This summer's trend is obviously orange lips, so in preparation for the heat of summer in the northern hemisphere I have my top six orange lip colors. These are all drugstore products, so they are all affordable in addition to being good quality and hot colors.
Without further adieu,
3/8/2016: NONE vegan, only Milani cruelty free
PSA: All of these pictures are strangely red-toned, and not how they look in person. Take these pictures as recommendations and not 'this is exactly how the color looks'.
REVIEWS
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| Revlon Colorstay Moisture Stain, Miami Fever |
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| Revlon Colorstay Moisture Stain, Miami Fever |
I love these new Revlon Colorstay Moisture Stains, to the point that I also bought some for friends and family members. The colors are heavily pigmented and last a long while, at first looking like a gloss and then later settling down into a stain. There is no discernible taste, but the smell is admittedly a bit weird. However, the smell isn't noticeable when you wear the stain -- it's only if you actively sniff the product itself.
I would consider this a more daring color. It isn't the most daring color on here, but I'd definitely give it 4 out of 5 e.l.f. HD Studio Blushes as far as shock value is concerned.
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| Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick, Siren |
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| Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick, Siren |
Revlon's amazing packaging aside, this formula is very nice and the pigmentation is good and buildable. With one quick swipe of the bullet I can have slightly orangy-tinted lips, or with more pressure and vigor I can make it look as it does right in the bullet.
This is a more yellow-toned orange, which I would dissuade people with yellow undertones from wearing. I have yellow undertones, and so Siren isn't the best look on me. I still wear it because sometimes I don't care, but I thought I should put a bit of warning in here. If you are a more yellowish person, I would suggest red-toned oranges.
Because of the buildability, and the fact that at full opacity it isn't too shocking, I would only give this 2 out of 5 e.l.f. HD Studio Blushes. That isn't a bad thing, however. If you don't wear very bright lipstick and you have red undertones, I would highly recommend this lipstick.
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| COVERGIRL Lip Perfection Lipstick, Rapture |
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| COVERGIRL Lip Perfection Lipstick, Rapture |
My first ever lipstick was a COVERGIRL lipstick, I bought the color Tempt years before I started actually wearing makeup and just kept it in my drawer for special occasions. Because of this, I have a soft spot in my heart for COVERGIRL's formula and taste. The formula is pretty much halfway between a slippery Baby Lips and Revlon's Super Lustrous Lipstick. The taste is certainly strange, but like I said before I have a soft spot for it. It's not too awful, but maybe more persnickety people wouldn't enjoy it.
Anywho, this is quickly becoming one of my all time favorite lipsticks. With one swipe I can have beautiful peachy-orange pearlescent opaque lips. I can see this color working on a range of people, regardless of their undertones.
This color is gorgeous, but not too in-you-face. 3 e.l.f. HD Studio Blushes out of 5.
This color is gorgeous, but not too in-you-face. 3 e.l.f. HD Studio Blushes out of 5.
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| Maybelline Color Elixir, Mandarin Rapture |
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| Maybelline Color Elixir, Mandarin Rapture |
Ah, Maybelline's Color Elixirs. My favorite glosses. They are not sticky, don't fade, deliver great color payoff, taste and smell great. Buy them.
The color in the tube looks nearly identical to Miami Fever, but on lips this is slightly more muted. It also stays glossy throughout the day and doesn't become a stain. Being red-toned, like Miami Fever, it works very well on yellowy people such as myself. 3.5 out of 5 e.l.f. HD Studio Blushes.
Also, what's up with 'rapture' and orange colors? I don't equate orange with Armageddon, at least not these summery oranges.
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| Milani Color Statement Lipstick, Sweet Nectar |
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| Milani Color Statement Lipstick, Sweet Nectar |
Milani is possibly my favorite drugstore lip color source. I like bright lips, so naturally I'm drawn to their Color Statement Lipsticks. I own quite a few of these colors, but Sweet Nectar is my favorite.
Milani's formula is a bit dryer than COVERGIRL's, but it still glides on very smoothly and easily. There is a distinct chemically engineered watermelon smell to it. I stop smelling it after a few minutes, but I'm not sure if that's because the smell truly has faded or because my brain has decided to ignore it. Either way, it isn't annoying -- actually, I personally rather like the smell, but I know some people who strongly do not.
This color is pretty similar to Stila's Valentina but a fraction of the cost. It is a true orange, not leaning too closely to yellow or red but standing stoutly smack dab in the middle. I have no issues with wearing this and looking dead, but I can't speak for all yellowies.
The color isn't too buildable, which is okay because one swipe gives you full opacity. This color is quite shocking and possibly glow-in-the-dark, which not only makes it perfect for summer but also earns it 5 out of 5 e.l.f. HD Studio Blushes.
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| L'Oréal Colour Riche leGloss, Peach Fuzz |
Here we are at the mehest of them all. I'm going to be totally honest here, I'm not thrilled with this product. I think I may be biased, though, for several reasons:
- I tend to prefer darker, more striking lip colors.
- I tend to dislike glosses.
- I hate this squeezy-tube packaging.
Trying to put those behind me, I will attempt to give an honest and unbiased review.
I threw this color in because it really isn't as daring as the other colors here, but it is still decidedly orange and so it fits with this season's trend. I would consider this, along with Siren, to be the two best options for those of you who don't want too much attention called to their mouths.
This gloss is thinner than the Maybelline Color Elixirs, which makes it difficult to keep within your lip line. I haven't tried it, but possibly a clear lipliner around your mouth would make it stay within the boundaries better. Pigmentation, as I've mentioned before, isn't the best but that is sort of the point. The formula doesn't have a distinct taste, but it does smell like caramel. It's heavenly.
As far as the packaging is concerned, I find it very difficult to apply this gloss. I always squeeze out too much on my lips or completely missing my mouth and having a long streak of glossy orange down my chin. Drooling toddler isn't one of my favorite makeup looks. Some of you may like the squeezy-tube, though, so knock yourself out. There's nothing inherently wrong with the tube, I just personally dislike it.
Gracefully straddling the line between subtle and nonexistent, this gloss garners 2 out of 5 e.l.f. HD Studio Blushes.
SWATCHES
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| All swatches |
Miami Fever
Siren
Rapture
Mandarin Rapture
Sweet Nectar
Peach Fuzz
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| Top three swatches |
Miami Fever
Siren
Rapture
From top to bottom:
Mandarin Rapture
Sweet Nectar
Peach Fuzz
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| Bottom three swatches |
Mandarin Rapture
Sweet Nectar
Peach Fuzz
