Spring is a tough time for me, I never know wtf to wear as the weather transitions. T shirts are too cold, my cardigans are too wintery, there’s still snow melting so the streets are gross and I need boots, dark lipstick is too dark…wait hold the phone that’s too far. I will never give up my dark lips. I will try to change hues to keep up with the seasons but they are here to stay in one form or another. Give me Mac “Diva” or give me death.

The one thing that has been breathing life back into my lip game has been berry lipstick. They are still on the dark side, but they have enough brightness and freshness and life in them to make a lot of sense for spring and summer. Thank goodness, I mean I’ve been ODing pretty hard on the nude lips lately but I still need brights and bold in my life. I ain’t no one trick lipstick pony!

I chose three of my top berry lipstick shades, with some different formulas and different price ranges to give you guys some ideas if you are looking for some spring transition colors and you think berry might float your boat.

Kat Von D Studded Kiss in Bauhau5

This particular formula is SUPER matte. It’s not the easiest to apply, because the matte formula is…like I said, dry. But once it’s on its not going anywhere for quite some time, and it gives an almost velvet finish to the lips. They also have this in a matte liquid formula, but so far I have been a much bigger fan of the studded kiss lipsticks than the liquid ones from the Kat Von D line. The color itself is awesome, it’s more bright and punchy than any of the other berry colors I own, so I really feel like it give a healthy look to the skin (especially if you’re fair) while still being on the dark side.

NYX Butter Lipstick in Hunk

The NYX butter lipsticks remind me of a very pigmented tinted balm, with a tiny bit less slip. So essentially they have a bit of a glossy look to them and they are very sheer, but also comfortable to wear. This is definitely something I would reach for on a more casual day where I wanted to add a little of a darkish color but I don’t want to hassle of a full on lipstick. It definitely isn’t long wearing, but most of us don’t expect much wear time out of a balmy formula so it is what it is. The color is definitely on the cooler, more purply side of berry, which I find pretty flattering on my skin but my friend who has much deeper, warmer skin than I do tried it as well and wasn’t a fan so keep that in mind.

Too Faced Melted Berry

I wrote a full review on the too faced melted formula, if you are interested in that. The basic gist of the review is they are beautiful, and wear a long-ass time for something so glossy but if you over apply them they will get all over the damn place. That being said, look at this color. It’s so beautiful it makes me cry tears of joy. It’s rich and deep but still so bright and lively. I love it so much. Definitely a go to in the warmer months.

Hopefully that gives you guys a few ideas for dark lipstick colors in the warmer months, I think orange-reds are also a really good option, so I might throw together some swatches of those types of colors for you as well! Leave me a comment if you have any awesome berry colors that you love, or if you have a go to shade for spring and summer!