You guys! Reader and friend of the blog, Liz, wrote to us today to ask a question that I can 100% relate to:
I don’t usually wear makeup to work, because I have to leave the house by 6:45am, and I am NOT a morning person. I’d love to wear bold lipstick to work, but I feel that if I’m wearing lipstick, then I should probably put makeup on the rest of my face.
Do you have advice for how I might QUICKLY do makeup for myself? Like, what are the quickest and most effective ways I can look put-together enough that a bold lipstick will make sense? I’m talking between two and five minutes of application. I worry that if I slap makeup on, it looks too fakey. I also am getting to a point where I want to focus on minimizing the look of wrinkles and under-eye circles and other evidence that I’m in the latter half of my thirties.
Giiiirrrrrrlll, I feel this! I EXTRA DOUBLE suck at mornings. They are the worst, and I usually waste more than a little time staring into space, wishing an “oh no! A water main broke and the whole world is closed! Please go back to bed!” email would come in. So far that has not happened, so usually I also only have only 2-5 minutes to apply makeup on my early morning days.
June 5th was a big day for lipstick junkies like the three of us at E&N. We are in agreement that Urban Decay has one of the top lipstick formulas and we have all been devoted users/collectors for ages. Basically—between the three of us—we have a lot of UD lipsticks floating around.
So when Urban Decay announced they were launching 100 lipsticks in their new Vice line—we paid attention. But we had questions: What colors would they be? Would our favorites go away? How would the formula change? Would we HAVE to repurchase new formulas of lipsticks we still had in the old model? How do you decide between ONE HUNDRED shades?!! (here are more detail on the launch.)
Turns out—our questions were answered quickly and definitively. They had all the colors—including our old favorites. We didn’t need to repurchase ones we already had because they weren’t THAT different. And with a cheaper price point $17 vs the previous $22—we could afford to try a couple new shades and take them out for a spin. So we decided we would each try two new shades that are a little different than ones we currently own and report back.
Here’s what we found:
Lyn: I was only going to buy two of the new Vice lipsticks and ended up with five—one that I will definitely return (Rapture: kind of a blah shade and I probably already own something similar), one I’m still figuring out (Safe Word: might be too light for me) and three that I love. But—per the assignment—I’ll stick to two favorites—with an honorable mention. (see what I did there?)
Cruel—listed as “Red with copper shimmer (Pearlized)”
Surprisingly, my two favorites are in their new Metallized collection, which is described as “a cream with a high level of pearl.” I generally steer clear of lipsticks with any shimmer or glitter in them. But I swatched it at Sephora and fell in love! I would call it straight up copper—more red/brown than my usual true reds.
The shimmer is perfect for summer and will take me seamlessly into fall. I am crazy for this shade.
Zealot—listed as “Satin red with micro-shimmer (Pearlized)”
This one is gorgeous—and was a gift from Jess for my birthday. (that girl gets me. she should start a blog or something.) Jess gave it to me before I left for a work trip. When I got back—I picked up Cruel and was freaking out about the Metallized collection. The next day—I found the Zealot she gave me and realized I hadn’t tried it on. I did and I’ve been wearing it in rotation with Cruel ever since.
It is a warm red, so definitely not pink or bright, and the shimmer is divine. I probably wouldn’t have tried it since it’s a red—but I’m so glad I have it—it’s completely different than my other reds.
Pamela: I ended up with 5, and now reading that Lyn did too, I don’t feel so bad about it. I’m not still figuring any of them out, am not returning any and am already planning which ones I want to buy next…. because I am ridiculous. Just before the launch, I got a deluxe sample in the mail from Ulta that had 24 of the new (and a few old ones, that I already had) shades, along with a giant “chip chart.”
Both of which helped plan my attack. I was able to cross out the colors I knew I had, and circle the ones I wanted or was hoping to check out (seriously, it was like getting the Sears catalog before Christmas when I was a kid) and I got to road test a few!
ZZ – Listed as “soft pink-purple (cream)”
I don’t often wear true baby pink shades, I just don’t think they suit me. And I’ve always wanted a really real lavender/purple shade, but the couple I have tried in the past have been too straight up purple, which is cool if you’re Katy Perry, but doesn’t lend itself to a daily look.. So, I threw on ZZ one night before leaving to teach yoga. A couple of my students told me how good they thought it looked (thanks ladies!) and when I told them it was just a sample I was trying, they told me I better go buy it. SOLD.
I think this one leans more purple than pink, which is what I wanted, but I can still wear it daily without it looking too shocking. I really love it.
INTERROGATE – Listed as “medium peachy rose (cream)”
I love a bold red lip, but my daily go to shades are nudes. I can’t get enough nude lipsticks. And the new Vice collection includes 30 “nude” shades. Naturally, I bought a few, but Interrogate is probably the most different from the nudes I already own. It’s a deeper shade, and reminds me of something I would have worn in the early 90’s (in a good way).
It’s not too rosy but also not too orange. It’s perfect on the days that I want my lipcolor to stand out a bit more, but don’t want the all day maintenance of rocking a bold red.
Jess: About a month before the launch of the new Vice lip colors, all of the Revolution Lipsticks (the old formula) went on sale for $11! I took a bit of a gamble that the formula wasn’t going to change that much, and may have loaded up a bit on the oldies. Glad I did, because Catfight (“pink-fuchsia with slight red undertone”) did not make the cut into the new 100! But because of this front-loading, I am only up to THREE Vice lipsticks.
Catfight, OG formula
I feel like I need to mention how incredibly overwhelming the Vice display is. Pamela is SUPER LUCKY to have gotten that cheat sheet- 100 is A LOT of lipsticks! And they are all beautiful!! On my first go, I found myself totally blocking the display, in a trance, trying to stop myself from being drawn to the colors I already own. I realized I was lip-blocking another Sephora customer, so I apologized, moved over, and as she settled in and focused, her eyes glazed over too, as she said “well, I guess I can rule out that green one… only 99 to go!” On that day, I only came away with Lyn’s birthday lipstick, but went back later and ended up with…
PDA- listed as “bright medium pink (cream finish)”
Perhaps you’ve noticed a trend here at E&N… we like to gift each other things that end up becoming obsessions. A few years ago, Lyn gave me an Urban Decay lipstick sampler pack- a whole bunch of baby lipsticks! They are the cutest ever! I fell in love with the shade Ladyflower, which was ONLY available in that kit. Grrr! In the new launch, Ladyflower is back, but it’s not the same color, and now it’s only in the sheer formula, and the sheers are not my favorite. PDA, however, is almost identical to the old shade, and the cream formula is aces.
This is a great daily pink for days you’re not quite into having a bold lip, but still want to have a bit of a pop.
NAKED- listed as “nude-pink (cream)”
This one is my “not a color I normally go for” color, but I’m glad I have it. As I mentioned earlier, Urban Decay’s cream formula can’t be beat- it’s so moisturizing, the color lays down great, and they fade without getting chunky. Naked is a perfect choice on “no makeup” days, and also works beautifully with a dramatic, smoky eye.
It’s just an easy shade that looks like almost nothing, but maybe something, and feels good to have on your mouth.
Since Lyn has been so excited about the Metallized finish, I just picked up BIG BANG (bright pink sparkle (metalized)), and I can’t wait to test drive it! Is Tuesday a good day for a sparkle lip? Why the hell not.
What Vice shades have you excited? Any new favorites? Misses? We NEED to know! Post your findings in the comments below.
(All photos compliments of Urban Decay unless otherwise noted. We purchased these lipsticks with our own money–except for the ones we gave each other as gifts. )
