Fall 2011 Lipstick Recommendations and Swatches

L-to-R: NYX Iced Honey, Make Up Store Magic, and NYX Chic Red lipstick

Some of the shades that have been showing up for the Fall fashion season include a mixture of soft, dark, and strong shades. Here are some of my favorites.

SOFT:

Gone are the concealer lips of last season. The new "nude" lipsticks are kittenish (they make your lips look much more pouty) with a warm peachy undertone so they give your face some color without grabbing too much attention. These lips will go with pretty much any look.

Swatches (L-to-R): NYX Iced Honey (Round) Lipstick, and MAC Kinda Sexy (Matte) lipstick.

NYX Iced Honey lip swatch

STRONG:

Strong shades make your lips the focal point of your face. This season, the liner has been jazzed up, but the lips remain strong. Just keep the eye color neutral for the day, and any of these shades would look fantastic as a pop of color when you're wearing a whole suit of dark colored clothes.

Swatch (L-to-R): NYX Chic Red (Round), and MAC Up the Amp (Amplified) lipstick

Lip swatch: MAC Up the Amp is a creamy, strong purple mauve.

VAMPY:

Super-dark lipsticks have been popping up in many collections. The common variations are those that are brown based, red based, and purple based. The tricky bit is avoiding looking too Goth when wearing these lip colors, but you don't have to pair it with pale eye shadows either. Just keep the lids a soft smoky shade for a more modern touch.

Swatches (L-to-R): MAC Prince Noir (matte) lipstick, and Make Up Store Magic lipstick.

Lip swatch: Make Up Store Magic lipstick gives an interesting metallic purple twist on the dark vamp lip.

MAC MAC Me Over Collection: Tiny Haul and Swatches (Prince Noir and Take Root)

Dark lipsticks (L-to-R): Bourjois Sweet Kiss Naturel #05 Prune Caresse, MAC Amplified Lipstick in Deepest Wish, Make Up Store Lipstick in Black Orchid, and MAC Matte Lipstick in Prince Noir (Pro)

 Pending a recent Fall look tutorial featuring Make Up Store's Black Orchid Lipstick (below), I figured it was time to feature a recent haul from the MAC Me Over Collection. Unlike the Seasonally Supreme and Styledrive Collections, this is a limited edition collection.

I went over and over the collection for the better part of an hour, and finally decided on just two products that I felt were:

1. standout shades/textures
2. not dupe-able or available in the regular line

The first, was Prince Noir Matte Lipstick. 

If you're in the market for a good, rich, dark black-plum shade, this is it. I did like Smoky Purple from the collection as well, but felt I'd get more use out of Prince Noir, which is a bit more red-based. If you have very sallow skin, Prince Noir would look better on you.

Dark lipstick swatches (L-to-R): Bourjois Sweet Kiss Naturel #05 Prune Caresse, MAC Amplified Lipstick in Deepest Wish, Make Up Store Lipstick in Black Orchid, and MAC Matte Lipstick in Prince Noir (Pro)

 Texture-wise, it is much more even going on than creamier black-plums. by virtue of the fact that it is matte and opaque. This means no lip liner is necessary unless you want a very heavy and dramatic mouth. Glossier textures tend to look streaky, and will need more effort to even out.

MAC Prince Noir lip swatch

The other product I got was Take Root Cream Color Base, an interesting, shimmery brown with an orange-toffee tone. Packed on thick, it's a deep ochre brown. Spread out,  it gives an effect that I can only describe as caramelized.

MAC Take Root Cream Color Base

 Swatched on thick, it looks like dewy red clay. As a translucent wash, it's delicious. The only thing is this might only work on those with lighter skin tones. If you're very pale, with blue eyes, this would look amazing as a smoky gleam on the lids.

MAC Cream Color Base in Take Root, worn with No 7 Extreme Lengths Black Mascara