Sammi the Beauty Buff: Instagram Roundup: #5DayLipstickChallenge

Hi, friends! Last week was a slow blog week, partially due to all the time I put into my Mineral Oil Masterpost, and partially due to the Instagram challenge I was involved with. A couple of other bloggers and I devoted a week to showing off five lipstick selfies and dubbed it the #5DayLipstickChallenge. It was a fun opportunity for me to pull out lip colors that I don't normally wear. I was so happy to see that some of you joined in as the week went on!

Now that it's over, I figured this would be a good time to look back, not only to look at how I did photography-wise (as part of my 2016 Blog Resolutions), but also to share my thoughts on the lipsticks themselves. The colors may be nice, but what about the formulas? Stay tuned!

MONDAY: NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Rikugien ($26 | .07oz)

Like many of you, I received this fabulous lip pencil in the Sephora Beauty Insider birthday gift last year. I usually reach for the red color from the duo, Cruella (swatched in my Red Lipstick Collection), so I figured I should try this one would for a change. It's a beautiful, glossy rose color that's perfect for everyday. The formula of this was great--it applied smoothly, was comfortable to wear (as one would expect from NARS). Now I definitely want to try more products from them. I could even do with just getting more of their lip pencils (though I've heard good things about their powders).

TUESDAY: LAQA & Co. Sheer Lip Lube in Menatour ($20 | .1oz)

I received this lip pencil in a Birchbox, and I go back and forth with whether or not it's too daring for me. Some days I'm like "Heck yeah, purple lips!" and others I'm like "Maybe I'll just do a neutral today..." I just think this color is so fun. I'm also wearing it in my Demeter Makeup Look, if you'd like another look at it. I also like how this photo turned out more than Monday's (or maybe I just have a thing against noses, which just isn't fair since they're kind of important and we all have them). The Lip Lubes from Laqa & Co have a weird name, but the formula is smooth and creamy. I have this lip pencil in two other colors, so I have no complaints!

WEDNESDAY: JOUER Hydrating Lipstick in Doris ($24 | .12oz)

I featured another neutral lipstick from my collection on Wednesday. This lipstick came in my Lovely Day Birchbox, and since I tend to reach for pinks, nude colors often get pushed to the back of my lip drawer. I actually like it a lot! It looked a lot scarier and browner in the tube, but on the lips it didn't look half bad! These lipsticks are comfortable to wear and don't dry out your lips (thanks to the Hydrating formula). It glides on smoothly and I would happily purchase another color.

THURSDAY: NYC New York Color Expert Last Lip Color in Forever Fuchsia ($2 | .11oz)

I don't know what it is about this picture, but it's my favorite of the bunch. However, the lipstick on the other hand was not. I love the color--seriously, for $2 there's no beating that level of pigmentation--but the formula did leave a lot to be desired. It was very dry, so it pulled across the lips, and it took a little patience to get an even coat so it didn't look patchy. That made it difficult to get a clean line and neat application, so this kind of formula begs for some sort of lip liner. I was definitely more aware that I was wearing lipstick than I was with the others. It felt heavier somehow (though that could have been the amount I had to apply to get it to look even). I'm so in love with the color, though! If anything, this taught me that I need more hot pink lipstick in my life. I think these lipsticks are great if you want to try out a new color before you splurge on your favorite brand. For $2, you can play dress-up with every color!

FRIDAY: COVERGIRL LipPerfection Lipstick in Seduce ($5 | .12oz)

It was sunny out for the first time all week, so I took a picture in direct sunlight. It might have altered the color a bit, so if you want another look at it, you can see my wearing it in my Girls Can post. When I want to wear a red, I'm usually reaching for NARS Cruella, so I figured I would give this some time to shine. CoverGirl seems to have revamped their lipstick line since then, so I suppose talking about the formula would be irrelevant. But, if you're looking for a similar shade from CoverGirl, Seduce Scarlet in their Colorlicious line looks nearly identical. If you'd like to see an arm swatch of this, check out the lipstick collection post I linked above.

All in all, I really enjoyed this challenge! Taking good selfies is surprisingly difficult, when you factor in angles and lighting and all that. It definitely took up more time than I originally thought, but I would happily do it all over again. It also allowed me to amp up my Instagram game some more, since I'm usually on my Facebook page more than anywhere else. If you missed the challenge, don't worry--you can check out #5DayLipstickChallenge on Instagram to see everyone's photos!

What's your favorite lipstick right now?