You’ve all heard Justin Bieber’s song, “When you smile, I smile”. My nine year old son tells me that Taylor Lautner has a smile coach and a smile trainer (he thanked them both during his acceptance speech at the Teen Choice Awards when he won “Choice Smile”).
Gone are the grunge days of scowling and growling. The emo days of wandering around looking like you’ve lost your puppy are over. Babies, the smile is back!! I, for one, could not be happier. Smiling makes me look better and feel better. When I’m having a grumpy day, I make a conscientious effort to plaster a smile on my face, no matter how difficult (perhaps I need tips from Taylor’s coach).
What should you be wearing on your lips to show off the best smile you can? The trends for this Fall are all about lipstick. Put your gloss, balm and lipglasses away. Fall 2010 is about matte lips and deep colour.
My favourites for the season run the high and low end of the price spectrum. First, the high. NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil will set you back $24. Worse than that, you’re going to want to buy one in every colour. It’s a jumbo sized crayon that combines the convenience of a pencil with the application of a lipstick.
I’ve been wearing mine (in the gorgeous Sex Machine colour) for two weeks and I’m so impressed with the coverage, the staying power and the fact that it doesn’t dry my lips out. This is a product where I can justify the cost because I will wear this down to the nub…it’s that good.
I also wanted to jump on the other hot lip trend of the season; the Mad Men influenced matte red lip. However, I spent over almost an hour in my local Sephora trying to find the product that would make me look more like Betty Draper
and less like Heath Ledger as the Joker
Turns out the problem wasn’t with the lipstick, but with the fact that the matte red lips emphasize any feathering and lines around the lips. My wonderful Sephora sales associate sold me on this miracle cure, Guerlain’s Kiss Kiss LipLift. This is a primer for your lips that plumps them a bit, and creates a nice smooth canvas on which to paint. The result is a more perfectly prepared and lasting lip, without the lines and feathering that can be emphasized with darker colours.
So I went home and paired my new smooth lips with Joe Fresh Beauty matte lipstick in Ruby which I’d picked up at the grocery store for $6. Finally, the perfect red matte lips at a fraction of the price I’d been seeing at the cosmetics counter.
Nothing picks you up like a nice bright lip, and I’m finding my confidence develop as I delve into the darker colours. Smile!