Erin Wooddell
I am a firm believer that there are three things that can always make you feel utterly beautiful and feminine:
1) perfume
2) mascara
3) lipstick
Today I want to talk about item #3.
When I was in my early teens, I began a love affair with lipstick. Every morning I'd sneak into my mom's bathroom before leaving for school and uncap each of her fancy tubes to decide which color would fit best for my mood that day. It felt like such a grown up thing to do. Eventually, I started buying my own. Dark pigments weren't popular at the time, but I liked leaving for school with a little extra color around my mouth. The hues were always tame, but still more noticeable that the natural color from no treatment or a simple swipe of chapstick.
A few years later, I ventured into lipgloss territory, but found that to be problematic when walking to class in frigid temperatures with lots of wind. (Hair easily blows into lipgloss-covered lips and gets stuck. Not fun.)
Somewhere along the way, I stopped using lipstick altogether. Just when the trends changed and dark, eye-catching lipstick became the fashionable thing to do, I stopped searching for bright colors and instead resorted to a more natural look of neutral tones.
Part of me felt a little unprofessional coming to work with a dark, painted mouth, and many of the brands and shades I preferred had either been discontinued or changed. And then suddenly, lipstick became the last thing I would think about. Sometimes, I'd be driving to work and realize my lips felt dry, only to realize I forgot to even apply chapstick before leaving the house. It bothers me, yet it's a trend that keeps happening, and my lips go unpainted more days than I find acceptable.
I am a firm believer that there are three things that can always make you feel utterly beautiful and feminine:
1) perfume
2) mascara
3) lipstick
Today I want to talk about item #3.
When I was in my early teens, I began a love affair with lipstick. Every morning I'd sneak into my mom's bathroom before leaving for school and uncap each of her fancy tubes to decide which color would fit best for my mood that day. It felt like such a grown up thing to do. Eventually, I started buying my own. Dark pigments weren't popular at the time, but I liked leaving for school with a little extra color around my mouth. The hues were always tame, but still more noticeable that the natural color from no treatment or a simple swipe of chapstick.
A few years later, I ventured into lipgloss territory, but found that to be problematic when walking to class in frigid temperatures with lots of wind. (Hair easily blows into lipgloss-covered lips and gets stuck. Not fun.)
Somewhere along the way, I stopped using lipstick altogether. Just when the trends changed and dark, eye-catching lipstick became the fashionable thing to do, I stopped searching for bright colors and instead resorted to a more natural look of neutral tones.
Part of me felt a little unprofessional coming to work with a dark, painted mouth, and many of the brands and shades I preferred had either been discontinued or changed. And then suddenly, lipstick became the last thing I would think about. Sometimes, I'd be driving to work and realize my lips felt dry, only to realize I forgot to even apply chapstick before leaving the house. It bothers me, yet it's a trend that keeps happening, and my lips go unpainted more days than I find acceptable.
A couple months ago, I received a Sephora gift card for my birthday, so I decided to buy something I hadn't bought in a long time—a nice, name-brand lipstick. Curious about the lipstain trend and these formulas that boast effortless color for over 16 hours, I bought a couple different brands to try. Both—disappointingly—came off on cups, the boyfriend's cheek and made my lips feel more dry than if they were naked. I was sad to have spent my gift card on products that didn't deliver what they'd promised. So I went back to my usual, boring, neutral look.
One of my tried-and-true favorites for moisture with a hint of color is Clinique's line of Chubby Sticks. They were extremely popular when they first came out, often ending up out-of-stock in the mall. As they released more colors, I tried some of the darker hues, but I found them to lack in intensity and ability to really coat my lips with color. If I want to wear something dark or vibrant, I want it to be smooth and seamless, and these weren't able to do that for me. (Their neutral colors like 'Whole Lotta Honey' are to-die for, though, for an understated lip.)
Halloween is Thursday, and I'm dressing up as Jane from Breaking Bad. Krysten Ritter, the actress who plays Jane, always seems to be wearing very bold and pigmented lipstick. I knew I needed to buy something for the occasion, since nothing I had on hand would look quite right.
