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Rant & Rave: Sheer Lipstick
This Week’s Topic: Sheer Lipstick!
Your Mission: Tell us what you love, hate, or are otherwise indifferent to about sheer lipstick. What drives you bananas? What makes them necessary?
my answer: They’re easier to use for every day, but of course, you can always take a more pigmented lipstick and use less of it (or mix it with some balm) for sheerer color. I think that it is easier to have a lipstick that starts of sheer or semi-sheer and use it that way than to blot down a really opaque lipstick than in the case of eyeshadow.
I keep a couple of sheer colors in my desk at work for touch-ups along with a balm. I can touch up mirrorless without having to worry about even coverage as I’m only adding a bit of shimmer, really. At home, I have a couple of shimmery beige/champagne colors for layering. One of them is Mac High Tea, which I will wear occasionally on its own.
dior high shine (I have 214-lovely nude colour)
armani sheer (I have 500-bright pink, sheer but buildable)
dior serum de rouge -the best moisturizing sheer lipstick ever, I have 870-deep berry red, 510 nude, 560 pink, 640 nude soft pink)
I have always been a “strong” lip girl until recently. I turned 45 this summer and really feel that overall less is more. Don’t get me wrong, I still rock my MAC Red and Show Orchid but have recently embraced sheer stains and textures. I recently bought Sandstone by L’Oreal and a matching lipgloss. I have also become a fan of Kerry Washington’s natural looks, in particular her stained lips. I think it softens your appearance.
With pigmented lips, a lot of sheer lipsticks are more than useless. I love my dior addict lipstick, but more for the memories than the colour! I do like them in darker colours, but aside from that… eh.
I tend to gravitate towards sheer lipsticks in general, since they are so much easier to use (no need for a lipliner, brush and in some cases even a mirror), and I almost always have one with me in my bag. For me, fully opaque lipsticks are there to make a statement: they look gorgeous and tend to scream “Here I come, look at me”, but they also take a lot more time and effort than their sheer counterparts.
I love them, but only in the “MLBB” range. If I’m going with a bold lip, then I want it to be the focus, and therefore it should be opaque. Since everyone’s MLBB shade will be different, then it’s quite necessary for there to be a vast range of sheer lipstick shades, across all brands. I think this is a very sophisticated look, especially paired with a smokey eye.
Guerlain de Brilliant in Beatrix and Betsy are my go-to shades. They are sheer (and not incredibly long-lasting) but don’t dry out my lips!
I always focus on my lips, so this is the most important part of my makeup. I honestly don´t like sheer lipsticks at all, since to me the lips are always the star of my look. However I can understand why some people would like them, for example people that like bold eye looks might really benefit from a sheer lip. But they are not for me at all.
I like them for layering on top of other lipsticks or wearing a few more swipes of them solo, but not really in their sheerest state
I have fuller lips so I gravitate towards sheer lipsticks, particularly when I want a darker color. I don’t like to use dark opaque lipsticks because I feel silly due to my full lips.
My lips are on the thinner side, but I feel the same way about dark shades. Darker shades especially matte) actually tend to make the lips look smaller, so unless I have the time to add liner, and maybe a bit of gloss, I tend to go for glossier, sheer lipstick. I think if my lips were fuller, I’d wear darker, opaque shades *alot* more often!
I’m not that much into bold lipstick, so for me a sheer lipstick is perfect 🙂
Me and sheer lipstick do not have any understanding whatsoever. I cannot get beyond the feeling of being ripped off. I’d rather sheer out an opaque product by applying gloss or lip balm.
Yes ! This all the way! I love having the option of wanting to wear a lipstick sheer one day and opaque the next.
I love them. I have only recently branched into lipsticks–I was always a lip gloss girl–and they have been a very useful bridge for me. I feel that a sheer lipstick wears away more evenly than an opaque lipstick sheered out with balm or gloss. I absolutely adore NARS sheer lipsticks. I also use opaques, but mostly for evening or special occasions.
I never buy sheer lipstick because I am usually disappointed. It never looks like I’m wearing lipstick at all or I can’t seem to apply it evenly. I just end up looking sloppy and”underdone”.
I have the same problem! I feel like I can never apply enough to make it look like a solid layer of “sheerness”- if that makes sense?
I love them, esp. the Nars ones which are really very good.
It’s funny, I don’t like sheer lipsticks, but I almost always wear my opaque lipsticks sheered out… I think if I wanted a sheer only product I’d buy a gloss… Maybe I should give sheer lippie more of a chance.
I like to give sheer lipsticks as gifts to my cousins who are very modest when it comes to make up. it’s a fun way for them to try different colors without going outside of their comfort zone. I like it for the office!
I don’t mind my eyeshadow sheer, but my lipstick has to be opaque! Sheer lipstick is a no no for me!
