Luscious and Long-Lasting Lips for Fall

Ava Gardner, resplendent as always, in the perfect fall face (or anytime face, really!)

Summer refuses to do die this year, hoarding its final blasts of hellish heat until the last, as we all limp along and wonder when can we finally start wearing our fall clothes?  Our cunning tweeds, our sentimental lace, our school-girl skirts and our beloved boots?

It is only in our makeup that we can embrace a little of the crisp, jewel-pure tones that we normally love to wear in the early days of fall.

Everyone knows I am completely addicted to red lipstick, especially this time of year.  I'm always trying to convert friends and clients into realizing how glamorous and easy and flattering it is, with a shade for every skin tone and mood.  The only flaw in red is how quickly it fades; how eager it is to share itself with your napkins and glasses and friend's cheeks, until there's little left but that What-Happened-To-Baby-Jane-ish reddish-pink smear. 

So off to Sephora I go, exploring some staple and some brand-new long-lasting and utterly luscious reds...at least my lips are ready for fall!

Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Beso $22.00 Sephora.com

Stila's All Day Liquid Lipstick comes in a thick texture that it is somewhere between a stain and a gloss.  It's an utterly ravishing color, incredibly brilliant, in a true red shade that recalls those glorious, rich, Technicolor shades of the 1930's-1950's.  It's my favorite color of all the reds I tried.  It has remarkable staying power.  It's only downside, like many long-lasting reds, is that it does feel a bit drying.  I applied a little lip balm over it which helped add a little moisture.

Kat Von D Foiled Love Liquid Lipstick in Hellbent $19.00 Sephora.com

Of all the liquid lipsticks, this one definitely earns points for originality.  It goes on wet and then in a minute or so transforms into a dry, powdery finish.  It has a completely metallic, foil-like texture with a hint of gold, that looks as if you painted your lips.  Hellbent (what a glorious name for these brutally hot days!) is a very deep, burlesque-dancer red with a whisper of maroon.  It's marvellously artificial and rather sinful.  VERY drying.

Urban Decay Lip Envy in Greedy-Berry $17.00 Sephora.com

This is a red that has deep notes of berry and cabernet and purple, and it colors your lips the most extraordinary shade that is an instant conversion to goth.  The moment I put this on I looked ten shades paler and rather glam in a dark sort of way.  It has a strange, appealing fragrance, and a very willful staying power.  It's a true lip stain, and it's medium drying.

Hourglass Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipstick in Raven $28.00 Sephora.com

This one is very, very similar to the Stila liquid lipstick, with a medium-thick texture and a stain-like brilliance and depth of color.  It's more of an orange-red than a true red.  It's a tad more drying than the Stila.

per-fekt Lip Perfection Gel in Hollywood $24.00 Sephora.com

Saving the best for last, this lip gel is from the cult-line per-fekt, which the Beverly Center Sephora has recently started stalking (oh, all right, stocking!).  Per-fekt is a celebrity favorite, and you can see why: their products are about understated, long-lasting beauty with a glow.   This lip gel is something between a lip gloss and a liquid lipstick, and it's a very rich shade for its moist texture.  Of all these products, it is the least drying, but it has an impressive staying powder.  It's a lovely, ultra-flattering true red, not as a brilliant as the Stila shade, it's a bit more "natural" looking and would probably suit more occasions and complexions.  My lips are so parched in this weather and they loved, loved this product.