WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR FAVOURITE LIPSTICK IS DISCONTINUED

There’s a special kind of pain reserved for losing one’s favourite lipstick and then going to the store only to find out it’s been recklessly discontinued.

#WORSTDAYEVER #GOINGBACKTOBED

Equally frustrating: finishing a shade you bought in US Sephora that (still) isn’t available to buy here, or trying to replicate a celebrity beauty look but not – for the life of Google – being able to find out what exact product it is.

All of these problems now have a very simple solution: The Lip Lab. And boy, it’s a game changer.

The Australian-first business makes bespoke lip shades for its customers – all you need is an idea, a picture or a swatch of the colour you want. In other words, prepare for your inner 8-year-old-girl to become excited.

Their Sydney store opened last November after a year of planning by sisters and owners Courtney and Kimberley Treacy. “We were actually on a stopover in Dallas and we saw a shop on a little side street where we could make our own lipsticks; that gave us a starting point when we came back to Australia. We contacted the company in Dallas and they put us on to their cosmetic chemist and we went from there.”

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THE PROCESS

The Lip Lab team custom-blend lipsticks and lip glosses before your eyes; combining colours, finishes and added extras like SPF and even flavours such as coffee and strawberry to create a product that’s 100% your own. The process, which involves a consult, mixing, setting and naming the product, takes about 15 minutes and all elements are recorded and put in “your file” so they can reproduce the shade when you run out.

We’re told the craziest shade someone’s asked for is a blue lipstick with a frosting and a sparkle through it for Mardi Gras. And the most popular shade? “Matte pink. We also get a lot of people come in with photos they’ve found online and girls wanting to recreate the Kylie Jenner Lip Kit colours.” Of course, they do. We did.

Visit The Lip Lab at 308 Oxford St, Paddington NSW 2021 | (02) 9331 4188 or info@theliplab.com.au.

GRITTY PRETTY GIVEAWAY!

The Lip Lab are giving Gritty Pretty readers the opportunity to create their own bespoke shade with five vouchers (valued at $58) each up for grabs. This includes 1 x lipstick shade + 1 x additive to be used exclusively at their Paddington, Sydney store.

Here’s where you come in: simply subscribe to Gritty Pretty’s newsletter (See: “Join The Mailing List” – at the bottom of this page) before Friday, April 8 for a chance to win. Five entrants will be chosen at random and the winners will be contacted via email.

Good luck!