Favorite Red Lippies

Lately, I have really been into beauty products, mainly lipstick.  I think it has to do with my recent recognition from Sephora that I have been upgraded from a Beauty Insider to a VIB {get it?? kind of like VIP}. What does this mean?  It means I spent $350 at Sephora in a calendar year. Yikes! That is not good news. Part of the reason? I have been on an obsession to find the perfect red lipstick. And I've tried bought a lot of them. 

My first red was {1} MAC Dubonnet which is more of a vampy red, but I was actually looking for a more Kardashian red, thankyouverymuchladyattheMACcounter. Next, I ventured to the Benefit Makeup counter and tried {2} Flirt Alert. I really like this one! Very creamy and more of a cherry red which is what I was going for. Then... I put my search on hold for a while and didn't really pay much attention to the lipstick scene. I read in a recent Lucky magazine about {3} NARS  dragon girl velvet lip pencil.  I cut the page out of the magazine and it sat somewhere for a while. Then, while shopping in Sephora, I spotted the elusive dragon girl lip pencil! Well, not the actual pencil, but I saw the name label on the shelf and it reminded me that I needed it! So, on my next Sephora order, I added it to my basket. It came in a few days later and it is exactly how I envisioned. And it's my favorite red lipstick ever. You must try it! I think it works on every skin tone. It makes my teeth look whiter and its more of a blue based tone. I highly highly recommend it! And now.... the photos! Sorry, the lighting isn't great in any of these photos. I need a DSLR! 

From L to R {1} MAC Dubonnet, {2} Benefit Flirt Alert, {3} NARS Dragongirl velvet lip pencil and {4} Covergirl Flame 

From L to R {1} MAC Dubonnet, {2} Benefit Flirt Alert, {3} NARS Dragongirl velvet lip pencil and {4} Covergirl Flame

My new trick is wearing a red lip when I travel so I feel not-too-drab and icky from the dry airplane air. 

Finally, one more lipstick story. Did you watch Project Accessory back in 2011? It was a spin off from Project Runway and only lasted one season. One of the contestants {Christina Caruso} had the most amazing lip color and she wore it every single episode. It was a pinky red, watermelon color.  I googled {unsuccessfully} to try and figure out the brand and color name of what she wore. The other day I found her instagram and decided to give it a shot - I commented on one of her photos asking about what color she wore on the show and she commented me back! The very next day... how cool is that?!?!?! The color she wore is a {4} cover girl lipstick called Flame. So what did I do? Drive myself to Target that very day and pick some up! Holler! 

Now, photos of each color on:

In Italy, wearing {1} MAC Dubonnet

In Seattle wearing {2} Benefit Flirt Alert

In Charlotte wearing {3} NARS Dragongirl

{4} Covergirl in Flame

Do you have any favorite lipsticks? Red or otherwise? Please share in the comments below!

xoxo,

Kim 

Makeup Must Haves

DISCLAIMER: brother/husband/male population in general: This is another one of those posts that you probably don't want to waste time reading. My brother told me yesterday that he has a hard time catching up on my blog for a few reasons:

1. I post too often (well.... GEEZ!) and
2. Sometimes my posts are about things that don't interest him such as {and I quote} "women's shoes"... Haha - I had to laugh! Well, in those cases, I will give my brother a "pass" and let him know that I'm OK with him skipping my entry for that day.

I have been wanting to do a post about a few of my favorite makeup products for a while now. I actually never wore makeup in high school {it was way too hot growing up in Hawaii, it would just melt off}. I only wore makeup for special occasions such as winterball and prom.

BUT - now, I can barely leave the house without makeup. There was one time during tax season that I went to work sans makeup but that was on a Sunday. Occasionally I will have no-makeup Sunday to give my skin a break from being covered in makeup every. single. day.

Here are just a few of my favorite things I can't live without:

1.  Li-Brow Serum - Sometime last summer, I became obsessed with my eyebrows.  I stumbled into the Benefit Brow Bar at Macy's and got my brows waxed for the first time. AMAZING! I may have gotten my brows waxed a tad too much so I am working on growing them out now a la Lauren Conrad. So, I started this treatment a few months ago and I can really see the results. I am loving it so far! I only apply it once a night before bed and my brows are growing in again in the areas that were too sparse. Hopefully my brows will be where I want them in just a few more months.

LiBrow

 2. Benefit Brow Zings - to help accentuate my brows:

Benefit brow zing | via Sephora

3. NARS The Multiple in "Orgasm" - I have been using this blush ever since college (5+ years ago) and I don't think I will ever use anything else. I always get compliments on it. It's called the multiple because you can use it on lips and eyes too, but I strictly use it for blush.

NARS The Multiple in "Orgasm" | Via Sephora

4. MAC Technakohl Eyeliner in "Graphblack" - This has been another staple in my day to day life for years now. It's waterproof and doesnt smudge. It lasts quite a long time too. I can usually go 3-6 months between purchases. Another thing I love about it is that you never have to sharpen it, it just twists up.

MAC Technakohl in "Graphblack" | Via MAC

I probably have 498,746 more products in my makeup bag, but I didn't want to overwhelm you today. Maybe I can do a weekly or monthly column on new makeup products or staples that I have been using for years.

For those of you on Pinterest {I know your on it - don't be ashamed}, here is a link to my "beauty board".