lipstick.

I have been wearing more make-up since we have moved to Washington. Mostly because it is fun and I have to get dressed in order to be productive since it is always grey outside. I am also not comfortable with my "irish roots". My dad's side of the family is super pale (and freckly!) while my mom's side has much darker skin. I have been lucky to stay tan year round for the past half decade but now I am remembering what is like to have super dark-almost black hair and pale skin.

via

Lately lipstick is my favorite thing to pick up at the drugstore but today I took the plunge and went to Sephora to pick up a more expensive tube for the holidays

and let me tell you I did research:
Here are some of the questions I asked.

 1) which brand is the best for my money? (this is important, I wasn't going to buy something more expensive for the label)
2) what is the difference between sheers, matte, satin, stains, etc? I was pretty sure from magazines and experience but I wanted to really know which type would be the best for me
3) How should I prep for my lipstick? ie. how can I make my lips look good all day 

They were nice and very patient with all my questions. My only regret that I went with no make up on (It was a before gym pit-stop!) so I couldn't really see what looked like as a complete look.

I wanted something that I could wear to holiday parties but would also be easy enough to put on to run errands. I ended up with Make up Forever Rouge Artist Intense 32. It was soft going on and didn't run a lot. It is the perfect shade of pink that looks extra pretty with gloss on top. Overall, I am glad I went and asked a ton of questions so now I have a better idea of what to get from the drugstore. I really want to go back for the perfect shade of red next!

What is your perfect shade? Any tips on how to get my lipstick to stay in place better? I am all ears!