National Lipstick Day is tomorrow so I went through all of my lipsticks and retried everything to give out awards (seriously, my lips may never recover from this, but worth it for y’all!). For this post, I’m counting traditional lipsticks, stick and clicky lip products, liquid lipsticks, and stains. I left out regular glosses, balms in a squeeze tube, or anything like that unless it leaves an actual stain. I’m also not choosing the best overall lipstick. I tried, and you can’t make me. Also, lots of these are on sale right now for National Lipstick Day/Week if you happen to be in the market – some of them are even 50% off.
In this post, all links are affiliate links (thank you for your support!), but all opinions are my own. Swatches are under a ring light to show true to color (photo #1) and then standard lighting to show the formula a little better (#2) for all the products.
Best Everyday Lipstick: Ravie Beauty Effortless Lips in Dahlia and Zinnia – These are creamy and almost balmy, but they still feel like proper satin lipsticks with good pigmentation and staying power. Dahlia is my perfect everyday pink that doesn’t pull warm, while Zinnia is a berry brown that doesn’t turn orange. Both work with almost every makeup look I tend to do. They’re too pigmented to apply without a mirror, but the shape of the bullet makes getting a precise application much easier.
The Forever Standby: YSL Candy Glaze in 15 and 16 – These have maintained a permanent spot on my desk longer than anything else. This is the most moisturizing and nourishing formula in this post, and it feels much closer to a tinted lip treatment than a traditional lipstick. I even own the clear version for when my lips are dry, but shades 15 and 16 give me the same comfort with enough color to make me look more put together.
Best Jacket Pocket/Purse Lip: Makeup by Mario MoistureGlow Plumping Lip Serum in Honey Glow and Mocha Glow – Honey Glow gives me a sheer wash of pinky brown, while Mocha Glow is a deeper rosy brown and would be my pick if I only bought one. The formula is shiny, nourishing, and lightly minty and plumping, so I can throw it on without a mirror and immediately look more put together and hydrated. I’ve never had one melt or open in a bag even though they’ve travelled far with me. The only thing is they don’t retract, so only click up as much as you need.
Best “Oh no, I Need to Put Something on for This Meeting” Lip: JOOCYEE Long-Lasting Glossy Rouge in Diamond Sea – This is what I grab when I suddenly realize I have to be on camera and need to look more alive and awake immediately. Diamond Sea is such an easy cool mauvey pink with subtle sparkle, and the formula is moisturizing enough that my lips always look and feel better after I apply it. It’s flattering, fast, and requires almost no thought.
Most Worth the Splurge: Westman Atelier HydroBalm Tinted Lipsticks in Soda and Onyx – Every time I put either of these on, I immediately think “damn, that looks good” which is very rare for me. Soda is a more pigmented cool brown, while Onyx is a sheer deep purple brown that gives me the cherry berry effect I’m always trying to find. The formula is sheer enough to be easy but still has enough pigment to feel like an actual lipstick and not just a tinted balm. These are moisturizing, but they feel more like beautiful lipsticks that also make my lips feel better. The YSL Candy Glazes are more like lip treatments that also happen to be pretty. The Westman Atelier lipsticks are slightly minty and extremely expensive, but they would still be some of the first products I replaced if I lost my collection.
Prettiest Packaging: Lisa Eldridge Rouge Experience Refillable Lipstick in Toasted – I went through all of my lipsticks for this post, and nothing else made me think that I was really getting a luxury experience. The shape, satisfying weight, and refillable case make applying this lipstick feel genuinely special and fancy.Toasted is a beige that actually stays fairly beige on me, although it is warmer than something like the original MAC Alone time. I know in the photos it looks pretty orange, but when it mixes with my natural lip color, it works out. The Rouge Experience formula is easy to wear even though it’s much more of a traditional satin lipstick than balm texture. It does have a really pretty soft sheen still and wears really comfortably during the day. It works with or without liner, and doesn’t dry out my lips. I like the formula enough that I’m considering getting more shades, so this isn’t beautiful packaging compensating for a mediocre lipstick. The packaging is definitely the prettiest though by far.
The Discontinued Lipstick I’m Still Trying to Dupe: Hermès Prunoir – This is truly the perfect lipstick when I’m doing a berry toned or mauvey toned or purple leaning look because it’s such a pretty not too light not too dark sheer cool toned mauvey berry. It’s also incredible as a way to balance out lipsticks that just need a bit of purple added to them when it feels like something is off. The formula is also perfect. It’s shiny and hydrating without sliding all over the place, and it’s sheer without being patchy or not really showing up. The only thing is that it really has that luxury lip scent that’s quite strong, but I’ll put up with it for how perfect it is otherwise. I’ve tried so many lipsticks and balms that looked like they might replace Prunoir, and every single time I think I’ve finally found something close, it isn’t the same. I’m cherishing my tube forever. I’m seriously still looking for a dupe, so please tell me if you have any dupe ideas. My very lovely friend told me to try out the Chantecaille Lip Chic in Wisteria which look very close and is on sale, so stay tuned!
Best Black Honey for Olive Skin: ColourPop Hyper Shine Glossy Lipstick in DND – Clinique Black Honey turns orange on me, which is not what I picture when I think of a sheer blackberry lip. DND is a sheer black that stays deep, cool, and purpley berry, and I can either blot it down or build it up depending on how dramatic I want it. It builds faster and is more pigmented than Black Honey, but it’s still easy to control. The formula is balmy and moisturizing and doesn’t have a scent that I notice.
