It’s not a secret that I’m a fan of Audrey Hepburn. Like for thousands, maybe even millions of women, something about Audrey draws us to her and makes you want to be like her. It could be iconic roles or her fragility or her charming accent. Or that she seems to fit some idea of womanhood and femininity that we tomboys strive for.
Nonetheless, considering I’m not as slim or beautiful or white like Audrey, the closest I can be to being like her, is to use her favorite makeup. Particularly her lipstick.
If Marilyn made red lipsticks famous, Audrey is the queen of the salmon pink lipstick. What adds to the intrigue is that, to day, we don’t know what her favorite lipstick was or what she used in the iconic taxi scene in Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
I’ve been following the mystery for a while. I’ve bought most of the lipsticks that were supposed to be her favorite, except for Lisa Eldridge’s Go lightly. I have it in a Gloss formula and I’m not a fan of it.
Recently, I decided to purchase a lipstick that was one of the rumored favorites – Estee Lauder’s 260 Eccentric. It’s been in my cart for 2 years (along with an Estee Lauder powder case) but I never got around to purchasing it. Now that I’ve purchased it, I have decided to review it, along with other options that were rumored to be Audrey’s favorite lipstick.
I’ve compared three lipsticks with Lisa Eldridge’s Go Lightly gloss — Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy 260 Eccentric, Revlon Pink in the Afternoon, and Dior Delight (069) . While it’s not obvious from the pictures, the Estee Lauder and Revlon lipsticks are pinker than Go Lightly; whereas, the Dior lipstick is very similar to Go Lightly in shade. But from afar the differences are negligible. My reviews are solely on the formula.
A note before I begin, Salmon Pink seems to be a very difficult formula to create and use. Across 2 of the 3 lipsticks, the formula seemed to settle on fine lines and grab at dry patches. Revlon’s lipstick is the only one that doesn’t seem to do this because it’s not very pigmented.
Revlon Pink in the Afternoon
This was the first dupe I purchased. I think I have 3 of these now. Now the problem is, for me it’s not pigmented enough. Pigmentation can be built up but it doesn’t last long on the lips. This is a perfect starter lipstick for teenagers but it’s not for me. I use it for video calls because I can reapply it when working during the day. Also, as mentioned before, it’s a bit more cool toned and pink that Audrey’s salmon pink lipstick (using LE Go Lightly as a guide).
Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy 260 Eccentric
I like this more than the Revlon lipstick because it’s much more pigmented and lasts way longer: at least 4 – 5 hours. The only problem I have with this lipstick is the awful scent. The first time I wore it, I could taste the awful scent. Over time, the scent has dissipated. This one is again more pink and cooler but is pretty close in terms of shade from afar. Fair warning though, it requires a lip liner. The last time I wore it without one and it smeared all over my chin.
On a side note, the blue and gold packaging is stunning! It’s so sleek and classy.
Lisa Eldridge Go Lightly Gloss
This is a dupe of Audrey’s lipstick. You can read more about it here.
I’m not a fan of Lisa’s glosses. It’s not a product for people like me, people with pigmented lips. If you’re insecure about your pigmented lips, then this is an avoid. I like the color but it doesn’t show up on the lips the way it looks in the bottle. And for me, it’s not very moisturizing.
(I’ve swatched Lisa’s lipstick “Dance Card” which was an updated version of Go Lightly here.)
Dior Delight
This is my favorite to this day. Yes, I hate it when it grabs at my dry lips, but exfoliating helps. This is a dupe in my collection and I didn’t purchase it as a dupe for Audrey’s favorite but as a lipstick that I actually liked. It is from the Dior 2019 “Happy 2020” collection. If there were ever a pigmented, matte version of Audrey’s lipstick it would be this. The overspray makes it look a dark pink, but once it wears off you get a true salmon lipstick.