Orange You Glad (You Read My Blog)?

I love lipstick. Not as much as nail polish of course, but a love nonetheless. Okay...I'm gonna level with you, I love all makeup. I enjoy expressing my creativity in any way I can, which includes sometimes outlandish manicures, unexpected clothing combos, and not-so-subtle makeup. I am not afraid to be a little out there, no matter how many weird stares I may get. When I first wore my new "flashy blue" eyeliner, I realized that people in the office elevator and in the streets of Midtown Manhattan weren't staring at me because I had food in my teeth, it was because my eyeliner was...well...flashy. But that is a story for another time.

This post is all about lipstick: bright colored lipsticks dominated the Spring/Summer 2011 runways such as Ohne Titel and Jil Sander and are a huge beauty trend for the upcoming season. I actually started wearing hot pink lipstick about three years ago, and am super excited to rock them all summer long. I have three shocking pinks: two discontinued YSL Rouge Pur (loooove and were worth the splurge) and Nars Schiap (a classic and NOT discontinued).


Rouge Pur 128. Rouge Pur 32. Nars Schiap.

Recently however, I decided that orange was the new pink. Okay, not the new pink because I will always wear pink, but I got the idea in my head that I had to have an orange lipstick, and became determined to find myself the perfect shade. I never thought I would incorporate orange into my makeup wardrobe, but then I bought a slew of nail polish shades last year and now I am infatuated. I may be over orange juice, but orange makeup is my new best friend. And trust me, it can be yours too...for under $10!

While I loved the idea of orange lipstick, I wasn't ready to take the plunge with an expensive tube. Although I do think that department store makeup can be a nice little indulgence for the girl on a budget, sometimes I need to remind myself that the drugstore is a great place to do a trendy makeup test drive. So, after a little research, Google Image-ing, and some review checking on MakeupAlley, I came away with two oranges: Siren (the exact shade used at Ohne Titel) and Orange Flip. I tried to get a good swatch photo, but my lack of a real camera put a wrench in that plan. So instead you will have to be satisfied with product shots, some Photo Booth pics, and your own set of Google Image searches.

Siren and Orange Flip image shots from Drugstore.com. (Note: I purchased mine at Bed Bath & beyond for $5.99 and $7.49 respectively.) In the photos above they look pretty much the same, so here is my Photo Booth attempt to capture the colors:


Orange Flip on the left. Siren on the right.

Lastly I will say this: as a fair skinned, blonde hair, blue eyed girl, I think they are flattering. When it comes to a bold lipstick, or bold makeup in general, it is important to make sure you only buy products that look good, not only because they make you FEEL good, but you also have to believe that you can pull it off. Anything that gets you noticed means you better know you are awesome, and even more so for having the guts to go bright when everyone else is blending in.

And that is my little lip shtick.