Lipstick is a great look when freshly applied and immediately photographed, but the reality of being a real, non-famous, normal human and wearing lipstick out into the wild can be a bit tricky if you plan to eat, drink or move your lips at all. If you can deal with a bit of dryness (moisturize your lips well before applying!), then a liquid lipstick is unequivocally the best way to solve those problems, and there are a ton of great options on the market right now.
If you’ve never used one, here’s the deal: liquid lipsticks look like glosses in their tubes and apply much like glosses, but as they dry, they set to a water-resistant, smudge-proof, usually matte finish. If you want to get them off, good luck: it’s going to take either makeup remover or some very moisture-rich lip balm. (The balm, when applied over the lipstick, helps emulsify the product, making it easier to wipe away.)
Below, I’ve picked five standout liquid lipstick lines to get you started on your quest for the perfect pout.
Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lipstick
$20 via Macy’s
This line is a beauty blogger favorite, and it also has the most diverse shade range I’ve found at major retailers. Not only does it include lots of crowd-pleasing reds and pinks, but also black, blue and neon orange.
Hourglass Rouge Opaque Liquid Lipstick
$28 via Sephora
Honestly, I’ve never tried an Hourglass product I didn’t like. The brand also makes two popular shades of this line in travel sizes, in case you don’t want to commit to the full thing to try it out.
Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick
$20 via Sephora
Kat’s line is always great for high-impact products that stay smudge-proof for a long time, which is appropriate for someone whose main gig is as a tattoo artist.
Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick
$24 via Macy’s
This line is my personal favorite of the bunch; I have it in a half dozen colors, from neutral to ultra-vampy, and they all feel like they could stay perfect through a bagel with extra cream cheese.
Too Faced Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipstick
$21 via Sephora
This is the only one of the group I haven’t personally tried, but I have enough friends who swear by it to feel comfortable in the recommendation.
