Anyway.
In my search for the perfect nude, I discovered Essence Long-lasting Lipstick in shade 06 Barely There. I'm in love with it. The problem is, so is everyone else, so it is REALLY hard to find, and the jerks at Ulta won't let you buy the tester tube, no matter how hard you protest that this is not your first rodeo, and lipstick is actually really easy to sanitize. The lesson you should take away from this is, if you are somewhere that actually has this shade in stock, buy it. Buy two. Buy three, and send one to me. At $2.99, it is not a bank breaker, and, I'm telling you, not matter your coloring, it is going to look AMAZING on you. You're welcome.
I tell you all of this to come full circle in the story, which is, that I DID find ONE tube a few weeks back, and bought it, and promptly lost it, after putting it in a safe place and then not remembering where that safe place was. Clearly, it was very safe. Fast forward to this morning, where I found it, zipped inside the tiny little pocket of the bigger of the two wallets I carry at any given time, that holds my medicine, whatever important papers we need, and the lipstick that's too important to just be tossed in my purse. Imagine my happiness! I had on a lot of pink and purple and gold eye shadow today in what I lovingly refer to as my Tequila Sunrise Look, so a nude lip was definitely just what the doctor ordered.
I haven't been to Ulta in a few weeks now, but I decided to go on my lunch break today and see if there were any good after Christmas sales that I could get into. Spoiler alert: 40% off. Get thee to Ulta. Really, I was going to see if they had any of the Ulta 12 Days of Christmas sets I talked about a few posts back, because I really want that rock gold foil eyeshadow, but, alas, it was not to be. Guess what I did find though??
The whole thing ended up costing literally about $4.50 with the sale. I did see that it contained my favorite 06, and that there was an above average chance that I would like at least one other color, so it seemed like a good deal. In addition to the four Long Lasting Lipsticks in shades 04, 06, 07, and 12 (aka "On The Catwalk," "Barely There," "Natural Beauty," and "Blush My Lips") there is a bonus Liquid Lipstick in the shade 06 Make A Statement.
The shades pictured here are in the same order as mentioned above, with the liquid across the bottom.
Essentially (see what I did there?) we have two nudes, a reddish pink, a hot pink, and the liquid is sort of a berry color. And I ended up really loving all of them.
One of the main things that I love about this product, besides it being cruelty free, and besides the price point, is that it is super duper moisturizing, which is especially fantastic in the winter time. Also, the extra moisture is a little bit more forgiving if you are wanting to wear a red. A classic matte red lip takes more practice to apply and maintain, but with something like this, that is really like a lipstick mixed with a chapstick, it goes on a little easier and isn't so hard to keep in the lines. So its a really safe place to start if that is what you are looking for.
Top Left is the 04- On The Catwalk would be a really great "starter red." Its full bodied and has just a hint of berry to it, which makes it great for winter time. Its super easy to apply-I did all four of these at stoplights, it has a cool tone to it, but I feel like even if your coloring was warm, it would still look killer on you. Because it does have the moisture component to it, it also isn't going to have staying power and is going to get all over everything your lips touch, but its such a pretty, fun, festive red that you probably won't mind too much. It might be a little heavy in the summer time depending on your coloring, but hey, its still going to be really cold for several months around these parts.
Top Right is 06-Barely There, which we have already covered. Like most of the nude shades I gravitate to, this one has a a heavy mauve undertone. For me, this is probably just about as dark as I could wear and still call it a nude. If you have darker skin than I do, which should be pretty much everybody, its going to read lighter on you.
Bottom Left is 07-Natural Beauty, which I feel like really lives up to its name. Its on the pinkier side of nude, and if you have light to medium skin, its going to come across as a pink nude. If you have darker skin, its going to come off very light pink in that sort of retro 60's kind of way. It would be very Darlene Love or Dixie Cups, which is to say, pretty freaking fabulous.
Bottom Right is 12- Blush My Lips, which is probably the only one of the bunch I wouldn't have ever bought on its own. The photo doesn't do it justice, it is BRIGHT PINK. Sort of hot pink, mixed with a little berry, mixed with a little dark pink. Its hard to put my finger on it exactly. The main takeaway here should be that it is really, really bright. They will see you coming. I am actually glad to have it, I really like it, I'm just not sure how to categorize it, and what exactly to wear with it. It could be fun to try some ombre lips with a lighter pink.
The Liquid Lipstick color is called 06- Make A Statement. Calling it liquid lipstick is pretty generous. This is really just lipgloss. A true liquid lip is going to dry, probably matte, and be set in place. This is none of those things. This is lipgloss. But, when the whole thing cost me less than $5, I'm not going to pick at what they want to call it. Its a pretty pinky color, much lighter and brighter than how it looks on the website. That is actually something I could say for all of the colors- the way they display on the website is pretty inaccurate. If I were you, I'd try them on in person or find other reviews like this one online (or hell, just by them all, they're only $2.99) because if you try to pick a color just by looking at the website, I think you'll be disappointed.
Overall, this line is going to give you fantastic bang for your buck. The colors are pretty and cheerful, but the formula is unfussy and very easy to work with. It feels great on, especially in the winter time. All the berry colors can move with you right into spring, and then you go back and buy up the summer colors, because did I mention $2.99?
If you scout out your local Ulta in the next few days, you might even be able to find this particular gift set. I'd get it, if for no other reason than it has the Barely There in it. Its seriously so, so hard to find, if you spot it in the wild, don't miss your chance!
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