We’ve been put on notice today — theNotice, that is. The faboo Rae of theNotice blog shares one of her favorite lip tricks with brown liner.
Brown lip liners… What can I say about them other than “Hello, ’90s”? Here’s the thing: I think they’re ugly, and not normal ugly, but, like, horrendous.
We’re not talking about sheer browns or reddish-browns either. We’re talking about true brown lip colours — opaque browns — like Paula Dorf’s Voodoo pencil ($20).
It would make a stunning eyeliner. In fact, I’d call it perfect, with its gorgeous chocolate brown base and the most wonderful gold flecks.
But it’s not an eyeliner. Oh, no. It’s not.
I wanted to see what kind of lip Voodoo I could do with Voodoo, so I started by layering it underneath a coral gloss.
The experiment failed…
Luckily, a true beauty addict never gives up! When a product calls to you, you make that baby work.
Next, I figured I’d try layering it with a red lipstick — something from my stash that people rave about, something like MAC’s infamous Dubonnet lipstick.
As much as I like Dubonnet, I can’t wear it without layering the heck out of it — sometimes over a burgundy liner, other times topped with black gloss.
On it went overtop Voodoo…
*Cue the heavens opening and choir songs*
I think the brown in Voodoo tones down the fire truck red/orange tones in Dubonnet, giving it more of a berry edge.
I couldn’t stop there. Wanting a holiday lip look, I topped it with Sephora’s Bronzed Beauty (smells rank, but I do adore the colour).
TA-DA! And to think — this started out with a gross-looking brown liner!
Lesson of the day? Don’t judge a book by its cover. Try a brown lip liner or lipstick beneath a red that’s too va-va-vroom for you. It may just work miracles!
This post was written by Rae, the beautiful brains behind theNotice. Beauty blogger (with a wicked penchant for lip looks), student and makeup enthusiast, Rae can’t remember a time when she didn’t love makeup.
Mariah says
November 22nd, 2009 at 3:22 pmWell once you combined it with lipstick it was wearable! LOL! But omg, for the love of God and all that is holy, PLEASE, never just line your lips with this and then fill them in with nude lipstick/gloss!!! *GAG*
Rae says
November 22nd, 2009 at 7:06 pmOh my god I KNOW, right??? Lol!! It’s pretty horrendous when you don’t layer it… nineties much? 😛
.-= Rae’s last blog post… So I finally went to the mall yesterday… =-.
Marley says
November 22nd, 2009 at 3:36 pmGenius!! I have to try it!
.-= Marley’s last blog post… Neat. =-.
Rae says
November 22nd, 2009 at 7:07 pmDefinitely do 🙂 It’s a great little trick!
.-= Rae’s last blog post… Making shadows POP using milk =-.
Sheila says
November 22nd, 2009 at 5:04 pmIt looks so much better with something on top! I guess thats the thing with all lip liners, you just can’t wear them alone, unless they’re those classic red ones, haha.
.-= Sheila’s last blog post… Makeup in New Moon & Urban Decay mini haul =-.
Rae says
November 22nd, 2009 at 7:08 pmI actually don’t find that’s always the case — some of my favourite lip colours are liners! (MAC Plum, for instance. It’s HG for me!) With the brown ones, though, they really do need that layering 😛
.-= Rae’s last blog post… Making shadows POP using milk =-.
Rebecca says
November 22nd, 2009 at 5:31 pmOoh, major improvement! You weren’t kidding when you said brown lippies are horrendous… I’ve never really understood the point of their existence, but this one really does look good with the Dubonnet! Proof that Rae is magic, if we ever needed any 😉
.-= Rebecca’s last blog post… Aussie Deeeeep Conditioner: It’s a Follicle Miracle! =-.
Rae says
November 22nd, 2009 at 7:16 pmHaha, no I wasn’t 😛 I mean, I’m sure some ladies can rock them, but I am definitely NOT one of them!!
And thank you =D I had a phase where pretty much anything would warrant me announcing “that’s because I’m magic!” so I guess it finally paid off.
(I did actually manage to convince one of my friends to start calling me magic. She tends to be very impressionable, so when she hears something enough she starts repeating it! The look of surprise on her face the first time she said it was priceless — “that’s because Rae is — WHOA WHOA GUYS WHAT AM I SAYING?!”)
.-= Rae’s last blog post… The five most expensive colour items at Bergdorf’s =-.
Jenny says
November 22nd, 2009 at 5:32 pmbrown lippie plus dubbonet looks stunning!!
Rae says
November 22nd, 2009 at 7:17 pmThanks! I’m really liking the combination.
