The Truth About Lipgloss

Let's face it, ladies, once we have reached a certain age, lipgloss is not really our friend......oh, sure, lipgloss seduces us with its gorgeous shimmer and shades, and the promise of fuller, lusher, younger, jucier lips.  Then:  WHAM!  The romance is over and reality sets in:  Crypt Keeper Effect.  You know what I'm talking about.  You apply the gloss in the morning, and your lips look pretty good - fresh, dewey, enticing.......then you check your look an hour or two later (using that all-important Magnifying Mirror), only to find that the gloss has traveled Where No Gloss Should Go - into the canyons and crevasses above and below your not-so-lush-looking lips!  Oh, the indignity of it all!!!  Why can't the stuff just stay where you put it?  Believe me, I have tried. And tried.  And foolishly tried again.  Short of building the Great Wall of China around your lips, that gloss just ain't gonna stay where it belongs on lips that have passed a certain expiration date.  If yours are not there yet, consider yourself extremely blessed, but be forewarned - at some point, you will have to kiss the gloss goodbye and resort to other products to achieve that dewey look.

Luckily, there ARE products out there that can help those of us no longer in the Bloom of Youth create a pretty pout, and one of my very favorite of those is Tarte Lipsurgence Natural Lip Stain.  These wonderful lipcolors are clinically proven to increase lip moisture content by a lot (they say 6000%, but that seems insane to me), they have a delicious peppermint infusion, and they feel absolutely divine on your lips.  Of course, they claim to give your lips a plumper appearance, but, again, it's time to turn and face the sad truth:  If you have not been blessed with a plump pout, no product in the world is gonna give you one, so just save your money if you think that your pancake lips are magically going to be transformed into trout lips by applying a product you found at Sephora.  (I'm talking to You, LipFusion!)  What Tarte Lipsurgence Natural Lip Stain WILL give you, though, is a yummy color, with an equally yummy flavor, and the color will last a pretty decent amount of time and will not travel to unauthorized places.  Not bad for a $24.00 product, huh?

Yes, I did say that each one of these puppies is going to set you back twenty four dollars, however, I don't think that I have ever purchased one all by itself, and you will usually find a great kit from Tarte that includes one of these products for a much lower per-item cost.  Last Christmas there was a great set of four or five of them for a mind-blowingly good price - can't exactly recall what the price was, but I distinctly remember that it was a great bargain.  Aaah, the joys of Old and a Bit Forgetful Minds!  :)

Back to the product:  Tarte has expanded their color offerings in the Lipsurgence line, and there is truly a color for every single skintone available.  I have a few favorites, which are great for my fair, warm skintone, and they are:  Achiote (until recently this was only available at QVC, but now is offered by Sephora),  Dazzled, Delighted, and Perky.  These all run to the coral/red hues, but there are lots of pink/mauves to pick from as well, such as Amused, Charmed, and Enchanted.  There are also several different effects you can receive from these products - there are the the Stains ("regular"), the Mattes (which give, well, a "matte" effect), and the Lusters (for a more shimmery, "flushed" look).  I personally am not really fond of the Mattes, but perhaps that is because there is not a good shade in that grouping for my skintone - they seem to be more for the darker skintones that are flattered by berry shades.  In general, though, since we are trying for a shimmery, glossy effect, matte, by definition, is probably not your best choice to achieve that effect!

Here are a few pics and swatches: 

With lids, fresh from the store!

Lidless, and well used - from L to R:  Achiote, Dazzled, Delighted, and Perky

Swatched, top to bottom:  Achiote, Dazzled, Delighted, and Perky

You can see the lovely shimmer in this shot.  Also my arm hair.  Now I understand why some women choose to remove the hair from their arms......sigh.

Swatched indoors, top to bottom:  Achiote, Dazzled, Delighted, and Perky

Of course, on Old Lips, even these lovely products need a little bit of special attention in their application.  I personally could never wear them without first applying lipliner, but maybe some of you (I hate you!) can just apply them and go merrily on your way. :)  Okay, I don't really hate you.  I'm just jealous.