I had originally planned to do a drugstore lip round up because I recently bought 6 Maybelline lipsticks (and a bunch of Morphe lip liners – review coming soon). I just had to know, and I figured y’all did too. But as I was testing those, I started swatching them against other things I’ve been loving and wearing this fall, and realized I’d much rather do a whole post on the grungy fall lip colors I’ve discovered. Finding browns, mahogany reds, and black honey type shades that don’t turn orange on warm olive skin is actually a pretty tough task, but this year, we’ve been blessed with so many good ones. I shared some of the favorites I’ve already found this year in my National Lipstick Day Awards Post, and I’m so excited to have found even more of these shades.
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.
Maybelline Moisturizing Serum Lipstick in 103 Make It Work and 105 Speed Walk (Satin formula) – This formula is super comfortable and moisturizing without being super slippy and getting all over the place. The pigment is super even and it’s really easy to apply. It sets down slightly after I apply it, so it feels a little more secure than a super creamy lipstick or balm. That said, it’s not transfer-proof or staining or anything like that. You definitely need to reapply after eating. I actually liked this formula and the matte one I’m going to talk about next so much, I got a few and went back for more.
Make It Work is a warm, bricky terracotta brown shade that has just enough red to give the vibe I want without going orange. This is the warmest I’d personally go with my olive undertone, but I think it’s gorgeous for fall. It reminds me of Lisa Eldridge Cinnamon Bun with that reddish brown blonzery quality. Like that blush, this works great with warmer eyeshadows. This is exactly what I’m looking for when I want a warm fall brown that isn’t actually that warm.
Speed Walk is deeper than Make It Work and has significantly more purple even though it’s still reddish brown. It’s more of a mahogany with a slight berry lean but it’s honestly difficult to describe because it’s kind of red, kind of brown, and kind of purple. I’ve really struggled to find this kind of grungy mahogany color that works well with my skin, and this one just looks right. I will say because this is slightly deeper and more pigmented, it’s a little bit harder to apply than Make It Work, but it’s really easy to smooth out. I also have Blind Date, which is a pretty standard bricky raspberry red type of shade that doesn’t look great on me. Upstate is described as a light cool brown, and it swatches more orange than it applies. It’s actually a pretty cool (pun intended) nuanced brown pinky purple type of color, although it definitely hasn’t replaced Laka Boy for me.
Maybelline Moisturizing Serum Lipstick in 007 Avenue A (Matte formula) – This has the same lightweight blurring matte formula as the Merit Lip Blushes. I love this kind of formula because it’s matte without being dry or flaky, which is especially important with my very dry lips. I was super impressed with the texture of this formula, and I wish they had more shades I thought would work on me.
I do think Avenue A is really special. It’s a deep chocolate brown that’s fairly cool toned without being weirdly grey. It’s the 90s grungy lipstick of my dreams but in a formula that’s easier to throw on and much less high stakes than this color can be with a traditional matte lipstick formula. If I was cool in the 90s and 2000s (I wasn’t), this is exactly the kind of lipstick I would’ve hoped I was wearing. It’s not the most cool toned brown in the world, but it doesn’t go orange even on my fairly pigmented red/orange lips. If you have less pigmented lips, or cool-toned lips, I think this would look even more amazing on you. I also have Hold the Door, which is described as a mid toned mauve. I would call it more of a slightly desaturated browny, almost a little warm mauve, but it’s definitely still mauve. I just wish it was a little lighter.
Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Lip Oil Stick in Journey (Sephora Ulta Rare Beauty) – This is another shade that’s hard to describe because it’s a kind of brown and also kind of berry and also kind of a cool black shade when you build it up. It’s one of those Black Honey but for olives colors that I personally am always looking for but it’s grungier than the typical blackened cherry balms that are getting more common. It’s much more brown than it is berry, but there’s still some purple tones in there. It’s pretty pigmented and deep so you definitely have to be a little careful applying it (especially because this stick is pretty huge) but I think it’s worth it.
The formula is really nourishing and comfortable without being too glossy. This shade is a little patchy when I first apply it but it smooths out well. I’ve honestly been wearing this all the time because I love this kind of shade and this formula is really nice. If you’re looking for something less high stakes to try, I also have the shade Dream, which is a perfect everyday mauve color I love throwing on (especially because I can put that one on without a mirror).
Anastasia Beverly Hills Kiss Theory Lip Balm in Figment (Sephora Ulta ABH) – If you want a balmy pigmented gloss in a stick but you don’t want a giant tube like the Rare Beauty, you might love how tiny this one is. It’s basically the opposite type of packaging, and it makes it seem almost comically tiny in comparison to the Rare. It’s truly very small, but it’s also priced at $18 to compensate so I’m not too mad about it. The small, narrow bullet format does also make it easier to not get this balm everywhere. I still find that this particular shade applies unevenly. It’s not patchy in the same way Journey is, but more that the pigment kind of collects in some places and builds up. Like these other deeper shades, it smooths out beautifully without too much effort but I wouldn’t put this on without a mirror.
