Color Focus: Red Berry Lips

I have received a few requests for "more color" so I decided to do a post on my wearable reds for lips. To find more colorful posts on my blog, it might take a little bit of searching, but if you look through the past months, you'll see that there have been quite a few more colorful posts in the past like my Color Focus: Rosy Pinks for Lips and Nails, Color Focus: Deep Purple Eyeshadows, Color Focus: Dark Vampy Nail Polish, Smokey Eyes: Blues & Greens, my review of Lancome Chris & Tell. There are probably a lot more colorful posts on nail polish colors than face makeup products, but I do cover brighter shades every once in a while.

Yes, I should probably explore brighter colors more often, but I normally stick to neutrals. It's what is comfortable for me. One thing I am always on the search for is a good red lipstick or lipgloss. I typically like a more subdued red or red-pink or something with gold shimmer. Finding a good true red is difficult for me. Most are either too orangey or blue-toned. Also I have full lips which means brighter or darker colors make my lips look uber plump. Call me crazy, but I wish I had thinner lips.

L to R: MAC VGVI Lipstick, Guerlain KissKiss Baby #220 Red Nude, Paul & Joe #14 Strawberry Jam, MAC "O", NARS Gothika, Chanel Spark Glossimer, Le Metier de Beaute Fraise Creme

Paul & Joe #14 Strawberry Jam Lipstick:

MAC "O" Lipstick:

If you add just the slightest bit of clear gloss to the center, MAC "O" turns more red:

NARS Gothika Lip Gloss:

Chanel Spark 04 Glossimer (this has pink in it which makes it look less red on the lips than in the tube):


Le Metier de Beaute Fraise Creme:

Swatches with flash:

Swatches without flash:

Believe it or not, MAC "O" was one of my first high-end lipsticks. Back when I was in high school my first 3 lipsticks were MAC Pink Glaze, Wuss and "O". It was just the most gorgeous complex berry-red-gold I had ever seen and I was enamored. Love at first sight. It's an odd shade though - it looks different every time I apply it. Sometimes it's plum, sometimes it's predominantly gold, sometimes it looks blue-red.