The perfect red lipstick is an elusive find. For one thing, I want some staying power if I’m going to wear a bold, look-at-me hue. And finding a longer-lasting lipstick in a hue that goes well with my skin tone can add to the challenge. Suffice it to say that I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect red lip color for years, so I was excited to try out a gorgeous option from ella+mila. Here’s how it went.
You Red My Mind
In looking at the various velvet matte lip colors on the website, I was immediately drawn to You Red My Mind. The pictures make it look gorgeous, even on the paler model. Then I spotted the many rave reviews, one of which claimed this particular hue was reminiscent of old Hollywood starlets.
Real-World Review
The tube arrived and I couldn’t wait to try it out. As promised, the color is absolutely gorgeous. It’s bold, it’s bright and I felt a little like a Hollywood starlet from back in the day. Plus, the color is a little friendlier to teeth that are not so white. I love my coffee and a good glass of Cabernet, and my teeth definitely need a little boost when it comes to lip color. This one didn’t make them look pearly white by any means, but it also didn’t play up any yellow tones.
And personally, I appreciate that ella+mila is a beauty brand that’s cruelty-free as well as made in the U.S.
Does it Last?
I’ve tried other red lip colors before. Some wipe off immediately. Some stay on but fade in really odd, unattractive ways. And some just want to migrate to your teeth for whatever reason.
Ella+mila’s matte lip color held up really well for about four hours. I applied it after lunch, so I wasn’t really eating which I’m sure helped. I do down lots of water throughout the day, so it did hold up to sipping out of a water bottle. Once happy hour rolled around, I grabbed my trusty glass of Cab and scrutinized the rim: barely a hint of lip color on the glass.
I also have allergies, which means I blow my nose pretty frequently. Translation: the tissue always pulls at my lip color. This was no exception--I blew my nose and noticed a few small red smudges on the tissue. Not a big deal, but I could easily see myself forgetting this and those smudges ending up on my face.
After the first four hours, the color started to fade quite a bit at the waterline. So don’t count on this for an all-night lip color option. However,I always check my lips when I’m wearing a vibrant color, so touch-ups with this wand-style tube are no big deal. Just use a steady hand because the color tends to stain if you get outside the lip line!
But Wait, Let’s Talk Crypto
As someone who has an embarrassingly full makeup drawer, I’m always interested in new and fascinating makeup. So I thought it worth mentioning another beauty brand doing some interesting things with crypto. And, this cosmetics company is also committed to being cruelty-free.
E.l.f. Cosmetics ventured into NFTs (non-fungible tokens) in 2021. They chose three of their products and produced three NFTs for each. They chose to sell them on the Bitski platform because both companies prioritize accessibility and being inclusive. This partnership also allowed customers to use a credit card to purchase their NFTs.
These NFTs join the many others from big-name companies in the fashion industry. Maybe it won’t be too long until other cosmetics companies start embracing blockchain and crypto.
