Restoring Color and Texture of Lipstick After Mixing with Lip Balm

Question

How can I restore the original color and matte texture of my Bobbi Brown Crushed lipstick in Ruby shade after mixing it with lip balm, which caused it to become lighter and less matte?

MySkinRecipes Expert · Accepted Answer

Restoring Color to Your Lipstick

It sounds frustrating to have your favorite lipstick change color and texture! The issue you're facing with your Bobbi Brown Crushed lipstick becoming lighter and less matte after mixing with lip balm is understandable. When you added lip balm, you essentially diluted the pigment concentration and introduced more emollient ingredients, which changed the original matte finish.

As the staff mentioned, the way to make the color darker is by adding more pigment. However, recreating the exact original shade of BOBBI BROWN CRUSHED in RUBY is challenging because it requires knowing the precise blend and ratio of pigments used in the original formulation. Color mixing is often a process of trial and error.

For lipstick, pigments in the Lake group are typically used. To attempt to restore the color, you could try the following:

Gently melt your current lipstick mixture again.
Prepare a small amount of suitable Lake pigments. You would likely need a combination of red and possibly some yellow or other shades to get closer to the original Ruby color. Examples of suitable pigments include FD&C Red No.40 Lake EasyMix™, D&C Red No.21 Al Lake, D&C Red No.34 Ca Lake, D&C Red No.6 Na Lake, and FD&C Yellow No.5 Lake EasyMix™.
Carefully add a very small amount of the pigment mixture to your melted lipstick.
Mix thoroughly to ensure the pigment is evenly dispersed.
Allow a small amount to cool and test the color (e.g., on your hand) to see if it's closer to the desired shade.
Repeat steps 3-5, adding tiny amounts of pigment and testing, until you achieve a color you are happy with.

Regarding the matte finish, adding lip balm has changed the overall composition, making it more emollient. While adding more pigment will increase the color intensity, it may not fully restore the original matte texture. The added oils and waxes from the lip balm will likely keep it from being as matte as it was originally.

This process requires patience and experimentation to get the color right. Good luck!