Hello, before the eternal year that was January comes to an end (thank God), I’ve got another 2020 roundup for you. But really, it’s merely an excuse to talk about one of my greatest passions – lipstick. Isn’t lipstick one of the best things in life? Call me basic, but I guess with everything that’s happening at the moment I take even more pleasure in the littlest things – lipstick being one of them. Eyeliner used to be the one thing I couldn’t leave the house without, that’s now been replaced by lipstick. Putting a bit of colour on my lips on lockdown days when I felt a bit crappy made all the difference. I was even more inspired to do this roundup after watching makeup artist Andreea Ali’s incredible video on 14 iconic lipsticks, in which she made two statements that I couldn’t agree more with. Firstly, she said that lipstick is the smallest gesture of beauty – such poetry. And so true. My mother, who has never had any interest in makeup, always wears lipstick – this probably sparked my lifelong love of lipstick. Secondly, she added, “Lipstick is life.” So simple, so wise, so #woke.
So yes, 2020 may have been pants but I still wore lipstick – and fell in love with lipstick. Here are six of my most worn lipsticks of 2020 – so worn that they had to be in my travel beauty bag when I swapped London for Spain.
Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Lips in Dangerous Liasion
Here’s an unpopular opinion – I’m not a fan of Charlotte Tilbury makeup. Don’t get me wrong, I love the brand’s vibe and would love to try out a few of its key products (I gotta get myself one of those nipple blushers one day), but it seems so overpriced for what it is. I got a sample of Magic Cream and yes, it felt lovely, but it didn’t feel like I was putting £75 worth of money onto my face. Also, lipstick is usually the first thing I’ll try from a brand; I’ve ended up with a few Charlotte Tilbury bullet lipsticks that I feel so indifferent about. However, there is one lipstick that I bought at the end of 2019 that I adored throughout 2020: Dangerous Liaison. I cannot resist a liquid lipstick, and I cannot resist a rosey shade (In fact, I wear rosey shades more than red hues these days). I also love the fact that it has an in-between effect – it’s not super matte, and it’s not super shiny either. Also this may be just be because of how I’m applying it, but I feel like it has a super plumping effect? Or maybe I’m just kidding myself – but either way, I love this lipstick.
Tarte Cosmetics Tarteist™ Quick Dry Matte Lip Paint in Bling
I already talked about this rosey-pinkie-purple-y lipstick here, so I won’t bang on about it. But as you can tell by its pretty worn out look (yes, I only bought it in March 2020), this awesome shade by Tarte Cosmetics was one of my used lipsticks and hence one of the best things I bought in 2020. And I really, really need Tarte to come to the UK if it hasn’t yet.
Sephora Cream Lip Stain (№ 25)
Again, I mentioned this lipstick in this post and my opinion hasn’t changed, so I won’t go on about it. But I will say just a few things. Rosey tones may have taken over my lips in 2020 but I will FOREVER be a rep lip girl at heart – and this stunning, fiery shade of red totally reinforces that.
Nude by Nature Satin Liquid Lipstick in Orchid
My quest for a nude lipstick sort 0f continues, and I say sort of because I think I have to accept that my kind of nude will never be anything along the lines of Mac’s Velvet Teddy or Charlotte Tilbury’s Pillow Talk. Nope, a nude lipstick for olive skin tones is, in my opinion, an absolute enigma that I still want to resolve. It’s probably why I’m so drawn to anything rosey – while some could consider rosey shades to be just as much of a statement as red hues, I almost feel that rose tones are my kind of nude. This lipstick however, feels very different for me. I was super curious about the brand Nude by Nature and I decided to give this lipstick a go – this pricey-ish purchase paid off, I love it and have used it so much! It’s super comfortable the lips and has a very pretty semi-shiny, but still kinda matte, finish. As for the colour, I’d say it’s like a dusty rose with a tiny hint of brown.
Huda Beauty Liquid Matte Lipstick in Icon
Icon is what many would consider a statement colour – for me, it’s almost the equivalent of a nude. I’ve actually had this lipstick (which comes with a matching lip liner that I also use a ton) for quite a few years and repurchased it various times – so while it wasn’t a 2020 discovery, it is still hands down one of my most used lipsticks ever and about time I gave this unsung hero a shout-out. Described as a ‘peachy pink’ by the online beauty shop Cult Beauty, it’s the perfect lip shade for a day in which you don’t want to make an effort but could do with a teeny-weeny pickup. I love how it feels and the effect of the lipstick itself on the lips – maybe I’m just trippin’, but I swear it makes my lips look bigger? Huda Beauty is definitely one of my favourite brands for liquid lipstick – I have a few other colours from this particular range, although Icon is by far my favourite.
Buxom Cosmetics Full Force™ Plumping Lipstick in Winner
OK, I am 100% cheating with this last lipstick – my friend only gave this to me as a present in late December 2020, but I am obsessed with it and just couldn’t resist! I mean, check out those beautiful kiss imprints – I don’t normally care about packaging but I can’t not acknowledge a little work of art. I am more of a liquid lipstick girl these days but I will never give up bullet lipsticks – putting them on is a pleasure and they’re just so aesthetically pleasing. As for this shade of red, it’s kind of perfect! I’d never tried Buxom Cosmetics before and while I’m not sure if this lipstick really does have a plumping effect, I’m so in love with the colour that I don’t care. The only issue is that I always wear a lip balm and plumping lip gloss under my lipsticks (I have very dry lips), and this lipstick doesn’t sit very well or look very pigmented on top of them. Luckily I’ve found skipping the lip balm and gloss fine as it’s a very creamy and comfortable lipstick.
A few honourable mentions have to go to my Fenty lip products, which I also adore, and a beautiful mauve pink lipstick I discovered by Pixi Beauty. But these six babies really have stolen the show, making their mark on my face masks and perking up the dullest of lockdown, post-lockdown and semi lockdown days.
And while my love for lipsticks won’t cease in 2021, I have such a big collection of lipsticks that I’m going to try to cut down buying many more over the next few months. Which means you can expect more posts like this one, since writing about all these lipsticks reminds me to put them to good use!
xxx