I am a self-proclaimed lipstick junkie. I own over 125 lipsticks. I also have an amazing gift. I can look at any lipstick you are wearing and call out the name and brand (9/10). Yass hunni, its that serious for me. My very first lipstick I purchased as an adult was Pink Friday by MAC. Although you wouldn't catch me dead in this shade today, I thought I was the ish! As my obsession grew I started to realize what sets a lipstick brand apart from the others.
#3 When you are applying lipstick, it should glide on smoothly and have a nice consistency. There should be no patchy streaks on the lips. Rarely ever should you go in for a second coat. Second coats are a huge oh-no-no. Which brings me to my #3 brand, Coloured Raine Cosmetics. CR is a black-owned cosmetic line. It has a nice smooth creamy formulation. Its very pigmented and stays put throughout the day. CR's shade ranges has grown tremendously over the years. They currently carry over 70 shades retailing around $17.
#2 brand is Anastasia Beverly Hills, also known as ABH. When the liquid lipstick game started ABH was one of the top leading brands. They debuted their lipstick collection early 2015 with only 20 shades. My first shade I purchased was Potion. A deep dark purple shade that looked great on my melanin skin. Since then they have reformulated their whole collection. ABH came back with more colors and the brand was better than ever. ABH is also known for
its luxurious aesthetic. I am a sucker for presentation. Pulling a new lippie out the box is similar to that new car smell. Seeing the shiny gold ABH logo makes it worth spending $20 a pop.
My #1 lipstick brand is Smashbox Cosmetics. Smashbox's Always On liquid lipsticks are a little new compared to ABH or CR. My first shade I purchased was, True Grit. It was my first true nude color. I believed cosmetic companies would not release a nude shade that catered to WOC. So when Smashbox released their nude shade collection that catered to every brown-girl I was excited and thankful. Not only do I love their shade range but there is absolutely no bleeding throughout the day. Even after lunch my lipstick isn't smeared. Another reason why Smashbox Cosmetics is my #1 go-to lipstick brand, is the applicator. The triangle shape applicator makes it easy to apply with no lip liner. It makes outlining your Cupid's bow a simple task. Although Smashbox is my favorite, it is also the most expensive, retailing at $24 each. But its totally WORTH IT!