I LOVE sheer lipstick! It’s pretty much the only way I’ll even wear lipstick! 🙂
“Sheer lipstick”?? What is this alien creature of which you speak? ;P
I really like sheer lipsticks or the gloss/lipstick hybrids like the Chanel rouge coco shines or the YSL sheer candy balms. I like the MAC lustres and glazes and the glossy Tarter and Nars lip pencils too. I usually only wear opaque lipstick for nights out or special occasions. So, sheer lip colors are definitely a big part of my beauty arsenal!
I own a few for lazy makeup days, but I vastly prefer opaque. I like my colors rich and bold. 😀
Definitely rave: NARS Gypsy. I never tire of it and keep coming back.
sheer lipsticks do nothing for me because i have very pigmented lips. sheer gloses and lip blams are ok for me.
Mine too, but sheer doesn’t mean light colors. I have sheer reds that are marvelous! I wear them to the gym and they look great.
I often wear extremely intense eye makeup, and my choices are usually left at “opaque nudes” or “sheers” (e.g., MAC Lustres or Tarte Surgies) or else I risk looking like a clown. Other times, I really don’t want a full-face of makeup, but I refuse to leave the house without lipstick, so having those sheer colors is really nice. I have very pigmented lips, but I just slap on 2 or 3 coats and I’m usually good to go. I do HATE Tarte’s Peaceful, though… I’ve frequently referred to it as “the most expensive Chapstick I have every bought.” On that note, I’m dealing with very dry, damaged lips right now, and I am out of all my good balms so I literally am using Peaceful as a balm, especially at bedtime.
I do have a very full set of lips, and I LOVE to wear all sorts of lipsticks–all finishes, colors, and depths–but if I have a long day ahead of me, and I know I won’t have many opportunities for touch-ups, then I really love sheers because no one notices or cares as they wear off. If it were a dark opaque color, I may wind up with an ugly dark ring around my mouth, and how unattractive is that?
If the color is so sheer that it’s invisible (Peaceful), then yes, it’s a waste of time. If the color and/or sheen is visible, then the effect can be gorgeous and graceful! I love variety. 🙂 OH–one more thing: I’m over 40, and as we get older, the color around the edges of our lips can get uneven (so annoying). This is one of the reasons I won’t go out w/o lipstick, and also a reason why I enjoy sheer options. They even out the color of my natural lips, but without necessarily forcing me to have that full lipstick look. So long as people can see the color or “glow,” if you will, sheers are awesome.
I LOVE THESE BABIES! They’re easy to apply and make the lips look plump and juicy without being overly glossy/wet. Plus, you barely need any mirror to apply. What’s not to love? I sometimes find opaque lipsticks make me look aged, except for bold colors like fuchsia and red.
I have always loved Silk Naturals and Guerlain. Chanel Rouge Coco Shine and NARS aren’t bad but they are nowhere as hydrating as SN’s.
Sheer lipcolor is A Thing. Look at the make up on TV and celebs. If you need more body, that’s what lip pencils are for although it does kill the effect. I just bought Guerlains Holiday color, a sheer raspberry with gold pearl. Super wearable every where and lovely color! My experience of sheer color it that it has a nice Not Grandma effect while opening up lipstick to gloss girls who avoid the painted look.
I love sheer lipsticks! Mainly because, as @RUCA says, as it wears off nobody would notice. My favorite are the Giorgio Armani ones (I have pink 501 and plum 600). 🙂
I’m not a fan of sheer lipstick.
I love wearing sheer lipsticks and sheer blushes. I just love the natural glow. When I do wear opaque lipsticks I only complement them with some mascara and a bit of bronzer or highlighter as blush.
Wearing sheer lipsticks is easier and we can play around with more shades as the sheer texture makes them more forgiving.
Opaque lipsticks are generally more difficult to wear as they have to be a very complementary shade and we may risk looking like clowns with a wrong shade on !
Any sheer lip product isn’t going to do a thing for me since my lips are naturally quite dark. When I was younger, I couldn’t figure out why those pretty light pink lip glosses from brands like BonneBell never showed up on me, and it made me kind of self conscious. So now I am a huge fan of bold, opaque colors.
My lips are pale, so sheer lipsticks tend to show up very well. However, I also have very dry lips, and every lipstick formula I’ve tried, I’ve had to mix with Vaseline or something to make it wearable – otherwise I end up with flaky lips as early as lunchtime. Not cute.
I prefer opaque or semi-opaque (cream-finish) lipsticks. They’re more versatile because I can wear them bold, and just layer Vaseline on top, or I can sheer them out and make them more moisturizing and glossy.
I might consider buying a sheer, moisturizing lipstick if it were cheap (i.e. under $15). I don’t much like the idea of buying an expensive sheer lipstick because I feel that for the price, I should be getting more pigment.