Budget Beauty: Bordeaux Lips (Part 1)

Here's the first of three posts detailing my attempt to find the perfect Bordeaux lips for fall at a bargain price.  I have 10 items to test, hence the three posts.

Post 1- Battle of the Lipsticks, Vol 1.

Wet 'n Wild Silk Finish Lipstick in 522A Dark Wine is a creme lipstick with a high level of pigmentation.  I detected a strong lipstick smell from the tube and upon application, but once it was on my lips, no major smell lingered. I found the formula reasonable (not drying, but not moisturizing either), and it was easy to apply straight from the tube.  I had no issues with tugging, etc.  In terms of wear time, I had to drink something around the 2 hour mark.  No transfer to the rim of my glass, and it still looked good when I checked my lips.  It also lasted through a piece of pizza around 3 hours.  Looking around the internet, my experience falls in line with other bloggers- about a 4-5 hour wear time.

Now, some swatches:

Outside, in indirect light

Inside, with flash

And the required lip shot:

Outside, in indirect light

Pricing/Availability: MSRP $0.99, at drugstores. I found mine during a 40% off sale at the local drugstore, so I paid $0.59 plus tax for this lipstick. 

Bottom Line: This is the best $0.59 lipstick I've ever tested.  It's a great wine-colored lip that's not super intense and is wearable by someone as pale as I am.  Recommended!

Wet 'n Wild Silk Finish Lipstick in 509A Cinnamon is a medium red creme lipstick.  It appeared to be darker both in the display and before I took the lid off.  It doesn't quite fit with the Bordeaux theme, but I kept it here just the same.

Some swatches:

Outside, indirect light

Inside, with flash

And a lip shot:

Outside, in indirect light

Bottom Line: This doesn't fit into the Bordeaux lips theme, but it's a beautiful warm red. I'd call it more of a Cardinal red.  Given the price point, it's worth exploring.

Pricing/Availability: MSRP $0.99, at drugstores. I found mine during a 40% off sale at the local drugstore, so I paid $0.59 plus tax for this lipstick.

NYC Ultra Moist Wear Lipstick in 320 Mahogany is a deeply pigmented lipstick which appears brown/black in the tube. Swatched, it's a beautiful deep wine and perfectly on-trend. It was a bit trickier than the Wet 'n Wild to apply but the color payoff was intense.  It is a bit drier, but it creates a beautiful deep Bordeaux lip. When I had to drink, there was no transfer to the rim of my glass, and I was impressed by its wear time (around 4 hours).

Here are some swatches:

Outside, in indirect light

Inside, no flash

Inside, with flash

It looks phenomenal.  However, this was a case where the swatch didn't translate to the lips for me.

Outside, in indirect light

Inside, with flash

That said, this is not a color for the pale ladies out there.  Looking objectively, it's a beautiful color. I just look like I'm going for a goth look or the True Blood appearance with lips this dark.

Pricing/Availability: MSRP $0.99 at drugstores, which is what I paid.

Bottom Line: I think this would be magnificent on dark complexions.  Fair ladies, don't even try it. This is the perfect example of why I chose this trend in particular for a drugstore test.


That's it for Part 1- look for the next batch of Bordeaux beauties soon!