For many, many years I was a minimalist makeup kind of girl: the “no makeup” makeup look was the only kind I wanted. But as I’ve gotten older I’ve started to have a lot more fun with makeup—especially when it comes to lipstick.

I was talking with a friend recently about my small but mighty lipstick collection (small for obvious reasons, mighty because I love every one of these colors so much!), and was reflecting on how I found the ones I use the most. Ten years ago, my favorites were all ones I chose myself: I bought them in person after trying them on. But I realized that is only true of one of my current favorites.

That got me to wondering: where and how do you find your favorite lipsticks? Here’s a quick peek at my go-to lipsticks and how I discovered them.

The drugstore find: Cover Girl Outlast All-Day Lip Color with Topcoat in shades 621 and 555. I picked out these exact shades at Target after a local makeup artist raved about this lip color and these shades in particular, which she loved for their subtlety and versatility. I’m going to pass along the tip she gave me: use the clear gloss that comes with it so your lips don’t dry out!

The launch party gift: Sephora #Lipstories in #28 Popsicle Lips. I LOVE this whole line of Sephora Collection $9 lipsticks (they’re 30% off today thanks to the sale that ends 12/11), but this cheerful red is the one that started it all. Because we (briefly) talk about lipstick at 90% of our Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club events, one thoughtful reader brought this as a gift to my Don’t Overthink It launch party. This color is bright, happy, and easy to wear: I took to it immediately!

The fruits of an internet deep dive: Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in Sexy Sienna. I want to start by saying I never do this, but is that protesting too much? Because of my skin tones, I have long been drawn to lipsticks in the coral family, and I wanted to find something akin to a shade Jennifer Aniston frequently wears. So I googled up a storm, and finally found an interview with her makeup artist that pointed me towards this warm, friendly neutral. I know we have a lot of Charlotte Tilbury fans around here but this is the only product of any kind I own (so far).

The gift from a chic friend: Westman Atelier Lip Suede in Les Rouges. This lip palette was a very nice gift from a friend who cheekily describes herself as a Westman groupie. I particularly like how the colors can easily be combined: the fuchsia + tomato red is my most-used blend.

The one I bought the (er, my) old-fashioned way: Westman Atelier Baby Cheeks Blush Stick in Bichette. The Westman Atelier line is getting easier to find (now it’s even at Sephora) but before it was everywhere, I jumped on the opportunity to try it when I visited a CosBar while traveling. I use this product most frequently as a lipstick, even though it’s technically a “blush stick”: a big part of its appeal is that I can and do use it for cheeks, lips, and eyes which makes morning makeup easy, easy, easy—especially when I’m on the road. I love this layered with Westman Atelier Squeaky Clean Lip Balm in Garçonne for fall and winter.

Now it’s your turn to share. What are your favorite lipsticks and, importantly, how did you discover them?

P.S. Tried and true beauty and skincare products I never want to be without, and 13 skincare favorites for winter weather.

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