Beauty Boy: Black lipstick: Pick your poison

Header image for Interrobang article CREDIT: JOSHUA R. WALLER
Different brands of lipsticks (including an all natural one I made) applied with nothing extra added.

All lipstick lovers know, the darker the colour of lipstick you choose, the harder it is to apply, maintain and perfect. So when you choose the darkest shade possible, it can be quite a challenge to make it look flawless. Black lipstick can be a stunning colour to wear and is one of the hottest makeup trends this season but it can also be the hardest shade to pull off.

Some key tips when applying a black lipstick is to make sure your lips are prepped perfectly; use a lip scrub to get rid of any dead skin and make sure your lips are hydrated. However, you don't want your lips to be too moisturized or else the lipstick will smudge everywhere and become a huge mess.

Another great method to make sure you get a perfect shape and application to your lips is by using black kohl eyeliner. Start by outlining your lips so you have a nice crisp edge and then continue on filling in your lips with the liner. This will help prevent the black lipstick from smudging. It will also help achieve a uniform pigment.

Another great tip is to tap on some matte black eyeshadow on top of your black lipstick. This will help “mattify” and set your lipstick so there is less chance of it smudging. If you use a cheaper black lipstick that may not have enough pigment in it, the black eyeshadow will help fill in any sheer areas.

Since gothic lips are such a hot trend this season, there are many black lipsticks on the market, all ranging in price and quality. I have tested five of them without adding any of the tips above (including one I made, center photo) to find out which ones were the best.

The first one I tried was Covergirl's Katy Kat Matte called Perry Panther and was pretty disappointed. The formula is sheer and took over four coats just to achieve somewhat of a shade of black. Even though it says it is a matte formula, it definitely had a glossy finish. The pros to this lipstick are it's only $10.99 and is easy to remove.

Nyx's Macaron Lippie called Chambord had much more pigment, only took one coat to achieve a good depth, was long wearing and had a satin finish to it.

One of the most economical ones I tried was by Essence called Black Gossip and was under $3. This formula was extremely oily so the pigment kept moving around the lips and never properly set. It took multiple coats to get a true black and even still, it ended up looking really patchy.

Makeup Forever's Artist Rouge Lipstick called Black was extremely pigmented, only took one coat, had a semi matte finish and was long wearing. However, this was also the most expensive out of the five.

With these tips, you will definitely be able to choose the best lipstick that fits your budget and will have all the skills needed to rock a beautiful gothic lip. Get your lips prepped, black liners sharpened and try a bold, black lip.