Hey all! It’s been a crazy few weeks here in my neck of the woods…Photobooth season is ramping up considerably, it’s the end of the fiscal year for a lot of the clients at work, and it’s fucking hot as balls outside. I’m sorry I’ve been absent from the blogging world. My mental energy has been pretty much zero for the past 2 months and it’s taken every drop to get out of bed and put on pants like a normal human being.

The good news for me is that I got to visit Origins Game Fair in Columbus again a couple weeks ago! Jake and I got to stay there the weekend instead of just a a day, which was a nice little vacation from life and work. Additionally, I was finally able to meet my good friend Shannon in person! She is an incredible human being who I met through the magic of indies, and I’m so incredibly grateful for her friendship. I also got to spend some quality time with the amazing Victoria as well! All in all it was a much needed trip and yes, I did buy dice.

Speaking of awesome friends, if you subscribe to emails from Crow & Pebble, you may have noticed a familiar name in her yearly roundup with a bit of intriguing information. For those if you who don’t, I am pleased to announce that I will be collaborating with Karen on an upcoming collection! I won’t give anything away at this point, but I will say that the theme of this upcoming set is very near and dear to my heart, and I hope you all love it as much as I do.

Today’s post starts with a confession. I’m a bit picky when it comes to lip colors. Up until the past couple years, I actually felt that lip color looked silly on me and were too fussy, so I pretty much stuck with Chapstick. Since I’ve discovered the indie world, I have found that there are super comfortable, beautiful, and long lasting lip colors out there that won’t break the bank. There’s nothing that will drive me crazy faster than dry, uncomfortable lipstick that makes my lips feel like sand!

While I do own liquid lipsticks, primarily from Wet N Wild (which is great by the way), balms are still my go to. Epically Epic is a brand famed for their delicious and moisturizing balms, as is Luvmilk, but sometimes I want a bit more color. Luckily for me (and everyone) Crow & Pebble released a selection of colored balms as part of her A High, Lonely Place collection. Called Lip Tints, I picked up three for myself as part of my birthday present, as well as Lady Macbeth, one of her matte bullet lipsticks from the Sins From Thy Lips collection. While I had already purchased one of these previously, namely Juliet, I wanted to try a slightly more intense color.

Lets check out some swatches!

A Dog Loose in the Woods is ‘A very soft taupe lip tint with an ivory frost’, but on me read as a slightly more neutral MLBB shade, almost a mauve. The shine on this one is definitely more pronounced and is super comfortable on the lips. I did notice that after I used the first layer of the tube that there were some slight lumps and bumps underneath. Indies aren’t always perfect! Nevertheless, this shade is a winner in my estimation.

Speaking in the Hedgerow is a ‘Soft, rosy pink lip tint with a light golden shimmer’. On me, it shows as an almost peachy pink shade with a lovely shine. I really like this one! It does pull a little warmer on me than I was hoping, but it is not that far off from my natural lip color. Like A Dog Loose in the Woods, this one also has some bumpiness after the initial, fresh layer of product is used. This might be my favorite of the three, which is high praise given how much I like all of them.

Can You Run is described as a ‘deep red lip tint with a slight metallic red sheen’. On me I’d call it a neutral red, leaning warm, with a slight sheen. The balm is comfortable and non drying, but the wider balm tube makes the color application a little more tricky and might require a little cleanup with a cotton swab after application. The color did last through both food and drink, and I probably got about 4 hours of wear from one application. There is a slightly sweet smell to the balm, almost fruity, but no discernible flavor. I love this shade, it’s dramatic but fun, and appropriate for everyday!

The Lip Tints are definitely my new go-to for when I want color that I don’t want to fuss with. They’re comfortable, smell nice, don’t slide around my face, and last much longer than a typical balm. I wish the tube were thinner so that I could control the color more effectively, but all things considered that is a very minor complaint!

The Sins From Thy Lips lipsticks are a very different creature. Emblazoned with debossed stars and housed in stately black tubes, these matte lipsticks are surprisingly comfy. Like the Lip Tints, they have a slightly sweet, fruity smell but no real flavor, and while there is some tugging during application, the color is easy to control. They are slightly drying when worn alone, but with a layer of lip balm underneath that issue is eliminated. Additional, they’re named and themed after the badass ladies of Shakespeare, and I am solidly behind that.

Juliet is described on the site as ‘a soft mauve-pink shade’, which in the tube it definitely is. On my lips, it goes a little bit of a peachy direction, which I don’t mind! This shade is very matte, but comfortable, and has amazing staying power. Even as it fades, it does so in a very natural way. It’s very non-fussy as well! If I need to touch up, I can do so easily without feeling like I have a ton of product on my lips.

Lady Macbeth, described as a’deep, blood red matte’ definitely becomes a little tomato-y on my skin. The color is rich and vivid and, in my estimation, a true matte. There was a slight stain left behind when I removed the color, but nothing that wasn’t expected. The color stayed put throughout my test, even with balm underneath, so there were no red streaks wandering across my face. All in all, I really like it, I was just hoping for something a bit deeper.

The other thing that I enjoy about all five of these shades, and what guarantees I will buy more as she releases them, is that I do not find the color sitting in my lip lines and texture. Some colors from other retailers that I have used in the past have done just that, making my lips look dry and cracked. These are super comfy (even without my lip balm cheat) and don’t look crusty over time. I’m all for that, since I am a spectacularly non-fussy person!

Overall, I have found all of Karen’s Crow & Pebble lip colors to be winners, despite some minor quibbles. I think I will be looking into Hyppolita and Portia next, if she doesn’t release some kick-ass new shades first!

Have you tried Crow & Pebble lip colors? What are your thoughts? Leave me a comment and let’s talk!

I am going to do my best to update more often now that work has calmed down. Thank you all for sticking with me!