issue 17 // volume 43 life & style // no. ‘Wi Lip service > Getting lingual on your lipstick Brittney MacDonald Life & Style Editor etting into the makeup game can bea little intimidating. Go into any Sephora—or even just the basic cosmetic counter at a drug store—and there are so many products out there just to confuse you, with next to none of them coming with instruction manuals. Luckily, YouTube now exists, and it can provide you with hundreds of video tutorials that will teach you everything from the bare basics of blending your foundation, to the latest elite make-up craze. If you're not down with the lingo, however, even these videos can get confusing. Now, a few months ago there was a two-part piece written by the Other Press’s lovely Humour Editor, Rebecca Peterson, regarding the terminology surrounding nail polish. I have decided to continue on with this educational presentation, and cover the various terms used in regards to cosmetic lip products— what they are, what do they do, and, most importantly, what’s the difference? Beginning with the most basic, what is a lip balm? Balms are generally colourless, or lightly tinted, and their main function is to moisturize. Balms will be made out of oil solids like coconut oil, or beeswax, another common ingredient. They provide a subtle sheen, but this generally goes away after the product is absorbed by the skin. Moving on to glosses. Glosses range in pigment from clear to extremely pigmented, and can also contain glitter. Strangely enough, despite the fact that they look quite wet, a gloss will not provide a lot of moisture to the lips, which is why many makeup artists recommend putting a lip balm on beforehand. Glosses can be made of any number of things, but the most common ingredient is petroleum, which is what gives the gloss that signature shine factor. Their main purpose is to make the lips look as shiny as possible (although some can be more subtle), because this will make them look bigger and fuller. The next product up is a stain or tint. Not to be confused with tinted lip balm, a stain or a tint—what they’re called will vary from company to company—does as the names suggests; they dye your lips temporarily. This product is meant for long wear, and it is extremely natural looking, as it leaves the barest hint of colour. It’s generally just enough to make you look like you've just bitten your lip. These products are great if you find that your'e looking a little washed out. Moving on to OI Faithful—the lipstick. Lipsticks are meant to completely alter the colour of the lips, so they have very solid pigments. Like balms, they're usually made of some form of wax, but as a general rule, the wax used in a lipstick will usually have a higher melting point than the wax used ina balm, so that the colour doesn’t go on streaky. As such, they feel thicker than a lip balm, but lighter than a gloss. Lipsticks also have the added bonus of being available in various finishes, such as satin or matte. This is purely an aesthetic option and has no real barring on how well the lipstick works—it simply provides a different texture. Now entering the more complicated realm, we can take a look at creams. Creams are a strange hybrid between a lipstick and a lip gloss. They are matte, but have a texture similar to a mousse, so they feel thicker and more substantial on your lips. A lip cream is very full coverage, so if you're wanting to try brighter colours but are afraid that your natural lip colour will bleed through, a cream is a good choice. Liquid lipsticks have become increasingly popular over the last couple years—to the point where pretty much Beauty on a Budget: Covergirl Outlast All-Day Soft Touch Concealer and Matte Finishing Powder > New offerings by Covergirl are shade limited, but wearably worthy Lauren Kelly Editor-in-Chief he recently-released concealer and finishing powder from Covergirl’s Outlast line have received strong reviews. I was in the market for a finishing powder, and since these two products seemed to go hand-in-hand, I decided to test both out. The concealer comes in six colours: Fair, Light, Light/Medium, Medium, Medium/Deep, and Deep. It comes in a squeeze tube with a soft sponge applicator at the end. It applies smoothly, is unnoticeable, and is seamless in consistency. When I used it in areas with larger pores, it filled them and smoothed them over as well. However, the shade I purchased, Fair, is a tad too dark and cool-toned on me, making it clash with my better-matched foundation. If it was closer, I would definitely use it, because the coverage is good. The matte finishing powder comes in a compact that’s relatively short, making it easy to fit in your bag to bring with you. It does come with a sponge, but there is no special place to store it in the compact like there is with Maybelline’s Fit Me powder foundation. Still, as it is a finishing powder, I would recommend using a powder brush for application. The powder’s colour range is more limited, with three colours: Fair to Light, Light to Medium, and Medium to Deep. I bought Fair to Light, which ended up being a bit too dark for my skin. However, the colour itself is not incredibly noticeable, and since it’s not a powder foundation, that’s totally okay. As a finishing powder, it works incredibly well. My current foundation is great, but I do get shiny as the day goes on. With this finishing powder on top, it took about six hours for me to see any shine, and it was quickly fixed with another application. The product doesn’t look too powdery over my foundation, and it has a buttery feeling to it. The concealer costs $14.99 at Shoppers Drug Mart, and the finishing powder is $1.99. Since you can’t swatch the products before buying them and MATTE th eee ala OUTLAST ALL-DAY COVER GIRI NTE ALL-DAY Comat Ab iy orp dato Jo Pura since the concealer is pricier, I wouldn't recommend it unless you have an easily- matched skin-tone. However, I would recommend the finishing powder. The finish is incredibly nice, and it does Illustration by Ed Appleby every company is coming out with a line of them. They are exactly how they sound; a liquid that then dries into a finish that is similar to a lipstick. Many people like liquid lipsticks because they give you more control during the application, as opposed to a traditional lipstick, and it also allows you all the shade and finish options available in a lipstick format. These few terms are just the tip of the iceberg, but hopefully they’re enough for you to feel a little more confident the next time you have to brave the hell that is retail cosmetics. Image via covergirl.ca everything it says it will by keeping you matte and shine-free. I expect to be using it a lot, especially once the sun comes out and I want some more colour to my face.