Blogmas: Red Lipstick of the Year 2019

I am a firm believer that red lipstick should be worn all year round. For me it acts as a form of expression. I am given a hideous uniform at work which limits the individuality I can give my everyday look but wearing red lipstick makes me stand out a little bit.

Not only do I use it as a form of defiance in work but I use it as a form of color. I don't wear a whole lot of colour so pairing a mostly black outfit with a red lipstick stops the outfit from being incredibly boring.

To make sure that I wear red lipstick as much as I want to, I have designated Friday as Red Lipstick Friday so for over half a year I have exclusively worn red lipstick on a Friday. However, one time of year when I religiously wear red lipstick is December! As soon as December 1st hits, I am wearing red lipstick and I typically try a new one each year and this year is no different.

Last Years Red

Last year I decided to really treat myself and I bought a lipstick I had been eyeing up for a long time, Dior 999. 999 is a classic shade from Dior and it seems to be the shade that everyone talks about. I had a small sample of the matte version that my Gran gave me years ago and I loved it and this prompted me to buy it. However, there was one issue when I bought it.

In my blog post about the Dior 999 lipstick from last year I did mention about an awkward social interaction because I felt too awkward to point out a mistake but what I didn't mention was that the sales assistant was not overly helpful and in fact seemed disinterested in serving me. This meant that I ended up paying full price for a lipstick that should have had 20% off but also that she gave me the wrong one. I wanted the matte version and I ended up with the satin finish. I don't mind a satin finish but only for Christmas I won't use it all year round so since last year, the Dior lipstick has been in hibernation.

Of course I will continue to use the Dior lipstick this year as I only made it half way through the lipstick but I have also bought a new one this year and oddly I have stuck to the satin finish of 2018.

This Years Lipstick

This year I didn't know if I was going to treat myself to a new lipstick as I do have quite a few lipsticks in my draw but it feels like tradition at this point. There were a couple of contenders but the lipstick I ended up getting was rather unexpected.

First of all I did think about going all out and treating myself because my two most recent lipsticks have come from Chanel and Dior. However, when the L'Oreal x Karl Lagerfeld collection launched, there was a red called Provokative which I thought would be a great addition to my collection and a great tribute to Karl. Then the ASOS problem struck, (read about it here, October Purchases) and I am never ordering from ASOS again. ASOS was the only place I had really seen the collection and it was easy to buy. Just as I was questioning how I was going to get round this, a red lipstick came into my life.

There I was, browsing the aisles of T K Maxx and my lipstick of dreams was sat on the makeup table. I did receive a tip off from my work wife that some of these lipsticks were in T K Maxx so I literally rushed there to try and get one. The lipstick she had purchased was the Becca x Khloe Kardashian Ultimate Lipstick in Cupids Kiss. By this point I had long had the Khloe Blush & Glow Palette and I absolutely adored it so I was desperate to get the lipsticks to add to my collection.

There were two lipsticks which were part of this collection: Cupids Kiss which was a neutral deep nude and Hot Tamale, a fiery red. I had been eyeing up Hot Tamale for a long time and was going to pay full price for it but in the end I didn't need to because next to a few tubes of Cupids Kiss was one single Hot Tamale! I picked it up instantly and the best part was, it was only £7.99 opposed to £20. As this was the last one I did have to buy it but it had been swatched so I just used a lighter to burn the end and sterilize it. In the end this was how I got my Christmas red.

Becca x Khloe - Hot Tamale

Usually I like quite a traditional pink toned red for Christmas as I think it is the most festive but over the years it feels like I have begun to appreciate warmer tone. Although I do have to say that in real life this lipstick isn't as orange based as it looked on the Cult Beauty website. Personally I do prefer an orange based red but I do feel like they are slightly better for Summer. However, I was willing to make a pass for Hot Tamale. Now I don't need to because it is slightly more red than I thought it was going to be, it actually makes a wonderful Christmas shade.

As I said before, this is a satin which is not my favourite finish for a red just because it allows the lipstick to move around too much for my liking but I don't mind a bit of shine at Christmas. I hadn't tried a Becca lipstick before but I have to say I am really impressed by the texture. It is incredibly light and smooth, when you've got it on it feels like you've got nothing on. This colour really packs a punch, it is incredibly pigmented.

My one problem is the wear time, as it is a satin, two cups of tea and you've only got a line around your lip line where the lipstick used to be. This is not the end of the world and it just means I have to reapply more than I would when I wear a matte lipstick. I have to be conscious of the fact that it can end up all around my face.

I didn't plan for this to be my Christmas lipstick but I am glad that it is because the texture is gorgeous, the colour is actually what I look for, for Christmas and the packaging feels lux. The best part is that I paid a drugstore price for this lipstick. You can still buy these on Cult Beauty but the entire Becca lipstick collection is worth checking out because the formula is lovely and I don't think they've been given the credit they deserve.