With all the fantastic shades of lip colour that are available these days, it’s hard to find a person who doesn’t have a small arsenal of lipsticks and glosses in their collection at home. In addition to unique and striking colours, or those perfect subtle neutral shades that allow the eyes to do the talking, the textures, weights, feels, and formats that lip colours can come in changes their ultimate effect. 

These are important considerations and choices to make to achieve your desired look. The following survey of popular lip colour types and formats below will help your lips shine – or not!

These come in various finishes like cream, matte, semi-matter, sheer, and metallic. Lipstick can be buildable for varied intensity using just one tube or theycan provide a solid layer with the first swipe. Cream lipsticks offer full coverage with a satin texture and work best when the lips are lined first using a pencil liner. They can be applied with a lip brush for more precision. Matte sticks have no shine and look flat, usually with dense colour pigments, and long-lasting wear. Sheer lip colours look more natural with translucent colour that can be layered but not to the point of being a solid color. Sheer is moist and good for everyday colour. Semi-matte is like a cross between sheer and matte: with good coverage and a bit of shine, yet is not glossy, either.

 

For those who love moist, shiny lips, lip gloss is your best friend. Depending on the finish and effect, it can take you from au naturel to vintage glam. Its liquid and gel-like formulas don’t have as good staying power as a lipstick, so you’ll need to toss it in your bag.But your lips will always look fresh if you maintain them properly. Gloss is a nice choice for dry lips – whereas lipstick’s solid coating can clump up around peeling lips, gloss glides over and covers them with ease. You can also layer it over lipstick for added moisture and a glossy effect.

Perhaps the most difficult lip colour type to get a hold on, lip stains are a unique texture and feel. They can come in a variety of formats and are usually a thinner, liquid consistency. They temporarily stain the lips for a long-lasting colour effect. Watch out for drying formulas that contain alcohol and layer a gloss on top if needed. For an example, check out the newest beauty products from IT Cosmetics including the Vitality Lip Flush Stain. Combatting the dry tendencies of stains, this one hydrates with butters and oils with shine and dense pigments. It also reduces the appearance of lip lines with all day colour.

As the name implies, it’s a lip balm with subtle colour added. Great for dry lips and for those who want a hint of colour but not a thick lipstick or gloss. Those craving the popular au naturel look this fall that focuses on dramatic eyes will love the gentle, pretty colour of a tinted balm. 

Other products may have a variety of names like ‘butter’ or ‘gel’ but generally fall under one of the above categories. It’s nice to have your favourite shades in several formats to mix up your look for different occasions. Discover the noticeable difference that a red matte lipstick, a red gloss, and a red tinted balm has by trying them all!