When my flamboyant friend commented that my lips were "oh so 2000", I knew it was time to let go of my nude lipsticks. He was right, I had to move on and buy lipsticks that looked like lipstick and not concealer. My lipstick buying odyssey took me to the Three Custom Colors website where I bought the Noir Sheer Lipstick and the Simply Beautiful in semi matte.
Noir Sheer Lipstick
When I was a little girl, I had this Bonne Bell Lipsmacker in Dr. Pepper. I am not talking about the one that exists today but the one that existed in the 1970's. Back then lipsmackers were about the only makeup I could wear to elementary school. They were flavorful and somewhat colorless lipbalms except for the Dr. Pepper which was a sheer plummy brown that added just enough tint to my lips to make them look finished yet still my lips and still be the little girl that I was.
Fast forward and I yearned for that color but every lipstick that imitated that color made my lips look small and thin or like my (now deceased) Bichon Frise. Only problem was that I was not cute and fluffy! I completely ignored dark lipsticks until I saw the 3CC one.
The Noir color comes in two formulas, a sheer lipstick and a lipgloss. I chose the lipstick. At first glance it looks like a gothic black purple that looks very unwearable but once applied, the word gothic is gone and sophistication takes over. The color is wearable for skin tones of any color and depth because it is sheer yet buildable and contains stain pigments to work with your own lip color. The lips never look small and dark but the opposite, naturally stained and glossy.
In the picture, I have about three coats which brings it to a glossy deep purple burgundy. You can see that it isn't opaque so it never makes my lips look thin or gothic dark. The swatch shows how sheer it can be when just applying one coat. The color may look cool toned but it does have a warmth to it making it wearable and not stark.
Simply Beautiful
This lipstick comes in 3 formulas: gloss, sheer, and semi matte. I chose semi matte since I wanted maximum color.
Simply Beautiful is a richly sophisticated color that can be worn day or night. The color is neither warm nor cool and it isn't neutral enough to be drabby. If you are afraid of red lipsticks yet want something that isn't quite peach or too neutral, then try this one. This lipstick isn't duochrome but has a mix of darkened peach and soft rose with very soft shimmers of gold and silver.
Since I chose a semi matte formula, the color is deeper and more concentrated as you can see in the picture.
The texture of both lipsticks is lightweight, moisturizing, and smooth. There is no major perfume scent or candy like one to these, they just smell like lipstick.
So, I hope my friend thinks that my lips have moved forward in time because I like these colors too much to let them go and make them just a fashion statement. These are colors that are classics and timeless and will last well into the next decade!
