The best lipstick overall
Urban Decay's Vice Lipstick collection spans 135 colors in your usual reds, pinks, purples, and neutrals, but also browns, greens, and blues, and six different finishes – mega matte, comfort matte, cream, metallized, sheer, and sheer shimmer.
Name me a more extensive lipstick collection. I'll wait.
With the exception of the sheer and sheer shimmer lipsticks, the colors are bold and pigmented, and even the matte and comfort mattes feel soft and creamy thanks to fruit oils, aloe, and vitamins C and E.
At $20, they aren't cheap by any definition, but they're reasonably priced given the quality of the lipsticks and packaging.
I don't know if I have a favorite shade as I switch every day, and sometimes, the same day, but I've really liked every one — as do more than 2,800 Ulta and Sephora shoppers, and more than 20,000 Influenster reviewers. — Jada Wong
Pros: Extensive range of colors and finishes, reasonably priced for the high quality, cruelty-free formula
The best drugstore lipstick
Revlon's Super Lustrous Lipstick has been holding it down in drugstores for decades, and it's easy to see why it's so iconic.
Not only is it easy to find if you've got a beauty emergency, but the formulas include avocado oil and vitamin E so they're soft, smooth, and creamy, and never cakey. Depending on the color and formula you choose, you might not even need lip balm.
With 82 colors in crème, pearl, sheer, and matte finishes, there are a lot of lipsticks to choose from. Similar to UD's Vice Collection, there are shades like navy blue and pastel purple, but most of the colors are really wearable.
More than 15,000 Influenster reviewers love this lipstick, with some saying they've been buying Revlon lipstick for years while others wonder why they waited so long to try it out. The overwhelming consensus is that the lipstick is super hydrating, has great wear, and is a solid drugstore buy for less than $10. — Jada Wong
Pros: Affordable, incredible selection of colors, moisturizing for lipstick, applies smoothly, easy to find in stores
The best luxury lipstick
Tom Ford has been designing clothes for decades and he's transferred that same design aesthetic to his lipstick collection.
At $55, these are not cheap and it'd be hard to stock up on them without resorting to microwavable meals for a month, but they're worth every dollar.
Brazilian murumuru butter and chamomilla flower oil make the lipsticks feel like, well, butter, and the color lasts for hours. The finish is more satin-y and creamy than matte and has a bit of shine that makes your face look more alive. All the colors are firmly in the red, pink, plum, and neutral families.
The packaging is lux and smart too — the bullet is embossed with "TF," the cap is magnetic and clasps tightly so you won't ruin your lipstick if it bursts open in your bag, and the square tube visually sets it apart from all the other lipsticks hanging out at the bottom of your purse. — Jada Wong
Pros: Good selection of wearable colors, feels creamy, good staying power
The best matte lipstick
I love a good matte lipstick, but most formulas enhance the lines on my lips and make me look like I ate a lemon for breakfast.
Made with soothing orchid extract, Charlotte Tilbury's Matte Revolution lipsticks are the only ones that make my lips feel pillow-y-soft. They're not really hydrating, but they're not sucking all the moisture from my lips either.
I like the shape of the bullet here — the rectangular shape actually makes it easier to get a defined, but not harsh, Cupid's bow. The rose gold tube is also pretty luxe and glamorous, which is the whole brand's vibe.
While the color range is limited to 11 shades, each one of them is as wearable as the next and are firmly in the red, pink, and purple families. That's because the formula is made with red pigment extracted from the achiote tree, also nicknamed the "Lipstick Tree."
More than 1,000 Influenster shoppers agree that the lipstick is more like a creamy matte finish and won't make your lips look insanely dry. — Jada Wong
Pros: Wearable colors
Cons: Expensive, limited color range
The best longwear lipstick
After an hour or two, my lip color is usually faded, but with Marc Jacobs Beauty Le Marc Lip Crème Lipstick, my color is still going strong after a whole workday.
The pigments are triple-milled so they're really fine and concentrated, and the hydrating formula is made with cocoa butter, peptides, and olive, jojoba, and avocado oils. The lipstick feels and looks creamy — hence the name "Lip Crème." The colors are all pretty opaque, but you can sheer it out with a balm or blot the color.
The bullet is round so you won't get crisp, clean lines but I haven't had any issues with it. I actually prefer a softer look myself but I'll usually smudge out hard lines.
That hasn't stopped nearly 2,000 Influenster reviews from waxing poetic about the lipstick. Many say that they love creamy texture combined with the bold pigment, though one person who owns five of the lipsticks says she's not a fan of the "makeup-y lipstick smell." — Jada Wong
Pros: Longwearing color up to 10 hours, creamy satin finish, formula is not made with parabens, sulfates, and phthalates, cruelty-free formula
What else we considered
- L'Oréal's Colour Riche Hydrating Satin Lipstick (starting at $5.82): This line has more than 40 colors, all with a creamy satin finish. While this is not specifically a longlasting lipstick, your lips will still be looking good long after your morning application of color. And the gold case has an expensive, sophisticated appearance as well, adding to your allure whenever it's time for a touch-up.
- NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil ($27): This gives you rich, vivid, perfectly matte lip color, but since it's a lip pencil, it couldn't really fit into this guide.
- Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick ($22): Thanks to the generous amount of moisturizing avocado oil and Vitamin E, your lips won't feel dry or tight. Instead, they'll feel moist, kissable, and soft. The color is intense and creamy, with full coverage, but you won't find lipstick traces on your coffee cup, nor will it migrate into the fine lines around your mouth. It's a liquid lipstick formula though, so it couldn't fit into the guide either. — Michelle Ullman