Trying to figure out what to get, I suddenly remembered that a friend once told me about the Revlon Just Bitten LipStain. I'd bought it for St. Patrick's Day a couple years ago, applied it once and then lost it out of my clutch the very same night. With limited exposure to the product, I didn't have time to find out if I was a fan.
During a trek to Target yesterday, I decided to give it another try. As I was mulling over color options, I noticed another Just Bitten item on the shelf underneath: a Chubby Stick lookalike called Just Bitten Kissable Balm. Intrigued, I stopped looking at the stains and saw that the balms had way more color options. I excitedly grabbed a stain and a balm and headed home to try them out.
My verdict on the Just Bitten Lip Stain: It's just OK.
Putting it on felt like I was drawing on my lips with a weird-scented marker. The color seemed to bleed—even with lip liner on—and didn't seem to be an even, rich color, no matter how many coats I applied. It did last, though, as I went to take a shower an hour later and when I got out, the color was still on my lips. (I actually preferred it more post-shower. It's as if the water helped blend it on my lips.)
My verdict on the Just Bitten Kissable Balm: It's wonderful!
I bought the color 'Smitten' (shown above). It's more of a berry pink, with a neon hue. As I applied it this morning, I found it went on incredibly smooth and despite coming off a bit on a tissue when I blotted, it has stayed on all day! The color is still very bright. I did have to dab on a bit of Vaseline to keep my lips moist after lunch, but all-in-all I am so pleased with this purchase. I think I may have discovered a new favorite go-to lip product! And the best part: It was only $7.49!
One of my tried-and-true favorites for moisture with a hint of color is Clinique's line of Chubby Sticks. They were extremely popular when they first came out, often ending up out-of-stock in the mall. As they released more colors, I tried some of the darker hues, but I found them to lack in intensity and ability to really coat my lips with color. If I want to wear something dark or vibrant, I want it to be smooth and seamless, and these weren't able to do that for me. (Their neutral colors like 'Whole Lotta Honey' are to-die for, though, for an understated lip.)
Halloween is Thursday, and I'm dressing up as Jane from Breaking Bad. Krysten Ritter, the actress who plays Jane, always seems to be wearing very bold and pigmented lipstick. I knew I needed to buy something for the occasion, since nothing I had on hand would look quite right.
Trying to figure out what to get, I suddenly remembered that a friend once told me about the Revlon Just Bitten LipStain. I'd bought it for St. Patrick's Day a couple years ago, applied it once and then lost it out of my clutch the very same night. With limited exposure to the product, I didn't have time to find out if I was a fan.
During a trek to Target yesterday, I decided to give it another try. As I was mulling over color options, I noticed another Just Bitten item on the shelf underneath: a Chubby Stick lookalike called Just Bitten Kissable Balm. Intrigued, I stopped looking at the stains and saw that the balms had way more color options. I excitedly grabbed a stain and a balm and headed home to try them out.
My verdict on the Just Bitten Lip Stain: It's just OK.
Putting it on felt like I was drawing on my lips with a weird-scented marker. The color seemed to bleed—even with lip liner on—and didn't seem to be an even, rich color, no matter how many coats I applied. It did last, though, as I went to take a shower an hour later and when I got out, the color was still on my lips. (I actually preferred it more post-shower. It's as if the water helped blend it on my lips.)
My verdict on the Just Bitten Kissable Balm: It's wonderful!
I bought the color 'Smitten' (shown above). It's more of a berry pink, with a neon hue. As I applied it this morning, I found it went on incredibly smooth and despite coming off a bit on a tissue when I blotted, it has stayed on all day! The color is still very bright. I did have to dab on a bit of Vaseline to keep my lips moist after lunch, but all-in-all I am so pleased with this purchase. I think I may have discovered a new favorite go-to lip product! And the best part: It was only $7.49!
Have you tried the Just Bitten collection? What products and colors are your favorite? Comment below or tweet me @adventuringMISS using hashtag #MISSadventureApproved