.-= Rae’s last blog post… Guess I’m just a downtown girl =-.
Solé says
November 22nd, 2009 at 5:53 pmI was in the 10th grade when brown lippies made their appearance (1992), and I was all over it before it made its way into the mainstream. Strangely enough, when I look at pics of myself at that time, I don’t hate the brown liner/lipstick (I should clarify I never used it alone). In fact, it makes me feel kind of nostalgic when I remember that excited feeling I used to get as a teenager when trying something completely new before everyone else did. Which isn’t to say I would wear it nowadays, unless of course I was using it to alter the color of another lipstick as you did. Kudos on making it work for you, it looks really pretty! And I agree that those Sephora glosses smell strange. I got the free birthday set and mine didn’t smell sugary, but they had this weird old plastic smell, like cheaper than cheap gloss. I still use them though cos they’re pretty.
Rae says
November 22nd, 2009 at 7:25 pmI’m jealous! Some ladies can really rock the brown liner — maybe you’re one of them, or maybe you just figured out how to layer lippies successfully really early on 🙂
The Sephora glosses really do have that awful plastic scent to them… but you’re right, they’re pretty ^^
.-= Rae’s last blog post… Making shadows POP using milk =-.
Carrie says
November 22nd, 2009 at 6:24 pmY’all are going to think I’m *insane*, but I actually like the look of the brown liner under the coral gloss…! I think it’s pretty.
Rae says
November 22nd, 2009 at 7:27 pmI don’t think you’re insane!! (Well, okaaaay, maybe I think you’re a little bit insane. But only a little!) My cosmetology instructor always told us that people are often attracted to colours they look good in* so perhaps it’s just that you look good in browns!!
*For instance, one of my favourite colours is purple, and it goes well with the cool undertones of my skin
.-= Rae’s last blog post… More guest posting =-.
DonnaN says
November 22nd, 2009 at 8:07 pmOK, so I’m having some wicked “My So-Called Life” flashbacks…….now I remember why I stay away from brown lips……With my pale skin, I look half-dead!
Rae says
November 22nd, 2009 at 9:11 pmLol!! Yep, pretty much… pale girls like us don’t really need any more help with looking half-dead 😛 It’s easy enough already, unfortunately!
.-= Rae’s last blog post… Guess I’m just a downtown girl =-.
amy says
November 22nd, 2009 at 9:07 pmThe colour looks very cute layered over the red gloss. AHHHH matte brown lips remind me of my days in high school.
.-= amy’s last blog post… Tarte Treasure Chest Tier 3: Lipglosses, Review and Swatches Part A =-.
Rae says
November 22nd, 2009 at 9:14 pmI know, right? I was really happy with the final result — and it would be a *killer* gloss, if only it didn’t smell so rank!
.-= Rae’s last blog post… Making shadows POP using milk =-.
Vonvon says
November 22nd, 2009 at 9:27 pmWow!! what a wonderful transformation….the end result is gorgeous color!
.-= Vonvon’s last blog post… Reviews: Tsuya-Tsuya Long Lasting Mascara And Angel Eyes =-.
Rae says
November 23rd, 2009 at 11:36 amI know! Surprising, right?
.-= Rae’s last blog post… D&G L’Imperatrice =-.
Marisol says
November 22nd, 2009 at 11:27 pmWow that looks great!
.-= Marisol’s last blog post… This is what a make-up no buy looks like =-.
Rae says
November 23rd, 2009 at 3:48 pmThanks! 🙂
.-= Rae’s last blog post… D&G L’Imperatrice =-.
Christy says
November 23rd, 2009 at 1:08 pmWow, u made that work well 🙂 I’m much the same, I always end up layering lip liners under a lipstick to morph it into something wearable.
.-= Christy’s last blog post… Volturi Twilight Cosmetics Labyrinth Loose Eye Shadow & Enrapture Lip Gloss Review & Swatches =-.
Rae says
November 23rd, 2009 at 4:02 pmThat’s because great minds think alike 😛 I love, love, love layering — it makes it so much easier to find the perfect lip colour!
.-= Rae’s last blog post… D&G L’Imperatrice =-.
Blovet Beauty says
November 23rd, 2009 at 7:45 pmthat’s a very interesting color!!
.-= Blovet Beauty’s last blog post… MUFE & Random Makeup =-.
Kristina says
November 30th, 2009 at 2:19 pmKeep in mind that brown lip liners are “nudes” for us darker ladies. If I were to line with a true nude it would look like a gray, ashy, line around my mouth.
Remember when looking at makeup, that it isn’t designed exclusively for light skinned people, so some products that may look horrendous, or unthinkable for you are for another skin tone.