I do really love this color. I expected something closer to Rare Beauty Journey because this is described as a “deep plum noir,” and it’s that sheer blackened cherry in the swatches. At least on me, this is actually a mahogany reddish brown that’s much closer to Maybelline Speed Walk, but with even more red. It’s also not very sheer at all, despite being called Figment. Even though it wasn’t what I expected, it’s a beautiful color especially for fall, and the formula is super glossy and nourishing without being sticky.
I like this formula enough that I actually did pick up the shade Toyed just to see if the wonky pigment application is a shade issue or something else. And Toyed applies so beautifully and easily and looks incredible. So, I think Figment’s pigment doesn’t jive with this formula, but I can get it to work (which is worth it to me for the color). But if you like the idea of this formula and want it in an everyday cool toned dusty purple mauve, Toyed is what I’d get.
Essence Juicy Bomb Glossy Butter Balm in 05 Choco-lot to Handle – This is one of the prettiest cool toned brown balms I have ever discovered. It’s got a tiny bit of purple in it so it stays brown and doesn’t turn orange. It really looks like it belongs on my face even though it’s not technically a natural color on me, and I just think it looks so pretty. I’m always looking for this kind of cool-toned brown that just works, and this is definitely it. On me, it’s a pretty sheer layer, but I think if you have less pigmented lips, this might show up stronger. I love that I can wear this with a full look and it looks great and I can also wear it with a little concealer and mascara and it still pulls everything together.
The formula is balmy and comfortable without being drying, but I wouldn’t say it’s a particularly nourishing treatment like some of these other products. It doesn’t do much for my lips in terms of smoothing, plumping, long term nourishment, etc. and isn’t something I’d pull out if my lips actually needed some help. But for the color? 10/10 would purchase again, and I’m going to be keeping an extra in my jacket pocket. And at $3.99, I can definitely justify having a few extras of this one. The only thing to keep in mind is that it won’t retract once it’s twisted up.
Dior Addict Lip Glow Balm in Blackberry (Sephora Ulta Dior) – This is a much sheerer version of that Black Honey berry vibe that Journey is going for. It has more red and berry than a blackened quality, but that makes it a particularly good “my lips but a little bit more berry like I wish they were” type of shade. It’s much less dramatic than a lot of these other shades but gives that same type of effect.
This is much more moisturizing and comfortable than the Essence and does a ton more to smooth out my lip lines. It’s also sheer enough that I can throw it on without a mirror and can use it as an actual treatment vs just using it for the color. If I could put the Essence color in this Dior formula, I’d be so happy. It is a little minty, but not noticeably plumping, and it doesn’t bother me, but if you can’t handle mint I’d skip this one. I have it on good authority from one of my wonderful friends that it was a little too minty so I’m passing that along.Other than that, I do think it’s worth the price, but I think it’s even more worth the price to get it on sale (like the upcoming Sephora sale).
ColourPop Pokémon Fresh Kiss Glossy Lip Balm in Umbreon – This is actually the product on this list I’ve worn the most and is one of my favorites on this list. I try to avoid reviewing limited edition products because I tend to take a really long time to test products and by the time I’ve reviewed something, you usually can’t get it anymore if it was limited. And then how am I helping you with my months long tests to review? But I’m making an exception for this one because it should still be available*, and it’s really special.
*Editing Rebecca – it somehow sold out in the time between when I finished the draft and when I started editing before posting tomorrow, but it looks like it’s still available at Target. This is why I don’t like limited edition products.
This is a sheer grey balm with lots of fun sparkle. It has just enough gray pigment to desaturate some of the red-orange tones in my lips without making my lips look grey. It just makes them look exactly the right color with mauve blushes and cool-toned eyeshadows. Or honestly just my face with no makeup at all. I truly love how my lips look with this pigment and the sparkles on.
This balm is super comfortable and hydrating. It’s pretty glossy, and I think that also has to do with the reflective glitters in it. It does have a pretty strong brown sugar boba scent that is very spot on, but if you don’t love a fragranced product, you may need to skip this. I love this so much I actually grabbed the Eevee version, which is perfectly pretty but a little too warm and it’s a shade I feel like I’ve found a hundred times before. It also has a coconut cream pie scent, which I don’t mind, but I know a lot of you really don’t like coconut. I would 10000% buy another Umbreon, but I don’t think you need Eevee unless you really love Eevee, in which case, the packaging is really cute.
My next few posts will be round ups ahead of the Sephora sale – please leave a comment if you have any review requests!
