7 ways to wear 3 lipstick shades

One of the most common questions to ask when getting to know someone here at Benefit is, “which makeup product do you never leave home without?” The responses reveal several schools of thought — those who preach the transformative power of filling-in eyebrows, the importance of eyeliner, the beauty of concealer — and me? I’m a lipstick gal. It brightens up any smile, instantly adds expressiveness to the face, and in my opinion is the the most iconic of all beauty products.

You would think that a lipstick-lover like me would have drawers upon drawers of lipsticks, but truthfully, I don’t have a lot of time to navigate the sea of shade options that exist.  Instead, I stick to a small range that I can mix and match and I’ve been using three full-finish lipsticks in wine-berry espionage, fire-engine red flirt alert and pink-nude fame game.

flirt alert (red), fame game (nude pink), espionage (deep berry)

I love how this trio extends to a range of shades and effects. Check out all the combinations I created (from left to right): espionage+flirt alert, flirt alert (on its own), espionage (on its own), fame game (on its own), espionage+fame game ombré, espionage + fame game mixed, fame game + flirt alert mixed.

gimme some lip!

If you want to try some of the latest lipstick trends —  nude, red, ombré, wine, oxblood — these three shades cover all of them.

Espionage looks great on its own (I was really inspired by misscommunication’s wine-colored lip post), and when you add a little more red to it by mixing it with flirt alert, the result is a rich “oxblood” shade.

“oxblood” lips (sounds kinda gross, looks pretty good)

When worn with fame game, espionage blends in to create a very wearable, berry-pink ombré.

ombré!

Flirt alert and fame game blend together to create a pretty, natural raspberry sorbet shade.

this is my (raspberry) jam!

… A little lipstick goes a long way!