I thought I would share the lipstick lessons I learnt during my quest for the perfect purple. 

1. YOUR HAND IS NOT YOUR MOUTH

Who knew this would turn out to be a biology lesson? I discovered that how something looks on your hand tells you nothing about how it will look on your face. Despite the fact that I live in one of the most polluted cities in Europe and practically swap body fluids with strangers on a daily basis, I can not bring myself to test lipsticks in store on my lips. I put the lipstick on my hand then hold up against my face to try and tell. I recall my mum getting mini tester lipsticks from Avon – do these still exist? why can’t all brands do these?

2. THANK THE BEAUTY GODS FOR BLOGGERS

Cosmetic companies don’t seem to be able to do a proper online swatch or accurately photograph colours to save their lives. Thank god for blogger’s swatches.  Zero resemblance between many of the shades I saw online and when I saw the actual product in store. The premium brands often seemed to be the worst for swatches. How on earth can you accurately choose a lipstick colour based on these silly boxes?

3. IT’S NOT ABOUT THE PRICE TAG

Price is no indication of quality. I tested a gazillion lipsticks and as far as matte lipsticks go Sleek True Colour lipsticks were exceptionally pigmented and long lasting with a non-drying texture. At £4.99 they performed better than some lipsticks more than five times the price. The Sleek packaging is not offensive, it reminds me a little of Nars.  Now if you want something fancy packaging-wise, which can be a big part of a lippie’s appeal, you will have to spend the big bucks but for product performance, Sleek was hard to beat.

4. YOU SAY TOMATO I SAY CHERRY

People see colours differently. If I had a pound for the number of times I asked at a makeup counter if they had purple and was directed to a pink or berry, I would have enough money to buy my perfect purple lipstick!

5. THERE’S ALWAYS AN ANSWER!

If all else fails head to Cosmetics A La Carte who offer a bespoke service that can tailor make any colour or recreate discontinued favourites.

Any other lipstick lessons you care to share?