Getting into brighter lip colours

For those that have followed my blog for a while you'll know I have a little bit of a problem with lip products. And for anyone whose visited by bathroom they can attest to this. Major addiction problem. But it's not always been this way. Remind five years ago when the blog was just an idea, and my collection consisted of tinted lip balms. Period. Oh yeah, hard to believe right? 

So how did I finally break the mould and end up as lipstick loving, berry toned enthusiast? And how can you do the same? I've had a few people ask recently, so I thought it was time I wrote a post on how you can do the same.

I was never one of those girls that carried a lip gloss around with them all the time, I just found them annoyingly sticky, and I just couldn't get on with Vaseline. So I stuck with tinted balms if possible. My first real foray into colour came in the form of the Revlon Lip Butters, yes most of them were natural but there was a sneaky brighter pink that was just natural enough for me to be brave enough to wear. Even when I started getting a little braver and started to use actual lip sticks, they were either so glossy they didn't have much pigmentation, or they were the most natural lip colours you could get, so it didn't really matter. But I was getting into lipsticks so it was okay. The first couple that were out of my comfort zone were from Topshop, Innocent and Whimsical, both really hyped up at the time. But Innocent wasn't the right kind of pink for me, and Whimsical was just too pale and coral.

The first two bolder colours I loved were both from Rimmel. There was the Kate Matte in 107, the cult deep dark berry red that's favoured by people such as Zoella, and the Moisture Renew in Lily Extase, a bright blue toned rose pink that's still one of my favourite summer shades. I started to feel much more confident when I wore these shades as I felt they suited me, and that I found was the key - finding what shades do and don't suit. I wasn't confident in other shades because they didn't suit my skin tone or hair colour. For me, I need to stay near the warmed tones - blue toned pinks, and classic or deep berry reds. I need to avoid the yellow toned pinks, and orange toned reds. 

So what would be my tips for anyone looking to venture more onto the brighter side of lips, or just lipsticks themselves?

• Start with neutral tones, get used to the formulas and finishes you like and the right kind of tones. The Rimmel Kate Nude Collections are perfect. There's loads of different tones available, so it's a good collection to work through and see which ones suit you.
• Don't go straight for a bold matte colour, if you want to start with lipsticks start with sheerer finishes. The Nars Satin Lip Pencils are gorgeous, they pack enough colour to show but not enough to be intimidating. 
• When you're ready to go bolder, keep to your tones! I don't venture anywhere near orange reds now, or yellow pinks as I know they don't suit me - especially since I've gone blonde. Mac do so many different colours, it's going to be so much easier to find the ones you really want to play with. Or head over to the Rimmel counter, they have the best drugstore lipsticks on the market in a huge range of finishes and colours.

If you have any other questions, just give me a shout! I'm turning into a bit of a lipstick genius. #justsaying.

Much love, Lisa May

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