Nothing switches up a look like a nice lippie.
Luckily for you, summer is the perfect opportunity to switch up staple items in your makeup bag and play around with fun lip colors. Here are 8 lipsticks every black girl should add to their collection this summer.
1.Rever
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Be a part of the Dream Team with Rever by ColourPop – a standout shade with a cream finish that will make your lips thank you. This neon orange-red shade comes paired with a lip bundle of two nudes that you can also rock this summer. At $16 for all three, there's no way you should pass up on this set.
2.Goddess
Channel your inner Goddess with the splendid gold hues of this lip gloss by The Lip Bar. You'll be impressed with the pigment of this product and its versatility. Wear it to the beach or in the office for the perfect bronzed look throughout summer.
3.Menace
Alex Friedmann
Start trouble with Menace by Urban Decay. This bright fuschia pink translates into a great go-to for girls' night out or a day about town. Take it one step further by creating an ombre effect with a fuchsia lipliner, and you'll officially win the prize of showstopper this summer.
4.Cotton Candy
Rico Images
Get all the way into this flirty pink for summer. Cotton Candy by Anastasia Beverly Hills is the perfect hue of fun, with a moisturizing matte finish that won't leave you high and dry (literally). Use this shade to add a pop of color to neutrals and basics you can't part with during the hot months.
5.Socialite
Rico Images
Get out and about with Socialite by The Lip Bar. This ultra-pigmented lip gloss sets the scene with pink and peach tones that are sure to make you the life of the party. Regardless of the time or place, this shade is ready for whatever.
6.Stunna
Go for the reddest of the reds with Fenty Beauty's Stunna. This intense lip paint has a soft matte finish that will make you the center of attention. Rock it with minimum makeup or a full beat for a tantalizing look that shows you mean business.
7.Tight Fit
Rico Images
Are you a fan of a great lip gloss and a good deal? Get both with ColourPop's Tight Fit. This peachy pink metallic offers a high gloss shine plus full coverage finish at a fraction of the cost of its competitors. At $6, it's worth buying one for you and a friend.
8.Stevie
Switch up the tempo with Stevie by Anastasia Beverly Hills. This smooth matte is the perfect nude to carry you through all four seasons. Wear it alone during the summer or use a brown liner for a darker look this the fall. This versatile color is a staple worth investing in.
9.Prima Donna
Prima Donna by The Lip Bar is the type of purple that won't let you down this summer. Make it your go-to for day parties and night scenes. It's the type of liquid matte lipstick you won't regret.
*Featured image of Kandice Guice by Rico Images
RELATED
During the Los Angeles tour stop, which spanned three dates on May 21, May 23, with the finale on May 24, xoNecole had the opportunity to test out the glosses included in this soft launch, as SZA revealed in a statement that "this is just the start of other lip products, including plans to launch stains, liners, and creams all inspired by SZA's “infamous layered lip combinations.”
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So, what is included in the first Not Beauty launch?
The current Not Beauty products available are lip glosses that come in three shades: In the Flesh, Strawberry Jelly, and Quartz.
During my visit to the first LA Not Beauty pop-up activation, I not only had the chance to purchase all three glosses but also took a peek inside the blow-up log tent. Inside, fans got to experience SZA’s love for nature and her fascination with bugs, which are prominently featured in her performances for this tour. At one point, she even had human preying mantis prancing across the stage y'all.
There were blow-up photos of the beauty that is SZA for fans (myself included) to take photos, but in wooden-like tree trunks were a deeper dive into some of the ingredients featured in her products and their benefits.
For example, the glosses feature Hi-Shine Lip Jelly and Shea Butter as key ingredients and some of the listed benefits included are:
- Shea Butter - “A powerhouse ingredient, offering both functional and nourishing benefits.”
- Hi-Shine Lip Jelly (featured in the In the Flesh shade) - “Formula glides on with perfect adhesion to the lips without stickiness).
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What are in the products?
Featured in an orange package, with images of a bug and flower on the side, the back of the box reads: “It’s NOT BEAUTY, it just works. Developed by Solána “SZA” Rowe.
As someone who never leaves home without a good lip gloss, I loved how compact the wood panel packaging is. Perfect to slip into my purse, or in the case of the show at SoFi Stadium, into my pocket when I’m not carrying a bag.
Because I’m a sucker for a good black and brown lip liner and clear gloss combo, I decided to wear the Quartz flavor on night one of the Grand National Tour LA stop, and it did not disappoint. I’ll admit, it’s light weight feel made me nervous because it felt like there was nothing on my lips. However, when I checked my lips in my compact mirror several times throughout the night, I was shocked to find that my gloss was still intact. I only reapplied once out of the habit of looking cute and applying my gloss, but not necessity.
Here are some of the ingredients featured, but not limited to, in the Quartz flavor.
- Polyisoubutene
- Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea)Butter
- Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil
- Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil
- Tocopherol
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Lip prep
I’m a simple girl who loves to stay true to her roots. So ahead of the show, I stopped by a local Inglewood Beauty Supply store and grabbed a Black and Brown shade lip pencil for just under $2 a piece.
Shading the outline of my lips with the black pencil first, I used the brown to lightly fill the inside of my lips before applying my Quartz Not Beauty shade gloss.
How to apply
There’s truly no right or wrong way to apply lip gloss (in my opinion), with this being a brush applicator sort of product, I simply untwisted the top and swiped the gloss around my top and bottom lip generously.
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Results
Again, my Not Beauty Quartz product stayed on my lips from the start of the show, which began with a fire DJ set from LA’s very own, Mustard, to the conclusion when Kendrick and SZA reunited on stage to send us home to their duet, “luther,” featured on the rapper's GNX album.
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