RED LIPS

L'oreal Colour Riche in 297 Red Passion (11.45 EUR); Lord & Berry Vogue Matte in China Red (18.31 EUR);
Daniel Sandler Matte in Valentina (17.95 EUR)

They're all super intense and opaque, incredibly creamy and comfortable to wear. They are somewhere in the midrange of the market, between the high ends (Nars, Chanel, Tom Ford) and the drugstores (Wet N Wild, ColourPop). Once they're on your lips, they will never stray. They can give you a full coverage bold look or can be sheered out for daytime. These are the crimson colours I swipe over my pout.

L'OREAL - RED PASSION

Red Passion is the cheapest out the three. You can even say it's a drugstore lipstick because it is from L'oreal - a drugstore brand. It also requires the most effort to apply and to remove. On the other hand, the staying power of Red Passion is surprisingly good (6 hours) considering that it's not even a matte lipstick. Although it gives a satin rather than matte finish to your lips, I would still think of it as a matte lippie as its texture feels just like a matte lipstick mixed with a bunch of rather chunky Mica flecks, which can actually be spotted out from the bullet. Thus your lips do reflect the light while still stay put all day. The colour is a neutral-undertone red which can suit many skin tones. However, the Omega-3 Oil and Vitamin E only help the lipstick go on creamy at first but it quickly sets and leaves the lips feeling tight after awhile. Additionally, its strong floral scent from added Fragrance and Benzyl Alcohol not only is overwhelming but also makes the moisture evaporated faster. Red Passion is a comfortable-to-wear lipstick but not necessary that nourishing.

L'oreal Red Passion 297

LORD & BERRY - CHINA RED

I didn't have a quite good experience with the Lipstick Pencil from Lord & Berry, so I din't raise my expectation too high for this lipstick. But oh boy, its texture and colour just gave me back my faith in Lord & Berry. It's the most expensive but the most moisturising lipstick out of the three. It dries to a semi-matte finish but unlike Passion Red, whose statin finish comes from the added glitter particles, China Red's shine is mostly from its nourishing ingredients: Macadamia Seed Oil, Triticum Vulgare Oil and Shea Butter Extract. That is the reason why it looks matte in the bullet but doesn't look flat on the lips. However, because it hydrates the lips so well, it sets quite slowly and doesn't last as long as 6 hours. China Red really is the scarlet shade you would find in the ancient Chinese Vermilion lippaint. It gives you a full coverage red colour with a yellow undertone and orange hue. Wearing this always brings me back to the time of Lunar New Year, when Red and Gold are used everywhere. This shade of red is definitely perfect for that occasion as it is the combination of the two colours.

Lord & Berry - China Red

DANIEL SANDLER - VALENTINA

If I have to choose only one out of these three, it's gonna be Daniel Sandler Valentina. It is the best of both worlds, stay put for a long time while feel super hydrated on the lips. Valentina is the only lipstick that gives you the perfect matte finish to your lips out of the three. There is no Mica added. The moisture comes from Shea Butter, Illipe Butter, Avocado Oil and Jojoba Oil. The colour is just perfect for winter. It's a dark raisin red with blue undertone, which will make your teeth look whiter. The best thing about this lipstick is that it looks dark and vampie when you wear it full-on but it looks like a wearable berry colour when you lightly apply and sheer it out with your finger. 

Daniel Sandler - Valentina