake!

Lime Crime Unicorn Lipstick:  these have a semi-matte finish.  I say semi-matte because some shades have slight sheen.  They are long wearing and have a sweet vanilla scent.

Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipstick:  these are matte or metallic.  The mattes are very drying, so make sure to wear LOTS of lip balm underneath!  The metallics don’t dry your lips out, but they are just as long wearing.  They smell like creme brulee!

Melt Cosmetics:  one of my favorite brands, these are all matte shades.  Some of the shades are a little difficult to apply unless you warm them up a bit (I suggest rolling the tube between your hands for a few seconds before applying.  Blow, Blitzed, and the Nood Collection have a slightly creamier texture.  They smell like vanilla cake.

MAC:  their lipsticks are available in several finishes.  The one I swatch here is matte.  The least drying of any matte I’ve ever tried, MAC’s matte lipsticks offer long wear.  All of their lipsticks and glosses are vanilla bean scented.

Jeffree Star Cosmetics:  this liquid to matte formula is probably my favorite...even though I find the formula to be slightly inconsistent between shades.  The pastel colors don’t apply as evenly as the darker shades, but I just apply a second layer before it dries completely.  These are more comfortable to wear than some others.  They have no scent. 

Anastasia Beverly Hills:  also liquid to matte, this formula is comparable to JSC as far as comfort goes.  They don’t dry my lips out like some other formulas.  They also have no scent.



Following are swatches of what I would consider my BOLD lipsticks.  The photos on the left are without flash, photos on the right are with.

Let’s start with purples!  Purple was my first step into the world of bold lip colors.  I think purples are really easy to wear.  However, certain shades can make teeth look a bit yellow.  The purples I have do NOT make my teeth look yellow at all, but there are others that may.  A few of these look sort of pink-ish in these photos, but on the lips they lose that pink hue. 

Blow Pony, Rave, Pansy, Jinx, and Potion are liquids. The rest are matte lipsticks.

Onto the blues!  Blue is a little scarier than purple, but I think it’s another good place to start.  Blue shades seem to flatter every skin tone.

Blue Velvet and Abused are liquids. Blitzed is matte. Cry Baby has a slight iridescent sheen. Poe is metallic.


And a little green never hurt anyone!

Mint to Be, Blitzed, and Blow are matte. I swatched Blitzed again to show you how it compares to greens! Dirty Money is liquid. 

Now for the monochromatic shades:

Space Cake and Bane are matte. NaYEON is metallic. I don't have a black liquid, but don't worry. One will wander in to my collection eventually!


I encourage you to grab a bold lipstick ASAP.  I usually do a more neutral eye look when I wear bold lips, but there’s nothing wrong with going all out!  Gold glitter looks amazing when paired with purple lips.  And nothing sets off those blue lipsticks like a bright orange eye shadow.  Don’t be afraid to try something new!


I know you can pull it off, my pretties!