It seemed simple at the outset. During a well-intended makeup purge I realized that I had so much lipstick I didn't even know what to do with all of it! THus, the April Lipstick Challenge was born to give me something to blog about and a fun way to clear a bunch of lipsticks.

30 lipsticks, 30 days. Simple right?

But what I didn't know is that I would discover that I don't particularly LIKE taking daily selfies. You can sort of see on my Instagram that I shared my photos in waves. Sometimes I even re-did them because I didn't like them. As innocent as this challenge was, it really exposed some insecurities that I didn't even realize I had. It's left me thinking, and that's a good thing. It was an unexpected but interesting turn of events.

Now, on to the lipstick!

Top Five Lipsticks

1. Urban Decay - Turn On - This pink is like my lipstick soul mate. It works with everything and is always a perfect choice for day or night, and it's suuuuper great on my lips.
2. L'Oreal Colour Riche Gloss in Orange Tempo - I was surprised by how much I like this gloss. I usually shy away from stickier formulas but it smells great and leaves my lips feeling good. I'm currently on the lookout for Rose Melody for a great pink.
3. Covergirl Blast Flipstick in Perky - Who knew a COVER GIRL lippie that looks like it's targeted to teens would be in my top 5? It's really ALL DUE to the gorgeous colour. Bright, flattering and playful.
4. Urban Decay in F-Bomb - If I had to choose one, and only one red from ALL the reds in my collection, this would be it. Not nearly as dark as my L'Oreal Buttoned Up Red, but it has that gorgeous blue-toned red that makes it work with anything. Also? Great formula.
5. OCC Lip Tar in Nylon - SURPISE! Did you think this would be Roller Girl? Honestly, so did I. Until I kept going back to see how amazing this colour looked on me. Sorry Roller Girl, you're out of the top five! (But a close #6!)

The Bottom Nine Tossers

1. L'Oreal Colour Riche in Real Red- Great colour, terrrrible everything else.
2. Rimmel Lasting Finish in In Vogue - I've got this fuschia-hot pink kind of colour in so many different formulas now and this one is the worrrst.
3. L'Oreal Infallible in Coral Seduction - Once again, love the colour hate the formula and scent.
4. Avon ColorTrend in Belle Belle - Oh god, this one is so old and discontinued and does nooottthhiinnngg.
5. Clinique in Precious Pink - A whole lotta blah in here.
6. L'Oreal Colour Riche Star Secrets in Evangeline's Red - It's all about the poor formula folks!
7. Momo Glosswear in Hot Lips - It's not that it looks baaaaad, it's just kinda average and leaves that sticky film.
8. Essence - What was I thinking with a shiny, brownish glitter? Huh??
9. NYC Matte in Soft Beige - Lesson Learned: Just because all the cool kids are drooling over concealer-lipsticks doesn't mean that YOU have to Danielle!

I wanted to do ten tosses, but I've decided to let Joe Fresh's Bare stick around for awhile as I think it'll prove interesting for blending and mixing. But it's on notice!

The Results

A good thing I've learned through this challenge is that most of the tosses were simple things I've outgrown or things I got for cheap/free. This makes the personal finance side of me breathe a sigh of relief. I guess that I just needed that extra kick in the butt (read: being forced to wear a crappy product all day) to do so.* I think the price of the stuff I'm chucking only really cost me $30 in total*, so it's no surprise that these are the ones I'm letting go of, they're lippies I never really sought after anway.

That said, there are a bunch of great drug store products in the mix of the ones I'm keeping. It's no surprise that Urban Decay is in my top five twice, but I was surprised by how much I liked my Colour Riche lipglosses and my continued adoration for my Cover Girl Blast Flipstick. I think this really does prove that when it comes to lipsticks, YMMV. My favourite luxe buys may not be yours, and your favourite drug store buys may not be mine, but it doesn't hurt to keep an open mind.

Until next time!