Best Glossy Brown That Actually Stays Brown: Charlotte Tilbury in 90s Kiss – This is one of the only sheer, balmy browns I’ve tried that stays a cool rosy brown instead of turning orange or becoming a generic pink. It has a little bit of purple, looks shiny without being too glossy, and feels really comfortable and easy to wear. I’ve also talked to several people who bought it and found that it stayed brown on them too, even if they had totally different undertones.
Best Matte Brown That Actually Stays Brown: MAC Powder Kiss Hazy Matte Lipstick in Good For You – Good For You gives me the best cool tone ’90s brown color that I keep trying to buy without turning into another alleged brown that turns terracotta or Cheeto. The Powder Kiss Hazy Matte formula gives a very soft, blurred, diffused effect that’s really trending right now without being too drying, though it’s not as comfortable as some of the other mattes I’m about to mention.
Best Matte Red: rom&nd Zero Matte Lipstick in 01 – This shade isn’t supposed to be red at all; it’s literally called Dusty PInk. So when I first put it on, I was like “uh what is this?” But it turns into a soft, muted, slightly warm red on me that actually looks right at home. The formula is extremely similar to the Merit Signature Lip Blushes (which I’ll get to in a bit), with the same lightweight, comfortable, genuinely blurring feel. It doesn’t need a liner and gives me a very easy, understated version of a red lip.
Best Creamy Red: Lancôme L’Absolu Rouge in 265 – This was one of those immediate “okay, this is the red for me” lipsticks. It’s a deeper red with a slight purple undertone that still reads clearly red on me but looks completely at home with my coloring. The formula is lightweight, buildable, creamy, and nourishing with a soft satin finish. I prefer wearing it with a liner because it’s so creamy, but this is exactly what I’d choose for simple “French-girl” makeup with light eyeshadow, a little blush, and one really good red lip. Thank you to my pink friend Hunter for picking this one out for me!
Best Color I Need in a Different Formula: Marc Jacobs Heart On Lipstick in Eat It Up – This color is still basically perfect. It’s a grungy, desaturated mauve with the brown purple depth I’m always trying to find, and the actual lipstick formula feels smooth and balmy. Unfortunately, it also leaves a horrible lingering taste that I truly can’t get past, so I need someone else to make this exact color in a product I can stand to wear. Gucci Rouge à Lèvres Satin Lipstick in 219 Mary Mauve is close, but it’s still not exactly the same.
Best Formula I Need in Different Colors: Merit Signature Lip Blush in Vendôme, Bespoke, and Archival – When I first tried these, I immediately loved the sheer, lightweight, softly blurred matte formula. They’re comfortable, have just enough pigment, and mixing Bespoke and Archival gave me a really pretty everyday shade. But I eventually stopped reaching for all three because none of them look quite right on me, and I don’t want to mix two lipsticks every time I wear them. I know Bespoke looks like it’ll be a shade I’ll love, but it turns orange when mixed with my lip color. The formula is special, but I need Merit to make genuinely dusty mauves and cool berries. If they have and I just missed them, leave me a comment!
Best Glossy Stain: Judydoll Ice Watery Lip Gloss Gen 2 in 11 and 18 – Judydoll wins because it’s the most hydrating and gives the glossiest, glassiest finish of all the stains I compared while still leaving behind a real stain. Shade 11 is my easy cool toned mauvey everyday shade, while 18 is an actual brown that stays brown instead of turning orange. The one thing to know is that these do have a noticeable watermelon scent.
I also wanted to include both ColourPop HydraPop Lip Stain in 90s Babe and NYX Lip I.V. as drugstore alternatives because y’all love a stain, and these are all great. ColourPop has no noticeable scent, and 90s Babe is an especially great everyday muted reddish rose. NYX is also hydrating and has a lot of fun shades (I have Petal Pourin, Grape Gushin, Hydra Honey, and Mocha Me Wet), although they tend to pull a little warmer on me and the finish isn’t quite as glassy.
Best Matte Stain: ETUDE Fixing Tint in 14 Rose Lilac and 15 Woody Pink – These remain my favorite matte lip stains because they give me the blurred finish I want without becoming dry, crusty, or uncomfortable. Woody Pink is an easy dusty rosy neutral, while Rose Lilac is a deeper, moodier jammy berry plum. Both can be tapped on lightly or built up. The finish looks smooth, the stain actually lasts, and they’re much more forgiving than a traditional long wearing liquid lipstick.
Best Blurred Lip: MAC Powder Kiss Lip + Cheek Mousse in Velvet Teddy, It’s Personal, and Rekindled – MAC wins because the formula is just slightly more plush and pillowy than the other blurred liquid lips I’ve tried while still feeling moisturizing and extremely comfortable. Velvet Teddy is an easy muted pink, It’s Personal is a very hard to find beige that doesn’t turn orange on me, and Rekindled is a very deep purple brown.
I’m including ColourPop Cloud Whip Blurring Liquid Lipstick in Storm Cloud as an honorary mention because it’s so similar. It’s only slightly less plush than MAC but also slightly more moisturizing, and Storm Cloud is such a beautiful deep, rusty purple brown that it’s worth having for the color alone. If the exact same shade existed in both formulas, I’d probably choose MAC, but ColourPop is close enough that I would happily pick up more Cloud Whips.
What would win your personal lipstick awards? As always, some products may have been gifted, but all reviews/opinions are completely my own and unsponsored.
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