Buy Now: The Perfect Dark Lip Color for Summer

 

Whether it’s over the top nail art or pastel hair, we’re definitely in the midst of an “anything goes” moment when it comes to beauty. And that means the old rules no longer apply. That one about stashing away your deep berry lipsticks until fall? Yeah, it’s about as dated as banning white clothes after Labor Day. A dark lip paired with a summery eyelet dress or this season’s ‘90s-inspired overalls looks cool and edgy, not out of season.

 

That said, a super pigmented, matte finish lipstick might clash with the rest of your summer makeup look, especially if you’ve switched out your full coverage foundation and powder for sheer BB cream and cream blush. What you really need is a color that’s creamy, hydrating and has a little bit of shine — and the Beatrice shade from Alima Pure’s new Velvet Lipstick collection ($26 each) is it. The merlot shade gives lips the perfect plummy hue that’s just dark enough to make a statement but still look flattering (I should know — I’m in my 30s, and it’s no longer so easy to pull off moody colors). The color is buildable, and I like to wear it slightly blotted down as a blackberry stain that looks like something Lorde would wear to the beach. It also has the subtlest hint of shimmer to keep the finish from looking too flat. 

 

But the best part might be that its ingredients are all natural, because Alima Pure is one of the cleanest cosmetics lines in the business. The Portland, OR based company manages to make gorgeous makeup shades that don’t contain any red flag-raising additives: no parabens, sulfates, synthetic dyes, phthalates, dimethicone, petroleum, talc, bismuth oxychloride, or nanoparticles. And the lipsticks’ alumininum tubes are refillable, which means less landfill waste when you inevitably run out of your new favorite color…which, by my calculations, should be around September.