lipstick on my holy grail

i suppose this is a review.

these are the three greatest lip products i own at the moment. they are a pink lipstick, a red lipstick/liner, and a neutralising green. the first i have to talk about is illamasqua's brink.

i use brink almost every time i wear makeup. when i first got it, amazingly, i regretted buying it. this is not a lipstick that was supposed to be used the way most people use lipstick, if that makes any sense. it's incredibly matte. almost chalk-like, if you apply it straight to your lips. but it's downright amazing, and here's why:

• it falls somewhere in between pink and coral. the kind of colour that can be worn in the day and at night. the best way to describe its brightness would be 'neutralised neon'.
• because it's so matte, when you apply it, it will last all day. for this same reason it looks fantastic as a blush. it's also fine for mixing with glosses, eyeshadows and other lipsticks, and works well as an anchor for colour or placement. i've even used it on my eyelids in lieu of a creme shadow.

the second is a smashbox doubletake lip pencil in the colour 'cranberry'. why:

• both ends work on their own as a lipstick, one as a matte and one as something resembling a creme but leaning matte - these are the sort of lip products i prefer as you can always add glitter or shine if needed. the pencil side anchors very well, and is more berry-toned where the lipstick side is blue-toned. the only downside is the size of the pencil, i had to go out and buy a sharpener just to accomodate for it. you don't need a brush for these because their texture is fine, and they're pointed enough even at their most dull to get a nice line.

the very last and one of the most amazing: occ lip tar in lo-fi.

• yes, it's basically lime, and no, you don't need to use it on its own, although i have and it looks quite nice. i think everyone who's vaguely serious about make-up should use something like this. it  will neutralise red tones - the tiniest bit, mixed with clear gloss, makes the most natural-looking nude lip imaginable. on me, at least - i have quite pink lips naturally. it also helps tone down any lipstick and you need less than, let's lay, three grains of sand to do so. it's matte unless you slather it on. occ's lip tars are made of castor seed oil, hemp oil and peppermint oil, with some vitamin e and a dye/oxide/mica, depending on which colour it is. it's liquid, but unless you get the clear one, this is not something that should be applied like a typical gloss. a little goes a long, long, long way.
• here's a really charming picture of me wearing it

so! the prices of these (australian dollars) are $39 for illamasqua's brink (although i bought it in england at a redeemable class),  something around $30 for the smashbox lip pencil/lipstick - although you can buy their nude pencil/apricot lip version on ebay for $5 - and between $12 to $18 for the lip tar. i got mine from makeup & glow, a sort of makeup artists' emporium in brisbane, but you can also order from occ's website if you don't mind waiting, plus there is a list of all their australian stockists on there.