For someone who doesn’t wear lipstick on the regular, I sure have a lot o’ tubes. I only paused to think about my habit very recently when I went to the Lipstick Queen counter at Barneys and the SA asked me what I was looking for. I literally said: “Nothing. I don’t need anything. I have everything I need.” (They still tried to sell me stuff, which, good for them, it’s their job to be tenacious.)
I have a lot of favorites, which are probably the same as everyone else’s: MAC’s Lady Danger & Ruby Woo. Tom Ford’s Wild Ginger. Clinique's Black Honey -- so easy to put on. Revlon's Super Lustrous formulation -- lots of colors and a baby could apply that shit.
I am not skilled at applying makeup, and I am a lazy lipsticker who just likes to be able to swipe on and go. Like, eyeliner, mascara, lipstick, and that’s it. BUT this is not something I’ve always kept in mind when buying lipstick. You know how it is. Oh, I’m at the airport, better buy some tax-free tubes. Oh, I’m at Duane Reade, better buy some lip stuff. OH I AM ON THE INTERNET, ETC. It’s dumb. And I’ve made some dumb choices.
I have something like 40 lipsticks, and there are about 10 I pretty much never wear. I’m not the only one, right? Doesn’t everyone have a dud or two? But since there are essentially very few gaps in my collection, I think I need to stop buying lipstick for now and try to find a way to wear the ones I’ve got.
Maybe the “difficult” lipsticks just need a different approach: I could amp up other parts of my makeup or combine them with other lip products. If I achieve passable looks, then let’s all high-five my creativity. If I fail, then I should maybe throw them out. Or stop buying lipstick. (SPOILER: Probs won’t do this! Soz.)