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Espresso and Ambition

A not-so-serious gal with some serious dreams.

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My Favorite Dark Lipsticks

January 15, 2017 by Taylor 1 Comment

My all-time favorite trend at the moment is dark lipstick. I’ve loved red lipstick for quite a while, but it’s only recently that I’ve started getting into the darker colors. I’ve started to build up a collection of a variety of different shades, which is fun because it allows me to coordinate my lipstick with both my outfit and my mood.

I also generally tend to find favorite formulas and stick with them, so you’ll notice that all of these lipsticks come from three different brands: MAC, NARS, and Kat Von D. From my experience, all three of these brands generally deliver good pigmentation and a long-lasting formula (if applied correctly), so I can buy new colors on a whim and not worry about whether or not I’m getting a high-quality product.

Reds and Berries

1. NARS Lipstick in Funny Face: This is the pinkest lipstick on this post – the color actually toes the line between being considered a “bright lipstick” and being considered a “dark lipstick.” I love going for this color when my whole outfit is neutral because it adds a great pop of color without being overwhelmingly bright.

2. Kat Von D Liquid Lipstick in Sante Sangre: Liquid lipsticks are quickly becoming my obsession, and the formulation of the Kat Von D ones is my personal favorite. This is a bright, true red (that leans just slightly orange-ish depending on your skin tone).

3. MAC Lipstick in Russian Red: This is a cult favorite for a great reason. It’s a unique red – it’s a bit darker than most red lipsticks without getting overly brown or overly purple. It also has some minor blue undertones (aka makes your teeth look whiter), and it has a fantastic matte finish.

4. MAC Lipstick in Rebel: I honestly think this swatch makes the color look like more of a true berry color than it actually is. On me, it’s much more purple.

Burgundies and Beyond

5. NARS Lipstick in Scarlet Empress: This could also be considered a “berry” color, because it is a bit sheer, but with a second coat it’s quite obviously in the burgundy family. It’s got a lot of purple in it as well – it wasn’t quite what I expected when I bought it because it looks so much darker in the tube, but I’ve definitely grown to love it.

6. NARS Audacious Lipstick in Bette: This is my holy grail lipstick. If you buy one tube from this post, buy this one. It is the prettiest burgundy color, and is such a fantastically creamy formula. As trade-offs always occur between moisture level and longwearing capabilities, this color requires a bit more application than I’d like, but it’s so worth it.

7. MAC Lipstick in Media: This color was actually my first real foray into dark lipstick. I got it sometime freshman year, and wore it on a 90’s themed date night – and thus, my love affair with dark lipstick began. This color falls somewhere between a dark purple and a brown.

8. MAC Lipstick in Antique Velvet: This is a solid true brown. It’s completely matte and really cool-looking, although if you try to just swipe it on and walk out the door, it’ll fade off the moment you take a bite of food. Apply, dab it off, then add another coat and you’re golden. Also, this color makes me feel like Kylie – I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not, but it’s a thing.

9. Kat Von D Liquid Lipstick in Witches: No dark lipstick collection would be complete without a true black. I wear this color sparingly – it’s a bit intimidating and can occasionally give off a goth vibe that doesn’t suit me at all, but it’s really fun to wear with an otherwise super-girly outfit as an unexpected punch. This particular shade of black is highly pigmented and stays on so well.

If you have any new dark lipstick shades I should try, please let me know in the comments! I’m always looking to expand my lipstick collection (as unhealthy as that may be for my bank account).

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Filed Under: Beauty, Etc.

Comments

  1. Kelsey says

    January 16, 2017 at 9:17 pm

    All of these colors are so pretty! I love 2 and 3!
    Kelsey | petiteinherpearls.blogspot.com

    Reply

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Meet Taylor

A real-life combination of Elle Woods and Hermione Granger. Recent graduate of the University of Georgia, currently living and working in DC. New blog posts every Monday, new YouTube videos every Thursday. Subscribe by clicking the link below for post updates and exclusive content!

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tayy_kay

📍 dc
🔥 nasm certified personal trainer
✨ self-love + balance
🎥 2 new workouts per week!

