The Cheerful Times

Maybe I’m crazy. Maybe I’m just annoying or overly self-conscious or annoyingly over self-conscious. It’s very silly to think about but essentially I have a pseudo-stalker, middle school crush-esque relationship with lipstick.

If you show my picture to the cashiers at any CVS or Target and ask if they recognize me, they’d reply “Oh, you mean the girl who lives in the makeup aisle?” without even batting an eye.

It is there where I stare longingly at the gorgeous lipsticks on display, picking up the tubes one by one and fantasizing about the day I’d be cool enough to actually wear them. I’ve always been envious of girls who wear lipstick, admiring their confidence and fashion ferocity. But me? The colors are so beautiful but I’d just look stupid. It was comical to even think I could ever be allowed to graduate from my tinted lip balm training wheels. No matter how much I wished it, it was not in my cards to be a Girl Who Wears Lipstick.

TRIVIA TIME: Do you know what separates Girls Who Wear Lipstick from women who don’t?

Wearing lipstick.

This whole thing sounds positively ludicrous, I know. But when life is stressful, overwhelming and often confusing, it gets easier and easier to feel unenthusiastic about yourself. And that sucks. Top it all off with chronically chapped lips that don’t look supple and glamorous despite all the water consumed and super-strength chapstick purchased and I’ve been feeling like all sorts of nasty grossness.

A realization struck. It was time to kill two birds with one stone pet multiple dogs with one hand. I could infuse more fun into my life, make my lips pretty, and actualize my personal style/makeup aisle fantasies in one simple and cost-effective way:

Wearing lipstick.

The Great Drugstore Lipstick Heist

Drugstore lipsticks are a wonderful way to boost your look, mood, and confidence without spending a whole lot (compared to fancy makeup brands, at least). A little pop of color can certainly go a long way! Here are the ones I picked up:

I researched the hell out of my options before unleashing my beast in the closest makeup aisle, ultimately deciding on the shades above. Sure, I could make my selections just based on what struck my fancy in the store, but then

a) my shopping basket would overfloweth, and

b) I’d be broke.

My lips are pretty pigmented to start with (I think that’s the terminology? Please excuse the newbie) and my Norwegian skin is not unlike a ball of fresh mozzarella. So, I thank the beauty bloggers with similar skin/lip tones whose pictures I stalked for three days straight to ensure I was making okay choices.

Here are some very important things to consider before you read on:

1. Closed mouth smiles are really hard. Like, really hard. Am I in pain? Disgusted? Uncomfortable? About to burst into tears? No, I’m just trying to smile with my mouth shut so you can actually see the lipstick. While apparently looking like a Grade A goober.

2. No lip liner was used in the making of this blog post. I’m the queen of simplicity and winging it. And I don’t have the attention span or patience yet.

3. Lipstick shades look different depending on the lighting, camera, and computer monitor. I tried to show you multiple pictures — from both my digital camera and smartphone — for the shades I felt weren’t accurately represented in my initial photos. Annoyingly, that may have been for naught because they all look different depending on what computer/phone screen you’re using. Hmph!

4. There are a lot of awkward selfie armpits. Avoiding them was a struggle. Also, please excuse my wild, frizzy hair — I took these photos #straightoutta the shower.

Let’s go!

“Nude and the City” – Rimmel London Moisture Renew Lipstick

Getting a “nude” lipstick shade was on my to-do list, and I feel surprisingly satisfied with my first pick! “Nude and the City” doesn’t appear too brown, wash me out too much, or look generally heinous — so, Continue reading “Happiness on the Cheap with Drugstore Lipstick” →