BellaOnline Forums Beauty and Self Cosmetics Do you prefer lipsticks, glosses or stains?

I have really good natural lip shape and coloring (they're rather full, well shaped, and rosy), and I despise makeup, so I use lip balm (Blistex Fruit Smoothies, SPF 15) when my lips feel dry. That's the only cosmetic item I own, though I guess Blistex is closer to a pharmaceutical than a cosmetic.

Trish, it's not boring to go with what works. Plus, you found a good brand, so why not stick to it?

If you did want to experiment, you could totally wear that same shade, but play around with different colored glosses to make the lipstick shade deeper or lighter as your mood hits you.

I am 39 (40 next week), so i know what you mean about the old lip glosses from high school. But if you have not looked for awhile, you might want to look at glosses again.

There are some lovely, sophisticated, grownup, non-sticky, non-glittery, non-rollerball, non-wet choices out there. Brands like Stila, Nars, Lorac, Dior, Clinique and Sephora are good places to start. Or Cargo if you prefer a gloss in a pot.

I use a lot of chapstick - I think I'm addicted!! When I go for color, I like to use a lip stain since the color lasts a really long time. It's SuperStay Lipcolor by Maybelline. It has a color component that you put on & wait a couple minutes, then you put a gloss on over the color.

Bonnie, both Revlon and L'Oreal are good brands at good price points, so that's great either way!

What colors are 620 and 799? And are your freckles orange or brown?

That's great about your pretty lips, Myrabeth! Everyone should be so lucky. So it sounds like the Fruit Smoothies are perfect for you and probably add a hint of shine, in addition to the comfort and nice scent.

It's also a smart thing about the SPF. All lip balm wearers should make sure their brand has an SPF 15 or better in it. Lips are very sensitive and our ozone levels are not getting any better. Keeping lips smooth and healthy will prevent those lines that come to lips with age.

For me, it depends on the overall look that I'm going for. If I want more coverage (color), then I go with lipstick. I love lipglosses, but the truth is they don't provide as much coverage as lipsticks or stains. I find that lip stains dry out my lips.
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Ooo, Jeanne, that sounds really pretty. I like the two part aspect of it - waiting for the stain to set, and then adding a nice gloss.

You are right; he great thing about stains is the Wash and Wear component - you apply it once and then you are really set for color for most of the day.

Hi BrownBeauty! I agree with you on the color coverage. I have olive toned skin, brown lips, brown eyes and brown hair, so light lipsticks and most glosses don't add a lot of color in my case. Which is sometimes just fine - I am usually into having a hint of color most of the time (since I work at home).

But when i go out, I almost always pick a deeper lipstick/paint color and then play over that with a gloss.

I don't wear lipstains but am interested in some of the new ones out there. They seem to have come a long way from the "magic marker" look. And i guess a gloss or lip balm over that would help with the dryness.

Glosses, with a touch of coral color and yummy tangerine flavor.

:-) Cate

MMM, nice, Cate. I love coral glosses.

I can really only wear peaches and coral blush/lipstick in the wintertime when I am paler (I get really brown in the summer, even with my constant hats and sunscreen). But coral glosses are always easy to wear since the coverage is lighter and more fresh than a lipstick.