Hello everyone! Am I a huge makeup girl? Yes and no. Don’t get me wrong, I love my go to shades and I enjoy wearing makeup. However, I am not the most adventurous when it comes to purchasing new colors or products for myself. My sister, Kristen, is the total opposite. She loves experimenting with different hues and always seems to be able to find a use from most of the goods that she receives in her monthly subscription box.

But, all of them can’t be winners, which is where her blogger little sister comes in. Kristen is kind enough to bestow her hand me downs onto me for swatching purposes on lifewithlilred. And, sometimes, I even end up with a new lippie or eyeshadow that I love but would never have purchased for myself otherwise. It’s a great working relationship!

Today, we are going to be looking at Ciate London’s Glitter Flip Liquid Lipstick in a shade called “Infamous”:

When you’re a blogger, you have to make things work. For example, my apartment is probably the worst place possible to photograph makeup. The lighting absolutely SUCKS at chez moi, which is not the best for taking pics of swatches because the color never ends up accurate in photos beneath the yellow lighting. So, I had to improvise.

While originally snapping a pic of the swatch on my wooden kitchen table, I noticed that it was reflecting the overhead light making for a blurry picture. Especially considering that this lipstick has glitter in it. I began trying to take a picture in multiple different locations but the color just wasn’t being captured how I wanted.

That’s when I had the brain blast to photograph the swatch while placing my hand over my boyfriend’s black faux leather jacket. The inky hue absorbed the light instead of bouncing off the lipstick heart and it finally showed up in pictures how I was actually seeing it.

I thought this was a fun little tip to share because, as bloggers, the lighting in our pictures is what makes them. And, when your only option is poor lighting, it’s crucial to come up with hacks that work – including one that I made up off the top of my head!

Now, let’s actually talk about Infamous by Ciate London. Do I love this color? Not necessarily. The deep berry is just too harsh against my pale skin. I also have really pink undertones and, along with my red hair, it’s all a bit much. But, that’s not to say that this color wouldn’t look good on other people and there’s a lot that I did like about this lippie.

If you notice the last picture, the swatch looks faded. I actually just took that pic after washing my hands and that was the remnants. It also stayed on my hand all throughout the night and I can still see some of the color after my morning shower. Talk about long lasting!

And, who doesn’t love a little glitter?! When it comes to makeup, I love the pixie sparkle as much as the next one. But, I don’t like when it goes overboard and you end up looking like you had a craft aisle mishap. Infamous has the perfect light dusting of glitter which gives you a subtle amount of sparkle without blinding everyone you smile at.

I don’t think that I would wear this shade BUT I am not turned off to the brand and wouldn’t mind trying it in a hue that is more flattering for me. I’m still glad I got to share it with all of you, though, as well as a little blogging photography hack!

Which lipstick shades look best on you? How about a shade that you avoid? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah