Canaille Was Not The One...

...and I have found not one, but FOUR lip products that could be. I have rarely been so content with such a selection. I'm confident that these 4 beauties can carry me through any situation or event that warrants some makeup, and any in which you just want some because you know it makes you look good, and who doesn't want that???

These are: Laura Mercier Lip Colour-Shimmer lipstick in Fresh Brown ($22), Laura Mercier Lip Colour - Shimmer in Amaretto ($22), ck Calvin Klein Delicious Pout Flavored Lip Gloss in Pastel Gold ($13), and ck Calvin Klein Sheer Pumping Lip Gloss in Glory ($16).

First up, Fresh Brown - at first glance, this lipstick seems fairly ordinary. It looks suspiciously like my beloved Plum Sable from Maybelline, each tube of which costs ~$5 and lasts months. But unlike Plum Sable and other neutral pink-browns that are somewhat flat, LM's shimmer lipsticks are a pearlescent/almost-frost/shimmer formula that gives this shade dimension and a more modern finish. Completely acceptable for work but great for after-work as well without looking like it was meant to be so.

Amaretto is a shade and a half darker and has much more shimmer. In fact, it was my SA's second-choice during my mini makeover last week, but she opted for Fresh Brown (which I had actually picked out for myself a few weeks earlier but was doubting) instead. I like Amaretto because it has a little more depth for night and is better for heavier and ethnic attire. Plus, the shimmer nearly disappears on your lips and just ends up looking young and pretty. Both Amaretto and Fresh Brown are good pink/brown-bronzes lip that might seem a little boring for some, but they create a really simple lip that is still fresh and pretty.

The real surprises were the ck Calvin Klein lip glosses. I am no fan of flavored lip gloss and find some of this new line's packaging to be rather chunky and awkward, but Pastel Gold and Glory were 2 shades that I just could not resist because a) they looked great on me b) they are both versatile in various ways c) they are reasonably-priced and I can see myself buying more in the distant future since they won't be used up too quickly. Pastel Gold's official description is "golden copper," but when I envision such a shade, I think summer-goddess-bronze-orange-copper madness, and this is most definitely not so. It's a more of a muted sunset pink with gold tones. It looked nice over Fresh Brown but could also be worn alone. Another winner for both day and night.

Glory is a simple pink gloss with some punch - think mauve-Fruit-Roll-up. Because I veer towards more neutral glosses , I wanted to try a brighter shade that is actually truer to my natural lip color. A little sticky (as is Pastel Gold) as expected, but worth it (I have yet to find a gloss with a loveable consistency - Fresh glosses come close, however, I'm still upset with that company over it's Tobacco Caramel perfume).

To test myself, these products, and my own makeup convictions, I've decided to do some New Year makeup cleaning and throw out most of my old lipsticks. I want to try and survive on these alone, but will save my MAC Polished Up and O just in case....hey, you never know. Hoping this works, and not too worried that it won't. Expect only boredom to break me down.