Steps for Lipstick Ready Lips

So, a while ago, I mentioned I'm doing this little thing called the Fat B eCourse.  It's been really great to find a group of others so excited to embrace who they are & work together to create a positive vibe about body image.  I'm still hung up on the first week's assignment: 5 things that make you happy.  One of my happy things was wearing bold lipstick.  Last week Zach & I were traveling around so I didn't get to really work on my list but this week I've made it a goal to do all the things on the list this week!  So far I've gotten up an put myself together quite a few times!

A big part of my morning routine is choosing between the 8 of the 10 shades of lipstick I have belonging to the Maybelline Vivids Collection.

6 of the 8 colors I own!

I've been playing around with the colors and love them! They have the staying power of regular lipstick, sometimes you have to reapply, but most of the colors leave a little bit of a stain on your lip.  My favorite of the 8 I have is Shocking Coral.  It's not as orange as I thought it'd be, more of a coral pink color.  I also want to play around with the pale baby pink.  In the below photo I'm wearing Hot Plum.  These colors really get me feeling pin up like!

While playing around with these colors, there are a few things I realized I needed to do to my lips in order to keep them lipstick ready all the time.  As with a lot of people, the winter takes a toll on my lips.  Once they start to be dry or chapped I start biting them & messing with them to peel the dead skin off.  That instantly makes it worse!  I try to keep chapstick in my nightstand drawer, purse, & make up bag to stave off this dryness.  This has helped a lot to keep my lips in tip top shape for lipstick!  Here are my 3 steps for lipstick ready lips:

The Night Before:
I apply the blue labeled ChapStick Moisturizer before bed.  This is my favorite type of ChapStick. It's so moisturizing which is great in the winter & has a sunscreen which is good for the summer.  I prefer this to the black labeled ChapStick (though I do use it) because it feels less sticky.

Occasional Lip Exfoliation:
I've seen all these crazy (but probably really awesome) lip scrubs all over the place, mainly on pinterest.  Because I don't really want to whip up a giant batch of this stuff, I just took some of the main ingredients - my favorite brown sugar & honey - and put together a tiny batch in a little bowl.  If I've been good with my ChapStick application, I usually don't need to do this so it's just a little extra exfoliation if I need it.

While Getting Ready:
While taking my curlers out in the morning our putting on my make up - saving lipstick for last - I put a quick coat of the blue label ChapStick that I have in my make up bag.  I do this in advance so I'm not putting lipstick right on top of a glossy surface.  I feel like it sort of seals in the moisture & sets while I do my other make up/hair.  I also have a bit of time at the end because I can't ever decide which lip color to wear!

Then I apply!  Smooth lips makes lipstick look so much better. In December I bought red lipstick & was terrified to wear it!  I put it on, wore it around the house, & got used to seeing myself in it.  Doing this made it seem less weird.  When I fell in love with it I really wanted new colors but again, was really scared!  So, when I did what everyone else does when they are unsure - go big or go home!  When the homework challenge came for the Fat B eCourse I knew it was a chance to break out & try more lip color!

I'm so happy that I've fallen in love with lipstick!  The Vivids collection gives you a lot to play with & a wide variety.  It's a great way to build your collection up fast.

Do you have any go to colors?  I'm always on the look out for more!

xoxo, Moe

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