tayy_kay
without heavy weights, it’s sometimes a little c without heavy weights, it’s sometimes a little challenging to really feel like i’m working at my full potential on leg days 😶 enter: single-leg movements. since all the weight is in one leg, you’re putting way more emphasis on it than you do during two-leg movements - and you’ll definitely feel that 🔥 you also get some added bonuses in the form of ensuring you’re working each side of your body equally AND a balance challenge!!
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you can add in weights or bands to up the challenge level, or do it all bodyweight like i am here!
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1️⃣ 15 single-leg box squats per leg (use other leg as a kickstand for an easier modification!)
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2️⃣ 15 bulgarian split squats per leg
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3️⃣ 15 single-leg hip thrusts per leg
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4️⃣ 15 single-leg deadlifts per leg
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throw on at the end of a longer leg day workout or do it 3-4 times as a workout all on its own!!
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👚 @girlfriend 🎧 numb - neffex
🖤 go easy on yourself 🖤 this is a weird time 🖤 go easy on yourself 🖤 this is a weird time to be alive, and it’s more important now than ever to listen to your body and stop being so hard on yourself. motivation is a fickle thing and working out when you don’t have all the equipment you love is weird. give yourself permission to take a break when you need it. don’t beat yourself up for missing workouts - exercise should be something you do because it makes you happy, not because you feel like you have to punish yourself. if it doesn’t make you happy that day, that’s okay. give yourself a break, come back and try again tomorrow. 💪🏼
circuit-style upper body workout 🖤 honestly not circuit-style upper body workout 🖤 honestly not kidding about how much i love this long resistance band, it’s so versatile! definitely worth getting your hands on one for home workouts 😊 (although almost all of these can be completely with dumbbells or heavy objects if that’s what you’ve got in hand)
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also please watch to the very end of the fourth video for quality footage of greg 😂
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1️⃣ 12 long band shoulder presses to standing chest presses
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2️⃣ 12 upright rows to bicep curls
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3️⃣ 12 overhead triceps extensions per arm (the one leg stance is some bonus balance work!)
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4️⃣ 12 rear flies, featuring greg trying to fight my shadow
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5️⃣ 12 commandos
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6️⃣ 12 side-to-side pushups
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repeat 4x total!!
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👚 @underarmourwomen
🎧 best of me - neffex
giveaway 🔥 we’re all handling this weird, cra giveaway 🔥 we’re all handling this weird, crazy time in the world a little differently, and for me, it’s looked like a lot of establishing to and sticking to routines (seriously, sometimes it feels like my skincare routine and workout split are the only thing still giving meaning to days of the week, lol). my morning smoothies have been another important one - there’s a recipe in my story highlights and surprise surprise it uses this protein powder 😛
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anyways, onto the real reason you’re here! i’m giving away 25 $20 giftcards for @310nutrition with NO STRINGS ATTACHED 🤯 you hear that? you ain’t gotta do a thing to win - the first 25 people to use the code KAYGC20 on their order automatically win. get your hands on some fire plant-based protein powder, courtesy of me and 310 😋 (p.s. if you’re still seeing this caption, there are still giftcards available!!)
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#310gc20 #310shake
sometimes you just gotta get hella dressed up and sometimes you just gotta get hella dressed up and hold a fake photo shoot just to prove to yourself that you’re still a real human
posted a new youtube video. this picture is tangen posted a new youtube video. this picture is tangentially topical. link in bio.
upper body circuit ‼️ i’ve been gravitating upper body circuit ‼️ i’ve been gravitating towards circuit-style workouts lately, because they really work up a sweat and home workouts just don’t feel as legit to me unless i’m hardcore sweating 🤷🏼‍♀️ i don’t mind not breaking much of a sweat at the gym, but it feels weird not to when i’m working out at home - anyone else feel this or am i just weird?? 😅
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do all exercises back to back with no rest in between!
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1️⃣ 10 push-ups to renegade rows
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2️⃣ 12 alternating bicep curls
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3️⃣ 12 diamond front raises
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4️⃣ 8 sets of 3 tricep pulses to this lil cross-body weight move that doesn’t have a name {keep your core tight to feel it on your obliques!}
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5️⃣ 15 bent-over rear delt rows
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6️⃣ finisher!! 🥵 10 burpees with 2 shoulder taps and 2 toe taps in the middle of each rep
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repeat 🔁 for a total of 3 rounds!!
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👚 top from @gymsharkwomen, shorts from @nike 🎧 dangerous - neffex
would be nice if both sides of my head could agree would be nice if both sides of my head could agree on whether my hair is wavy or straight, but apparently that’s a little too much to ask of it 😂
got a circuit-style leg workout for you today! 🥳 there are 3 sets of 3 exercises that you’ll complete back-to-back - once you’ve done those three moves, rest for 30 seconds before repeating them all over again 2 more times! rest for 1-2 minutes in between each circuit - keeping your heart rate up is the goal here, i was driiiiiiipping sweat by the end of this one 🥵
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circuit 1️⃣: 10 step-ups to reverse lunges per leg
10 reverse lunges to curtsy lunges per leg
20 lateral lunges
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circuit 2️⃣:
10 squats to surrenders (stop in a squat position before standing up at the end to really feel this one)
10 stagger-stance rdls
20 criss-cross squat jumps
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circuit 3️⃣:
15 leg lifts per side
10 single-leg glute bridges per side
15 frog pumps
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👚 top from @fabletics, joggers from @gymsharkwomen
🎧 watch me - neffex
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