Most adults have 32 teeth, but our thoughts about our mouths are endless. Welcome to Lip Service, a series exploring the science, self-expression, and statement-making beauty behind being mouthy.
Picking the right lip color can make anyone feel like Goldilocks. One might be too drying. Another isn’t pigmented enough. Some are too pigmented. And in the realm of lip color, it isn’t just about finding one shade or product. You want to find the right stain, gloss, or lipstick for special occasions, and oil for everyday use. Narrowing down the best lip products for specific scenarios would be a full-time job.
Luckily, for the ELLE beauty team, it is our full-time job. And we’ve put together our inaugural Lip Service Awards, which encompass everything mouth-related, including oral hygiene, lip care, and color. To find the best on the market, we swatched, swiped, and tested formulas through hot beverages and long dinners. We considered shade ranges and color payoff. Finally, we recruited 28 ELLE staff members to whittle down their favorites. They’re an opinionated bunch—for one luxury product that didn’t make the cut, a staffer said: “For something so expensive, the staying power was pretty bad…drugstore lipsticks are honestly better in this regard.”
After sifting through all of the feedback, we found 15 lip products that we can confidently say are the best on the market right now, with ideal color payoff, beautiful packaging, and major staying power. Keep reading for the absolute best color products, and make sure to check out the rest of our winners to level up your mouth routine.
READ MORE ABOUT THE LIP SERVICE AWARDS
If the red carpet had an official lipstick, it would be this one. Highly pigmented and velvety, it’s a go-to for TikTok-famous makeup artist Nina Park. Our tester loved the array of neutral and vibrant shades, and how the color melted into the lips.
This creamy formula uses a hydrobooster complex made of hyaluronic acid and konjac glucomannan, a fiber derived from konjac root, to deeply nourish and plump. The matte film texture also blurs fine lines to leave you with soft, smooth lips with a purported eight hours of wear. Our tester, a loyal red lipstick wearer, noted that it lasted through multiple meals and drinks and that it was more moisturizing than other matte formulas she’s tried.
Blurred, just-finished-kissing-someone lipstick is the best way to look effortless but still put together. This balm gives you a soft effect with just one swipe and is also infused with Lapacho tree extract, a South American tree with shocking pink blooms that contain antioxidants to hydrate and smooth lines. Our tester said that even though she’s not a self-proclaimed “lipstick person,” she can get behind Bisou Balm. “I really like the matte finish and that it’s buildable. It’s one of my preferred colored products.”
Scented like a garden by in-house nose Christine Nagel, and with shades chosen from the brand’s color library, these lipsticks encourage getting matchy-matchy with your favorite Hermès leathers. Our tester loves the subtle, beautiful fragrance (“I couldn’t stop sniffing it,” she said) and the one-swipe color.
For anyone who wishes there were popsicle lips in a tube, there’s this. These tinted balms impart moisture (via seaweed extract and hyaluronic acid) and a juicy look. Our tester loved that these could be applied effortlessly (even without a mirror), and that there was a slight zing upon application, thanks to a cooling agent in the formula. The colors, ranging from wearable skin tones to pinks and reds, were also very flattering.
In 16 shades and three finishes (juicy, sparkly, and glaze), Dior’s Lip Glow Oil is one viral product that’s worth the hype. It delivers mirror-like shine and is infused with cherry oil to help hydrate and nourish. “This gloss is subtle and not sticky at all,” said our tester. “No matter which shade of these I use, they always look natural yet impactful. Some glosses make your lips shiny on the outside but dehydrated on the inside. This one leaves them soft and maybe even a little fuller.”
This lip oil strikes the perfect balance between a balm and a gloss. It’s packed with hyaluronic acid to nourish and hydrate lips, and each shade has a “your lips but better” sheer color. “It lasted through a three-course dinner, and I didn’t need to reapply once,” our tester said.
The price point sounds slightly decadent, but in true Louis Vuitton fashion, this tinted lip balm is the crème de la crème. It’s made with French mimosa wax (a by-product of the house’s perfume operations in Grasse) to help hydrate and smooth lips. Shea butter and hyaluronic acid spheres also nourish. The sheer veil of color looks impeccable on everyone and lasts for hours. “Without fail, this gives me more compliments than any other lip balm I own,” said our tester. “Plus, the refillable LV monogram case is incredibly chic. If you’re going to spend $160 on a lip balm, it should be on this one.”
Equal parts glossy, moisturizing, and pigmented, these lip balms were inspired by bingsoo, a Korean shaved ice dessert. They come in flavors like strawberry and blackberry, and the shiny formula contains a mix of moisturizing ingredients, including hyaluronic acid, fruit actives, and glycerin. Our tester loved the slick, non-sticky feel and the fresh color.
Hailey Bieber created this unique hybrid tool, which looks like a basic lip liner but acts more like contour, shaping them with a soft, blurred finish. One side has a creamy, smooth formula infused with peptides and fenugreek extract to soften and plump lips; the other end has a silicone smudger. Our tester loves the flattering array of colors and the subtle, plumping effect that this product gives, without any sharp lines.
Silky and smooth on the lips, this balm has a lot in common with the packaging, which looks like a swirl of soft-serve ice cream. Infused with ginseng seed oil, it easily resolves any flakes and dryness. Our tester loved the beautiful design and the variety of shades, including clear and pale pink that were not too shiny.
Thanks to TikTok, peel-off lip stains have been all the rage. But many of them leave lips patchy or without solid color payoff. The Peripera Ink Peel-Off Lip Stain goes on dark and creates a latex-like layer that you’re meant to pull off after five to 10 minutes for a long-lasting stained effect. “It dries quite quickly and peels off well,” our tester said. “The color stain is really nice and lasts for five to six hours.”
“I had never heard of a lip liner stain until this one,” our tester said. This innovative product combines the precision of a liner with the texture and color of a gloss and stain. Our tester wore this through a messy, saucy dinner and noted that it held up well, even at the corners and edges of her lips.
