Last year, I went to a MAC counter with a friend to find a lipstick to wear to my wedding. It was winter, I was pale, and I was seeking a My-Lips-But-Better shade that was slightly more pink than my natural lipcolor. I wound up choosing Brave, a satin finish; I loved how it looked with Soar pencil underneath. It was subtle and made me look like me (though I enjoy reds, I feel most comfortable in MLBBs and neutral pinks), which was important considering the occasion.

Fast forward to late spring! I had started my sunless tanning routine with Million Dollar Tan’s excellent Cabana Tan lotion line. I was tan and golden, and felt good about not harming my skin in the process. I started refining what my day-of makeup was going to be – applying, tweaking, etc. – most times sans lip because, come on. I knew what the lip looked like.

One time I decided to finish it properly, lip and all. I was so excited to be done, thinking, “Oh yes, I nailed this!”

Except I wasn’t as enamored of the lip as I remember being. What?! I remember being so enamored of the shade when I bought it. Was it the cruel salesfloor lighting within Macy’s? No, I had photos of it. In natural light, even. It looked so cool, almost making my lips look ashy…what the hell happened? Lipsticks don’t just change color!

It had only been about a month since I started sunless tanning, but I had reached where I wanted to be – it was enough to change the effect of the lipstick drastically against my skin. Thankfully, the arrival of my Glambot order saved the day; armed with MAC Cosmo, I was able to blend the two lipsticks on my lip (over the Soar lip pencil) to achieve what I wanted on my newly-tan skin.

Because of that, I put Brave away and hadn’t reached for it in a while. Recently having returned to my palest shade (props to Million Dollar Tan – it really lasted!), I reached for it this week and found that it looks good again.

In short, if you tend to be a bit of a chameleon depending on the season, don’t be surprised (or upset!) if certain shades (of lipstick or blush, especially) don’t flatter as much as they did at another time. Certainly don’t do anything rash like throw a product away over it. With lipstick, try mixing it with another lipcolor (or even just topping it with a gloss to alter it a bit). If that doesn’t work, give it time, wait for the next season, and try again; your skintone has a huge impact on these things.

I’m thrilled to have this particular lipstick back in my rotation. Foundation/concealer being the exception, have you ever found this to be the case with a product in your collection (flattering when purchased, not so much in a different season)?