MY LIPSTICK WARDROBE

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You guys seemed to enjoy getting a look inside my foundation wardrobe so I thought I'd do one for lip products. I'm working hard to get my next declutter post up but it's going to be of lip products! This is a really helpful way of breaking down your collection, seeing what you have and considering what essentially performs the same function in your routine. You might not have the same categories as me because I tend to wear nudes (being in the office during the week) and (as I have warm undertones in my skin) most of these lean towards being warm. You can definitely plug in your own essentials though and this isn't to say you can't have more choice - I quite clearly do! - it's just a way of focusing your mind and might make you stop and think if you really need to make that purchase...

- THE NATURAL SHEER LIP - 

The first essential in the wardrobe I have here is a 'quick and easy' lip product. It's what I reach for when I'm in a rush and want something I can apply en-route without the need for great precision or even a mirror. It's the kind of thing I pack for a weekend away and wear for brunch the day after a night out - when I want a bit of something on that's going to be nice and hydrating but takes little effort. I personally love the Fresh Sugar Tinted Lip Treatment in Spice | £19.50 | full review | for this exact purpose. There are a bunch of shades in this range to suit your personal preferences, and I have a couple of others, but this reddish-brown nude works with pretty much all of my makeup looks so I keep it on-hand. This formula is nourishing on dry lips, contains SPF and has a really nice opacity to it that most tinted lip balms can't match!

- THE BROWN MATTE NUDE LIP -

Whether liquid or a traditional lipstick, cool with grey undertones or warm with reddish undertones - I think a brown lipstick of some sort will look good on almost everyone. A matte finish for your brown lip look is also a classic look. This sort of shade can be worn as an everyday nude lip or be paired with a full-on brown smoky eye, which is why I think it's a great thing to have in your makeup arsenal! My favourite is a sort of mid-toned brown-beige nude colour. Unfortunately the MAC Matte Lipstick in Strip Me Down (discontinued) | £17.50 | full review | has been discontinued but I had to be honest about the shade I use to death! I love the creamy formula that's opaque and matte but still comfortable.

- THE PINKY-NUDE LIP -

When it comes to this entry - I do think there's something out there for everyone! People hear 'pinky nude' and probably think of those light shades that are only nude on a very limited number of skin tones, however a pinky nude can have any depth or undertone. My perfect pinky nude has a warm undertone and just a hint of pink so it works with coppery and plum toned makeup looks whilst still suiting my colouring. For me this shade is MAC's Satin Lipstick in Mocha | £17.50 | full review. The Satin finish gives the opacity and colour payoff of a matte but has a slight sheen and is very comfortably. It's a really unusual rosy pinky-brown colour that I wear to death!

- THE PEACHY-NUDE LIP - 

I'd probably say a similar thing here to what I said about pinky nude lips. 'Peach nude' conjures an image of very light glosses with peachy undertones for me - and if you're fair-skinned these shades probably look great on you - however it doesn't have to mean that. On a deeper skintone a 'peachy nude' might be much brighter and darker so it's all about finding the shade that works for you. I personally love the ColourPop Matte Lippie Stix in RAYEzor (discontinued) | $5.50 | full review. Although this is called 'matte', I find the formula very creamy and comfortable - it glides on smoothly and opaquely and has really nice longevity. This shade is a more brown-undertoned nude with a lovely hint of peach so works nicely on my skin tone (it looks kind of similar to Mocha here but I promise they're different once applied and RAYEzor is much lighter!)

- THE GLOSSY LIP -

I've never been that into lip gloss, however I still wear a more shiny lip in the form of hydrating, sheeny lipsticks. Whether you want it to be a topper or if you want an easy 'one swipe' product that will give you both gloss and opacity; I definitely recommend having this option as part of your collection. For my dry lips - not every day can be a matte lip day so when I want hydrating colour, I opt for the Tom Ford Lip Colour Shine in Nubile | £40 | full review. It has such nice pigmentation but has a gorgeous glossy finish that doesn't feel at all sticky. The colour is a beautiful sort of rosy shade.

- THE RED LIP - 

For the longest time; I just didn't think red lips were for me. As much as I wanted to rock a bold lip, I just couldn't find a shade that suited me and that I felt comfortable in! Red lips can be glossy and sheer or matte and pigmented, they can be blue-toned or orange-toned; there's a huge spectrum of finishes and undertones out there, so I feel like there's pretty much something for everyone. My personal favourite is a more orange, rusty, terracotta-toned red and the shade that made me realise I can rock a red lip is the Ofra Long-Lasting Liquid Lipstick in Miami Fever | £11 | full review. This is a matte liquid lipstick so is very long-wearing and transfer-proof. It looks gorgeous with the oranges, yellows, golds and bronzes that I personally really enjoy wearing.

- THE BERRY LIP - 

I definitely thought for a long time that berry lip = MAC Diva (and its derivatives)! However last year I really fell for this shade and realised I could wear a berry-toned makeup look if I went for a more pinky-plum warm-toned colour. My pick is the Huda Beauty Liquid Matte in Icon* | £18 | full review. It's comfortable, it's long-lasting and it's incredibly easy to apply! This is my go-to for a rosy, berry, plum makeup look and I'm so glad to have discovered it!

- THE VERSATILE LINER - 

Most days I can't be bothered with lip liner so it's unsurprising that I don't own a ton of them! For me; I just want one main liner to use that's versatile enough to work with most of the colour families I gravitate towards on a regular basis. My personal colour preference is warm nudes (in case you hadn't already figured that out!) so the mid-toned pinky-terracotta of the Huda Beauty Lip Contour in Trendsetter | £16 | full review | pairs beautifully with a lot of my go-to lip colours. It has a creamy formula that's waxy enough to stay in place and increase wear-time without feeling dry. It's perfect for carving out the shape of my lips and deepening lighter lip colours to blend them in with my skin tone.

Which essentials make it into your lip wardrobe?

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