Let's Paint the Town Red Lip Stain...by Tarte

Love, love, LOVE this color. It took me forever to find a red lipstick/matte that works well for my skin tone.  Funny enough, it also for those who are lighter than me as well - a friend tried it on (dark hair, dark eyes, fair skin) and it looked awesome on her too (a little more bright, but still freakin' perfect).

Anyway, I searched Instyle, Glamour, Allure and other companies that do a "Best of 2010, 2011 Beauty Products", given their readers' and editors' picks. Based on my skin tone, the ones I tried out below overlapped in a few of the different "Best of" lists.  Out of all the ones they suggested (and yes, I did try them all on at the store), this one by far gets my vote. Why you ask? Here's why:

1. It's moisturizing - WTF? Yep. It's a matte lipstick that goes on soft and is moisturizing without being sticky at all (and it looks like you're painting your face with a crayon - super fun!) It even looks super smooth and flawless as it goes on, filling in the cracks on my dry lips (it IS winter) and giving them relief at the same time.

2. The undertone color has just enough orange in it. The orange tint, believe it or not, is big for someone with olive skin because if it's too orange it makes me look like a clown and if it has too dark of blue undertones, I look sickly and like a vampire. So this had just the right combo. I'm looking into trying their other colors as well, especially their nude ones.

3. Staying power. A lipstick that feels like chapstick and lasts for more than a few hours (if you aren't drinking) is all I need to be sold on a product. It looks and feels comfortable and makes me feel super sexy without 'trying too hard'.

Brand: Tarte, LipSurgence natural matte lip stain, Color: Fiery  - @ Sephora for $24

Here is a list of the ones I tried that I didn't like. Try them yourself and see which brand you prefer:

- (Expensive) Brand: Nars, Color: Heat Wave - $24 - I heard a lot of great things about this one, but this was one of the ones that was just too orange for me.

- (Expensive) Brand: Nars, Color: Jungle Red - $24 - A step down off the orange train from Heat Wave, this one still had a bit too much for me, but actually, it came down to this one and the Tarte Fiery that I ended up choosing.

- (Expensive) Brand: Nars, Color:  Shanghai Express - $24 - A friend with a lighter complexion tried this on and it looked killer on her, but when I tried it on, it looked a little too dark red/vampire-esque for my skin tone.

- (Expensive) Brand: Lancome L'Absolu Rouge, Color:  Absolute Rouge - $29 - It took me forever to find this one at a bunch of different Sephora stores (I guess it is very popular), but once I did, I wasn't that impressed. It had more of a blue undertone and it looked too dark red on me.

- (Inexpensive) Brand: Revlon, Color: Fire & Ice - $9 - Apparently this color has been a staple in their line of red lipsticks for decades, but when I tried it on at an airport beauty store, I took it right off - it was waaaay too bright orange (and left a bit of a stain).