Putting three notches in my lipstick case

In general, I don't wear lipstick. Typically, I'd slick on some gloss and go about my business. However, my love for that delicately thin smear of shine is never enough to distract me from the things I also hate about lip gloss: the tacky feeling when the gloss wears off, the subtle flavor of plastic, and the hair that inevitably sticks, well, EVERYWHERE the second it comes into contact with the goopy stuff.

So in embracing my inner glamor girl, I slowly but surely began segueing into lipsticks. In my mind, I picture myself all Rita Hayworth-like: full, pouting red lips, with a cocky little smile that you just know is hiding lots of naughty secrets. The reality, however, is not so close to the dream.

There is a catch, though. Lipsticks can be risky. Far riskier than a lip gloss. With gloss, the small wash of color usually tells you what you're going to get, but with lipstick, all bets are off. What looks one way in the tube might be completely different from what ends up on your mouth.

 Left to right: L'Oreal's Gilded Pink, Revlon's Cherries In The Snow, Cover Girl's Baby's Got Lips

Case in point: Revlon Super Lustrous lipstick in Cherries In The Snow.

I wanted to try this color after reading rave reviews from www.makeupalley.com. Lollipop26 also had a great write up about it. So one quick drugstore trip, and voila! One tube of Cherries In The Snow to go, please.

In the tube, this is a lovely ruby red shade with fuschia undertones. One the mouth, this baby is bright pink. We're talking borderline neon. This is a mouth that will get you noticed, if that's exactly what you're going for. Mark my words, there is zero subtlety to this lipstick. I want to love this color, but frankly I'm not sure that I'm sold on it.

Pow! Right in the kisser!

The formula is lovely. It glides on smoothly, wears for quite a long time, and doesn't have that icky lipstick smell. It's just a bright-enough-to-give-me-a-headache color.

To be fair, though, I've also acquired some lipsticks that don't go all chameleon on me.

L'Oreal Colour Riche lipstick in Gilded Pink:

This is more my speed. This is what I refer to as, "my lips, but better." Gilded Pink is a beautiful nude-pink with a slight gold shimmer. I'd say this is a highlighter for your lips, and not a straight-up lipstick. It isn't going to make a drastic change, but it will certainly give what you already have a little boost.

Nothing great about the formula. It isn't super smooth, but it doesn't dry out easily, either. Terrible smell though, but truly, I think the smell is just the staple of any L'Oreal product.

The last lipstick up for review is Cover girl's Incredifull lipstick in Baby's Got Lips.

I wore this lipstick on my wedding day, and I loved it. It leant itself beautifully to photos and didn't require constant re-application. Baby's Got Lips is a gorgeous lavender-pink-chocolate hybrid with tons of glitz. The glitz can mean that the initial texture is grainy and at times dry, but the formula takes well to warm lips and smooths itself out quickly enough. Bear in mind, white teeth are essential to the wearing of this shade. It can highlight the yellow undertones of teeth, which as we all know is super attractive, amiright?

Unfortunately, Cover Girl no longer manufactures the Incredifull line, but determined beauty hounds can easily sniff out a tube on Ebay or Amazon.

I've already got my little green eyes on a few other colors, some neutral, some obnoxious, but all girlishly exciting.