Burt's Bees Lip Crayon in Napa Vinyard

I feel like the most amateur of all amateurs today, starting this. But here goes!

I picked up Napa Vineyard after reading this article on XOVain. Red-toned berry? The first way to get my attention in an article about lipstick is to tell me it's awesomely red-toned. Even better if something costs less than $10, and Napa Vineyard costs $9.

It's an incredibly good value for the price. It's a nice, thick pencil, so it's easy to control where color goes on your mouth (which is great for creating a defined cupid's bow if you hate/can't afford lip liner to match all of your favorite colors, which I do sometimes and also can't) and the color is very nicely pigmented. I love it when I come across a drugstore brand that really delivers in color as impressively as department store brands. On me, this comes across as strongly red (with a bit of a blue-tone) and less berry, but that may be because my lips are quite pale naturally (I'm pretty pale), so usually, what I see in the tube is basically what I get.

A plus, the tip is controlled by the twisty mechanism (technical term, of course) on the bottom, which I infinitely prefer to having to sharpen the crayon. I'm not sure; maybe I'm the laziest, ok? I just think it's a waste of materials and of pigment to have to sharpen something. It probably won't stop me from eventually purchasing NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Dragon Girl someday.

OK. Enough jabber. Pictures.

See what I mean about it being super pigmented?

Swatched on paper. 

The nice thing about this color is it wears very well. I wore it for five hours straight yesterday at work talking to people who hate all democrats without exception about politics (which was unpleasant but not surprising) and I only reapplied it once about halfway in. At that point, it was a little worn down (mashing your lips together in determined silence can do that) but it was still pretty vibrant. The stain is rather pretty, kind of like the phenomenon I'm told is called "red wine mouth." Since I've not had enough (or any) red wine,  I can't say with a hundred percent certainty, but--it's still pretty and not in the littlest bit offensive. 

It is a matte finish, so if you don't prep your lips accordingly--moisturize and exfoliate, yo--the color will wear off clumpy on dead skin (which is really the dead skin's fault, not the color's). I haven't yet tried to put this on over a chapstick, which I find makes colors more slippery--maybe I just need to cave and invest in some lip liner. Sigh. 

Anyway. I give this lip crayon my hearty recommendation. The price point is fabulous, the color is glorious, the wear is great for a crayon. The only thing that threw me is the smell--it's unscented, which is a plus, but it does have a slightly waxy, earthy smell--no surprise, since it's all natural or something, and I don't mind it at all, but some might find it strange. Not off-putting, necessarily. It's no more offensive than the smell of regular lipstick. 

And that concludes the first review! What did you all think? What can I do better for next time (which will probably be Friday, I'm going to shoot for every other day so I can allow for days when I really just don't want to put makeup on) ? Would you like close-up shots of my mouth? Arm swatches? Shots of the packaging? These are all things I've seen bloggers who are way more pro at this game do, and I'm certainly open to suggestions. 

I have...we'll call it a problem.

I can't remember a time when I wasn't obsessed with lipstick.

Literally. I remember wishing as a toddler that somehow I would acquire Disney-princess perfect lips. I remember buying Bonnie Bell Lip Smackers (hey, fellow 90's kids!) and being disappointed when they weren't pigmented enough to make a va-va-voom red lip.

Now, however, I am a twentysomething responsible adult (ha, ha, adult) and the world of lipstick has become accessible to me. I remember buying my very first grownup red (MAC's Russian Red), swiping it on, and thinking Oh, Yeah. This is what it's about. 

However, because I can't feasibly own as many lipsticks as I do and not make some sort of project out of it, I've decided it's time to take my perfectly normal obsession and document it. This isn't gonna be a hugely complicated makeup blog a la XOvain. Despite my weird obsession with makeup, I really only know the basics (sometimes not even those, ha) and how to rock a statement lip. I may eventually experiment with more looks, but for right now, this is a lipstick blog. Shot with my iPhone. Super amateur, especially when compared to most makeup blogs, but this one is mine own, so I'm gonna jam with what I've got. Hence, the title.

And, for reference: this is what I've got, give or take.

Blurry photo c/o Instagram

All of you aficionados (if, in fact, there are any of you reading this humble blog) will recognize a lot of these shades, and I'm gonna start with photographing these because there's no practical sense in running out and buying ten new lipsticks for this blog. Even though I really, really want to.

Which brings me to dilemma #1. I have, as you can see, 3 empty spaces in this lovely organizer that I brought from the container store. I need them to be filled. Not just because I want lipstick--ahem--but for my sanity's sake. I can't look at this. It's like looking at my mouth and seeing missing teeth. It feels so..sad. I need some suggestions for lipstick shades. I'm thinking Lipstick Queen Let Them Eat Cake is a definite candidate...it'll be the most expensive lipstick I've ever purchased, to date, if I do get it, but hey--I get a once-in-a-lifetime splurge, right? It's Christmas, after all. 

(I know it's a thin excuse and I feel like a guilty consumer here but have you seen Let Them Eat Cake? It's perfect). 

OK. Well, swatches start tomorrow! Beginning with the Burt's Bees Lip Crayon in Napa Vineyard. I'm super nervous about this, but...here goes!