RED LIPSTICK EVOLVED

Post + Photography by Amy Nadine, Graphic Design by Eunice Chun

Lipstick has come a long way since its moniker was coined in 1880! Not that I don't still love lipstick and plan on using it until the day I die... but in the last few years, new textures and finishes have emerged that have earned their keep along side of lipstick in our makeup drawers. Some last all day and never end up on your teeth, others are velvety and some are ingeniously matte and shiny at the same time! To really study them, I picked one color (a classic red) and one model (my sweet friend Sophia) to see how they compare and contrast. None look like a lipstick, even though all are just as pigmented and intense.

1. Velvet Matte Pencil - There are many out there but this one started it all! If you haven't discovered NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil yet, you're missing out on one of the greatest lip products of all time. This shade is Dragon Girl, a gorgeous red that looks good on literally every skin tone. Line the perimeter first like you would with a lip liner then fill in the entire lip.
2. Opaque Cream - This gem (MAC Lipmix in Red) has been the secret star of runways around the world and is as pigmented as a lipstick but a completely different texture and feel. Apply with a lip brush for precision.
3. Liquid Stain - Prepare to die when you try Lime Crime's Velvetine Liquid Stain! It goes on like satin and then doesn't move until you take it off. It's super thin and isn't goopy. I used it on one of my clients who sings really close to the microphone and couldn't have it come off all over it if they accidentally touched and we never worried about it with this lovely! The shade above is Red Velvet.
4. Velvet Lacquer - Giorgio Armani Lip Maestro (in the shade Hollywood above) has been having a major moment on the red carpet since its launch earlier this year. There's truly nothing like it. It feels like velvet going on and somehow is matte and shiny at the same time, if that's even possible!

By the way, if you came here from one of our social media channels asking which lippie created which lip, the answers are: 1-c. 2-d, 3-b and 4a!