A Study in Brown: Ruby Kisses- Spicy Brown, Lime Crime-Salem & Jeffree Star-Dominatrix

When it comes to brown lipsticks my muse has always been Lauryn Hill. Back in my heyday, be it winter, spring, summer or fall, Ms. Hill was usually spotted rocking a perfect brown pout. I was never able to confirm her signature shade. She left the music scene. I got bogged down by life, and so my search was suspended.  Fast forward two decades and, “seasons change and mad things rearrange, but it all stays the same” and brown lips are all the rage, again.

So what’s a zealot to do. Resume the search for that perfect shade of brown of course. This time with the help of a little thing called You-Tube. As of now I’ve narrowed it down to three contenders pictured above.

Outside lighting
Inside lighting

From top to bottom: 

(1.) Ruby Kisses – Spicy Brown ( 2.) Lime Crime Velvetines- Salem (3.)  Jeffree Star- Dominatrix

Ruby Kisses- Spicy Brown(3.5g/$4.99) here
Ruby Kisses- Spicy Brown 

Ruby Kisses is a matte lipstick, and it feels like one going on. It feels a wee bit like trying to paint your lips with chalk. If you can get past that, you get a rich brown that is pigmented with the first swipe and wears like iron. Even on the hand swatches I had to use an oil based cleanser to get this one off.

Lime Crime Velvetines- Salem(2.6ml/$20)  here
Lime Crime Velvetines- Salem
Lime Crime Velvetines- Salem

Salem is a lip gloss from the brand Lime Crime that applies liquid and dries matte. It reminds me of clay. I found Salem to be the most matte of the three colors. Wear time was about 4-5 hrs without any food or drink. I found that if I sipped anything the color on my top lip would thin out and need to be reapplied.

Jeffree Star- Dominatrix(.19oz/$18) here
Jeffree Star- Dominatrix
Jeffree Star- Dominatrix

Dominatrix is described as velour liquid lipstick. It is a true, deep brown, that glides on to perfection. Wear time was about 5-6 hours, and there was no need to reapply after drinking. This one is my favorite. It must be loved by a lot of other people as well because it sold out shortly after I bought mine. I’ll be checking back often to get a backup.

So there you have it superstars. All the brown I’ll need for my trip to Zion.  Have your tried any of these lipsticks? What’s your favorite brown lippie?

Stardate:160027.02

8 Comments

  1. Chic Therapy
    March 5, 2016 / 1:09 pm

    My fave brown lipstick in Limbo by ColourPop.

    • Of the comely
      March 6, 2016 / 9:23 pm

      Hi Chic Therapy. I know you love a good lippie so thanks for the recommendation!

  2. Nerline Germain
    March 10, 2016 / 9:55 am

    The Dominatrix sounds good. 5-6 hours is not bad at all!

    • Of the comely
      March 13, 2016 / 6:49 pm

      I agree 🙂

  3. Beauty
    March 26, 2016 / 3:34 am

    I am not so much into changing out lip colors and am more comfortable with red color lippies but I got a brown lippie from the Mary-kay brand recently as a gift and I really like the color. Both shades are beautiful on you.

    • Of the comely
      March 28, 2016 / 3:59 am

      Thank you Beauty. I like to change it up as I'm sure you have gathered 🙂

  4. Mango and Fudge
    April 26, 2016 / 10:04 pm

    These lipstick look brilliant! I love Dominatrix the most! – it kind of reminds me of LA Splash spellbound – which I featured/will feature on my Nude Lip Post for Dark Skin. Your post actually reminded me about it and I checked my feed and for some reason it looks like it got deleted *cries* it took me months and months of work (ingredients listing etc) *double wail* – I guess this time around I can be succinct. Anyway … Does lime crime smell as delicious as some say? Vanilla Cupcakes?

    • Of the comely
      April 27, 2016 / 2:31 am

      I feel your pain! Yes, it does smell like a vanilla dessert 🙂

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