Go On. Take a Risk.

I love trying new lip glosses. But I don’t love trying new lip gloss colours. As I’ve detailed before, I stick to a steady palette of orange, gold, and raspberry, with the occasional orangey-red thrown in. But right now, my go-to lip glosses are a pale coral and a kind of light fushia/pinky lavender, both picked out for me by platinum blondes who have a lot more faith in the possibilities afforded by my red hair than I do. 

First, my friend Amy gave me some lip gloss for my birthday. One was the L’Oreal Le Gloss Red Ravishing I raved about in my last lipgloss post. The other one — a L’Oreal Le Gloss in a colour called Violet Attitude– I pretended to be excited about but planned to give away first chance I get. I mean… violet? C’mon! But I’m glad I tried it, because 1.) it looks really good and does not, as I suspected, bring out the yellow in my teeth or clash with my hair and 2.) offers a pop of fun colour that gives a little more “oomph” than gold or beige but doesn’t have the “I am serious” or “I am about to seduce you” quality of red. Violet says: I’m not afraid of colour! I like to have fun! I am not really hungover! And honestly… I’m not sure why I ever doubted Amy (sorry, Amy). Because she is gorgeous, stylish, and a founding member of my sorority: Phi Delta Femme.

As for the coral, I realize it probably doesn’t sound too far outside of orange. But often, corals remind me of Miami in the 80′s, and I’m just not in to that look. Recently, though, I stumbled into a brow waxing appointment looking like I hadn’t slept in days (which I hadn’t). Julia at Salon V fixed my brows, trimmed my bangs, and touched up my makeup. When she pulled out the coral lip gloss, I rolled my eyes, wondering why platinum blondes are always trying to stick weird colours on my lips. But oh Lord. This product is gorgeous! It’s Aveda NourishMint Rehydrating Lip Glaze in Sun Kissed Melon, and it looks shiny, and luscious, and just a shade beyond a neutral, which makes it feel both special and appropriate for everyday use. Plus, it tastes and smells like mint. Technically, it is a glaze, not a gloss, so it is a little bit thicker than some products and deposits a little more colour. On the downside, it is kind of pricey, but a little goes a long way, so I’m hoping it lasts awhile.

So… the takeaway? Ask a gorgeous, well put-together woman you know for her suggestion about how you might expand your colour repertoire. But remember: in both cases, I was not putting any of my own money on the line. The first was a gift and the second was a sample (though I did end up buying the product after I checked it out in daylight.) Don’t just go throwing your money around at random colours. But take a risk. But be brave. They’re your lips. You wear them everyday.