The quest continues to find a lipstick refill to fit my vintage lipstick compact; it’s time to once again gather the horses and ride at dawn. For Part One, click here.

When we last embarked on the quest to find a lipstick refill for my vintage lipstick canister, I was in Canberra and determined to find something to fit my canister. After a day searching in the city, we came home empty handed after trying many different stores and brands. I hadn’t given up hope so I turned to the online sphere to see what I can find. In Canberra, we tried brands such as Dior (which didn’t fit the canister) and then Charlotte Tilbury and Gucci which were didn’t stock lipstick refills in Canberra. I had a few options when it came to ordering something online; as much as I liked the idea of owning a fancy lipstick from Gucci or even Charlotte Tilbury, I wasn’t willing to take the risk to pay a large sum of money for a lipstick refill that might not fit so I wanted to try some more budget friendly options first.

I found a long list of brands that stocked lipstick refills (check out the bottom of Part 1 for said list), and decided to head to my favourite online beauty site, YesStyle. I’ve been shopping at YesStyle for a very long time and can even give you all a discount code (MONMON8) to use at checkout if you wanted to grab yourself a little something as well. YesStyle did not disappoint and I was able to find several lipstick refills at decent prices to choose from and after placing my order, they arrived not long after. Armed with my vintage lipstick canister, it’s time to find a refill that fits or plan for part three.

Shiseido – Integrate Gracy Elegance CC Rouge Refill in colour RD526
Most people have heard of Shiseido but I personally had no idea they made lipstick refills until very recently so I’m assuming it’s not available in all local markets. I was quite optimistic for this lipstick to fit as Shiseido is such an iconic company and I personally hadn’t used their lipsticks in a long time and I don’t have a reason for why I stopped to be honest. Alas, this lipstick didn’t fit as only the very bottom of the refill fit into the canister and the rest just wouldn’t slide in. A rather disappointing start to this quest but with more lipsticks to try out, I was optimistic to try the next ones.

Paul & Joe – Anniversary Lipstick Refill in colour 005 Red Sneakers
It’s clear to see why I had hoped that this lipstick would be the winner. Paul and Joe’s icon is the cat so you can find this motif on several of their products and of course, their cat lipsticks are incredibly cute and very aesthetic. I do understand that once you start using the lipstick, if you can bring yourself to do so, the cat will vanish but it’s a really nice little treat to have in your beauty arsenal.
Unfortunately this lipstick refill was too narrow. The refill would easily fit inside the canister but it wouldn’t sit flush and I knew it would fall out eventually. Although I could wind up the lipstick, the narrowness of the refill meant that this brand would not be a good fit for my lipstick. I do have the option of gluing in the lipstick refill into the canister but this poses a problem when it comes time to replacing the lipstick in the future.

Paul & Joe – Treatment Lipstick Refill
I know this is the same brand as the above lipstick but I was really hoping that this would be the winning brand. I opted for a lip balm as I am just about to run out of mine and am already hoping for a replacement. As above, the lipstick was too narrow (a problem I wasn’t expecting seeing that most lipsticks were too wide every other time). I already purchased an empty Paul and Joe lipstick case for one of these refills and I will certainly use it for this balm and purchase another case for the coloured lipstick.
If you are unfamiliar with the Paul and Joe brand, they are certainly worth checking out especially if aesthetics are your vibe. All the beauty products from Paul and Joe are very pretty and vintage inspired but they are not for everyones budget so please keep this in mind. I have used a few of their products in the past but these were all gifted to me so I do know that their lipsticks are lovely and their eyeshadows are really easy to work with.

CHIFURE – Lipstick S Refill in colour 421

I cannot believe we got one! I was really hoping that the Paul and Joe refill would fit because let’s face it, the cat head is just too cute and yes I do know that once used it won’t be visible but it’s still the most exciting option. Just incase you think that these lipsticks will go to waste, they won’t. I have already purchased a spare Paul and Joe lipstick canister and as for the Shiseido brand lipstick, I have a modern lipstick canister that I’m sure will work well. This quest was an interesting experience and has shown me that although many brands boast about being environmentally friendly and were trying to cut down on waste, this idea only works if you stick with their products and many aren’t interchangeable like how the were in the 40s and 50s. I am very happy to have found a refill that fits and I hope if you have a vintage lipstick canister of your own, this quest has also helped you find a lipstick.

This is only one kind of vintage lipstick canister and I hope to very soon share how to refill the kind with the inbuilt inner tube as the process of refilling such a lipstick is quite different to this style of canister.

Relive the thrilling adventure by rewatching Part one here:

Note: This is not a sponsored post. All opinions and thoughts expressed are solely my own and not influenced in any way. This page contains affiliate links/codes which aids in funding future reviews.