Be Bold

Lip Color (noun): a disguise for lazy days; an easy way to look put together

I've never been one to shy away from bold beauty trends (Kool-Aid hair dye, anyone?). During my teen years, colorful eyeliner was my expressive makeup of choice. Not only were eye pencils pretty affordable—there were a lot of great options at my local drugstores for as little as $.99—they were highly pigmented and felt a little rebellious. I was frequently known to wear as many as three colors blended together at once, but I rarely ventured into lip color outside of the occasional candy-colored (& often similarly-scented) gloss. College brought out the "adult" in me, intermittently experimenting with a bubblegum pink or bright red lipstick, usually for a party or Greek life function (also known as more parties). 

Starting a job in the "real world" brought another shift, once I realized lip color is an easy addition in the morning to make me look more put together, as opposed to reserved for dress-up functions only. I've since toned down my eyeliner game quite a bit; lip color is a lot easier to wipe off before you sweat it out at the gym than eye makeup (hello, raccoon eyes!).

My latest lip crush is the Lip Elixir line from Maybelline. They're highly pigmented and come in tubes that look like a lipstick, but they're actually a gloss! I'm usually pretty hesitant about glosses and opt for a matte lip color instead, but in the winter it's just too damn dry for anything matte! These glosses pack a surprising amount of moisture that doesn't dry out or fade—I often re-apply lip color several times a day, but I only find myself reaching for another coat once or twice a day with these babies. I just might be a lip-gloss convert. 

#TBT to my teenage years, right?

Wearing: Maybelline Lip Elixir in Raspberry Rhapsody, Signature Scarlet and Floral Fuchsia 

Jewelry: Capwell & Co bracelet c/o, Sequin NYC necklaces

Disclosure: I received a sample of Lip Elixir glosses from Maybelline & Refinery29. The opinions expressed here are my own; thanks for supporting the brands that make Blonde in this City possible!