The Reluctant Lippie. Part Two: Pinks

  

By Laurin

A few of the more pressing topics that have been on my mind this week include:  

1. Why do my jeans smell like barnyard dust even though I washed them two days ago?
2. Have my knickers been on inside-out all day? (Turns out yes, yes they have.)
3. Oh hey, is that the guy I dated briefly last year who was in the open relationship and his girlfriend had a girlfriend? (Turns out no, because that guy over there is weirdly sweaty and has a  strange mole on the side of his  face, but I didn't realise that until AFTER I smiled and waved, so maybe quick exit.)
4. Why  do  we  call  pink  lipsticks  pink  instead  of  nude,  because  I'm  pretty  sure  my  lips ARE actually pink when they're nude, AMIRITE?

Above: Clinique All Heart, Kate Moss 05, Tom Ford Incorrigible, NARS Schiap

I  still  have  no  answer  for  the  last  one.  As  it  turns  out,  in  the  absence  of  a  colour  wheel  or some hot, hot SCIENCE, we call them pink and not nude BECAUSE WE JUST DO. Also, it turns out that I don't much care. Really though, pink probably should  have been my first stop on my  lipstick  tour:  it  was  the  first  colour  I  played with  as  a  little  girl  from  my  grandmother's make-up bag, and  it's much easier to  find a  pretty, flattering shade without  risking looking like a zombie. Belatedly, then, here are a few I like.

Clinique All Heart Long Last Lipstick, £17 at Debenhams Studio 10 Age Reverse Perfecting Lipliner, £22 at http://www.studio10beauty.com

I've had a soft spot for Clinique gift with purchase lipsticks ever since I won one in a game of bingo at a nursing home when I was ten (the other prizes were socks or bath salts). My prize lipstick  felt  fancy  then,  and  it  still  does  a  tiny bit  today.  All  Heart  is  a  slightly  plummy  pink warmed up with barely-there gold sparkle that makes it perfect for adding a bit of oomph to a  neutral  make-up  look.  I’m  wearing  it  with  Studio 10  in  the  picture,  but  it  applies  just  as well from the tube in a hurry, and indeed, on the Tube in a hurry. The texture feels creamy and nourishing, and it lasts through at least three cups of tea before lunch. HOUSE!   

Kate Moss for Rimmel 05, £5.49 at Superdrug

Anyone who refuses to shop for cosmetics and perfume on the high street out of misplaced snobbery is denying themselves a serious small pleasure. Cheap makeup is the business, and it's hard to beat the thrill of chucking a bright lipstick in the basket with your shampoo and hand cream. This is a girly (but not sugary) pink that I can imagine your Girl Next Door would wear  on  prom  night.  It  looks  great  with  flushed  cheeks  and  a  hint  of  mascara.  Also:  IT SMELLS OF CHERRIES. What could be more joyful?

  Tom Ford Incorrigible, £34 at Selfridges  Halfway  between  a  full  on  lipstick  and  a  gloss,  so somewhat  naughty  of  Tom  Ford  to demand the full whack of £34. On the other hand, this sheer fuchsia veil with just a dusting of warm golden  sparkle is perfect bridge between the "My Lips But Better" milkmaid  pinks and the full-on BRING IT bright end of the spectrum. Unlike a fuller-coverage bright lipstick, this is easy to apply without a lipliner and a brush, and as a result it’s barely left my handbag since I bought it.   

 NARS Schiap, £19.50 at Space NK  I had a consultation with Sali Hughes last month and she sold me on it as the perfect "fuck you" lipstick. "It suits no one," she assured me. The name of this full-coverage, satin finish lipstick references the legendary fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli, who used shocking pink as one of her signature colours. It does not suit me. It will not suit you. But you should buy it (and a good lipbrush – colour like this demands precision application) anyway. I wore it last week  with  a  flowing  black  skirt  and  Jovoy’s Psychédélique,  a  fragrance  so  patchouli-heavy that  my  friend  Angelica  once  described  it  as  “like being  trapped  in  a  phonebox  with  a hippie.” None  of these things suit me, and I spent most of the day  feeling as though I was having an out-of-body experience. Unless you are one of those rare souls who knows exactly who  they  are,  I  believe  we  all  have  something  to  gain  by  trying  on  (as  it  were)  different identities, discarding the parts that don’t feel right and incorporating the ones that do into our  own  personal  patchwork.  I  will  never  feel  comfortable  with  wearing  neon  pink  lipstick every day, but on days when I have a bone to pick with the world, I will wear it with Bvlgari Black and sneer. I will take no prisoners.    The fine print: Purchases and PR samples.

  

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