I have never been a huge fan of lipstick. I like the glossy, moisturized pout that only lip gloss can provide. But, I do love the staying power of lipstick, which is why I tend to wear it underneath gloss for long-lasting color. This week I tested 3 lipsticks from Make Up For Ever’s Rouge Artist Natural line: N47 (Red Brick), N50 (Aubergine), and N34 (Candy Pink). The lipsticks in this line are supposed to be a cross between a lip balm and a lipstick, so I had to give them a try.
What I like:
•The lipsticks are extremely hydrating – in all the pictures you will see below I did not apply lip balm before putting on the colors, and look how moisturized my lips look. This is great because I didn’t have to use my trick of applying lip gloss over the stain for a moistened, shiny finish.
•They glided on smoothly and the conditioned my dry lips – this allowed me to skip the process of exfoliating before applying, so it’s perfect to use when you are on a time crunch.
•The stains are nicely pigmented and lasted from morning until mid-afternoon.
The Candy Pink is comparable to bubblegum, but a little darker. Normally, I wouldn’t wear pink at night, but the deep shade of this color would transition very nicely from day to evening.
Usually, I stay away from reds. If you don’t pick the right shade you can looked washed out or downright scary, but Red Brick was perfect for my olive complexion, and wasn’t overpowering.
Aubergine looked a little intimidating in the tube, and I was expecting to look gothic chic; however, once I applied it, the rich purple is sheer and had red undertones, which made for a very classy lip look.
You can combine Aubergine and Red Brick for sexy ombré lips. First, fill in your entire pout with the Red Brick color, and then smudge the Aubergine in the center to re-create the look seen on the runway during Nina Ricci’s Fall/Winter 2012 show (pictured below).
Or, reverse the colors by applying Red Brick all over the mouth, and then going over all but the center of your lip with Aubergine for the look seen at Gucci’s 2012 Fall/Winter show (pictured below).
With all the colors, I recommend applying concealer over your lips to prevent bleeding, and to draw out the natural hue.
See more color options from the Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Natural lipstick line at sephora.com.
MIXED EGO 
when i first looked at the sticker at the end of the tube, i thought it would be a light coral-ly color. however, the lipstick itself resembles its name “Brick” but rather than “Pink”, i feel as if it’s more of a brownish red. on the MUFE website, this color is categorized under the “Brown” family. i believe this shade falls under the satin type of finish. it’s a warm color that makes me look older but in a good way (like you know how a hot pink would probably be more of a “young” color?). let’s call it a “sophisticated” color.