My favorite lipsticks.

It's probably no surprise that I love lipstick. I love all makeup, but lipstick is the one cosmetic I can't imagine living without. With lipstick alone, I can look polished enough to face the day. And if I'm feeling particularly down, red lipstick is almost like the Prozac of makeup! An instant boost in confidence!

(The current rotation of lipsticks; changes seasonally.)

I rank my favorite lipsticks by color, formula, texture and scent. Having neutral-to-cool, light-to-medium skin (MAC NW20, Sephora Color IQ 1y06), I can wear a huge variety of colors, but I tend to wear reds, nudes (think lips, but better. Not concealer lips!), and corals most of all. I look ghastly in pale colors (most anything lighter in tone than my natural lip).

I'm 34 and my tastes in lip color have shifted plenty of times in the last 18 years (I was 16 when my lipstick obsession began). In 1996, I loved brown lipstick (didn't we all, though?), red lipstick and anything with shimmer. By 1998, it was goth-y purples (think MAC Media). In the early 2000s, it was pale and frosty (MAC Gleam). Around 2005, I started getting into sheers. Red lips were always something I loved though, even when I was 5 years old. That never changed.

Today, I challenged myself to choose 10 lipsticks that I can comfortable call my favorites. These things change daily, but right now, these are my favorites. I wear them frequently (even bought multiple backups of one that was discontinued). It was VERY hard to choose 10 of over 200 and I actually felt anguish over my decisions, because I love all my lipsticks. I'll list some runners up at the end of the post. :)

(The final cut! From top: Sonia Kashuk Satin Luxe Currant, Kevyn Aucoin Bloodroses, Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter Fig Jam, Lipstick Queen Saint Nude, Revlon Super Lustrous Toast of New York, Bite Beauty Cin Cin, Bite Beauty High Pigment Pencil Chablis, Bite Beauty Apricot, Lipstick Queen You Kid, NYC Sheer Red)

(Kevyn Aucoin Bloodroses, Bite Apricot, NYC Sheer Red, Sonia Kashuk Currant, Revlon Toast of New York)

Kevyn Aucoin Bloodroses- a blackened blue-toned red. Instant glam! $35 at Beautylish

Bite Apricot- an orange based red with a slightly brown tone. A "safe" red, and the warm undertone keeps it from going fuchsia like some reds do on some people. $24 at Sephora

NYC Sheer Red- a blue toned, muted deep red. Another "safe" red, good for someone not wanting a screaming red. $1 (not kidding!) at CVS stores.

Sonia Kashuk Currant- totally on trend for the Pantone 2015 Color of the Year- Marsala. Somewhere between red, brown and plum, a very flattering fall shade for just about anyone (unless brown tones tend to wash you out). $10 at Target

Revlon Toast of New York- redder and warmer than Currant, ToNY is also in the Marsala family (along with Revlon Rum Raisin, which didn't make today's list). $8 at drugstore.com

(Revlon Fig Jam, Bite High Pigment Pencil Chablis, Bite Cin Cin, Lipstick Queen Saint Nude, Lipstick Queen You Kid)

Revlon Fig Jam- this is the discontinued one, so if you want it, eBay is probably your best bet, though I may have bought them all. This one is a damn near universally flattering color. It looks crazy dark in the tube, but it applies sheer and shiny, enhancing your own lip color. It's browner and redder than Clinique Black Honey (which comes off cooler toned and more berry on me), but in the same family.

Bite High Pigment Pencil Chablis- this is the brightest, pinkest and most opaque shade to make my top 10. It's a bright watermelon pink with a hint of coral in person. The HPP formula is creamy, semi-matte and quite opaque, so it's great for a pop of color with an otherwise neutral face. Lasting power on these is pretty fantastic as well. $24 at Sephora

Bite Cin Cin- a muted coral. This (and Apricot) is the Luminous Creme formula, which is absolutely lovely on my dry lips. Creamy, but not slippery, and the color is not completely opaque, but not sheer at all. $24 at Sephora

Lipstick Queen Saint Nude- I love LQ's formulas! The original line came in Saints and Sinners. The Sinners are opaque and matte (which my dry lips do not love) and the Saints are sheer (but not shiny) with a lovely natural finish. I had a really hard time choosing among my Saints, but Nude is probably my favorite. It's a warm, terracotta type color, not really "nude", but lovely and natural on my lips. Honestly if you're lipstick-phobic, any of the lipsticks in the Saint line would be a great place too start. $22 at Ulta

Lipstick Queen You Kid- my most expensive (seriously, buy this on sale) lipstick, but also one of my most loved. It's a true "my lips but better" shade and the formula is so plushy and comfortable! It's a pretty shiny finish, which usually means it'll have crap lasting power, but this formula clings to the lips and manages to last until my next meal with no problem! $50 at Ulta

I have to give honorable mention to some lipsticks that didn't make the cut, because truthfully, they may be next week's favorites!

Revlon Lip Butters in Red Velvet, Wild Watermelon, Tutti Frutti, Pink Truffle.

Clinique Different Lipstick in basically all the colors (another fantastic formula!), and the Chubby Sticks.

Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in Protest and Sheer Revolution in Liar.

Lipstick Queen Saints in Rust, Berry and Coral.

Cargo lipsticks in Dubai, Paris and Bordeaux.

Last thing, I wouldn't love my lipsticks nearly as much as I do if I didn't have amazing lipliners to accompany them! My favorites are Nyx Natural, Mauve and Ever, and MAC Chicory!

These are my top lipsticks without regard to season. I'm going to do a top ten summer lipsticks next time.

Until then,

Sara, aka Beelzebubbles