The season of upper lip sweat and actual hell outside is almost over—yay! Which means it’s almost the best time of year: Halloween. Sorry, I mean fall. Fall is my favorite time of year because HALLOWEEN and also, fashion is just better. If you’re looking for something new and trendy for fall but are also moving into the world’s tiniest studio apartment (me) and/or are broke (also me), update your look by investing in one (or all) of this season’s hottest fall lip colors.
1. Oxblood
Deep reds are my favorite fall lip colors, but this year the specific red tone you’ll see everywhere is oxblood. It’s like a burgundy but with more brown/purple in it. Oxblood is one of the best colors ever, and it will look gorgeous on any skin tone. It’s the ultimate edgy lip. Or edgy everything. Seriously, I love this color so much, get clothes with it, do your nails with it, paint your entire face, I don’t care.
MARC JACOBS BEAUTY Le Marc Lip Crème Lipstick in Deep Oxblood
2. Pumpkin
Orange-red is actually my favorite summer lip color, but this year we’re seeings them all over the runway for fall too. I’m kind of obsessed with it. It’s a fun bright twist to probably drab fall attire and I get more use out of this color for longer. We’re calling it pumpkin to make it more festive, but any orange you love will work.
NARS Audacious Lipstick in Vivid Orange Red
3. Magenta/Violet
Another summer staple that can carry you into fall, magentas and violets are super in again. This is a great color range, because you can push it from electric purple to deep berry, depending on your mood. I love purple shades as an alternative to red, and magenta is a sexier way to do pink without looking like a baby prostitute.
ANASTASIA BEVERLY HILLS Liquid Lipstick in Vibrant Plum Magenta
4. Metallics
Metallic lipsticks are a cool, edgy element to add to your look. You can do these in any colors (I especially love it if you’re super adventurous and do a dark purple, blue, or even black), or double up by mixing two of these trends together, like a magenta or nude metal. It’s an easy way to update your go-to color.
URBAN DECAY Vice Lipstick in Trance-Metallized
5. Brown
In true 90’s fashion, brown lipsticks are back. Wear these with your flannels and space buns and Doc Martens. I love this trend and I feel like an angsty teenager when I line my eyes with black kohl and put this on. You will look like a Nirvana video reject, but like, in a chic way. Reapply often, as dark lipsticks may fall victim to butthole lips, which is not cute.
SMASHBOX Be Legendary Lipstick in Coffee Run
6. No-Makeup Nudes
Kylie Jenner didn’t become a billionaire for nothing. Nude lips are still everywhere. However, this fall, “no-makeup” makeup is all the rage. You know, where you look like a Victoria’s Secret model but you pretend you did not use 17 products to achieve this look? That. Nude lipstick does not mean choosing a color identical to your natural lips—you’ll want to pick a shade that is similar, with a slightly enhanced color. Depending on your skin tone, go a little more peach, pink, or plum. Texture is super important with nude lips, so get something that goes on soft and creamy, not chalky, like this Too Faced one.
TOO FACED Natural Nudes Lipstick in Skinny Dippin’
Images: Frankie Cordoba / Unsplash; Sephora (6)
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Unless you know wtf you’re doing (which is a rarity), buying new lipstick online sucks. You can’t draw a fucking rainbow on your arm and you can’t like, give it a week to see if your Bumble boy notices the different shade of pink you’re wearing. Makeup can be fucking expensive, and as much as we’d like to feel as though we are C-list celebs/Insta influencers, there are times when we have to choose Svedka over Tito’s to save a few bucks. Tbh, any alcohol will get the job done, just like some drugstore lipsticks are better than the expensive shit. Although drugstore lipsticks are the same price as a bottle of wine from Target, they’re still high-quality and way more accessible than Sephora or MAC. I mean, the closest Walgreen’s/CVS/Duane Reade/wherever you’ve placed your trust is probs less than 5 minutes away. ‘Tis the season for new lipstick shades, so knowing times are hard while Trump is still president, you can shop new faves on a budget and avoid a passive-aggressive text from your dad about the credit card bill. On your next run to buy chasers and tampons, here are the best drugstore lipsticks to buy for poppin’ lips without fillers. Cue grateful, blessed, happy tears.
1. Maybelline Color Sensational Creamy Matte Lipstick in Daringly Nude
For the best nude (other than a dick pic or that one nude you felt proud of in college), Maybelline is the one to hit up. Even though it’s matte, it’s still creamy af and feels absolutely life-changing when it’s on. The collection has like, a million nude shades you never knew existed, and each has bomb pigment for ultra long-lasting color.
2. NYX Cosmetics Pin-Up Pout Lipstick in Revolution
NYX is my go-to for everything. If you want the same shit you can find at Sephora for half the price and the same level of quality, NYX needs to be in your vocab. Pin-Up Pouts in particular are the reason NYX is still here, tbh. The full-coverage best-selling line is full of classic reds, bright pinks, and most importantly, vampy shades like the one below above to literally die for. They’re long-lasting and totally addictive. This deep reddish plum is perfect for fall, but for $8, you *have* to shop all the shades.
3. L’Oréal Paris Colour Riche Lipcolour in Miss Magenta
Not only do you get bright colors that actually look like the same color as advertised, L’Oréal lipsticks are also known for intense hydration. They’re non-drying and won’t crack your lips, since they’re made with healthy stuff like Argan oil, vitamins, and other things I’m too lazy to type out. Since you’ll fall in love with these, you can get one in every color known to man, from hot pink to gray to something dark like our souls.
4. COVERGIRL Queen Collection Stay Luscious Lipstick in Pink Reign
What Tyra says, goes—no questions about it. So when she says COVERGIRL, we stock up on COVERGIRL. The childhood brand that has recently gone on my shit list for switching up their slogan is semi redeeming itself with their latest collection. The Queen collection is v moisturizing (a necessity), full of natural-looking shine, and created with a special waterproof formula that allows color to stay on regardless of how many shots we take. Fucking miracle.
5. Rimmel London Provocalips 16HR Kiss Proof Lip Colour in Kiss Me You Fool
Well, that was aggressive ^. This fab lipstick is a 2-in-1 that comes with a gorg shade and lock-in top coat to ensure your lipstick stays where it belongs. Guaranteed to stay on for up to 16 hours without drying out or fading, the formula is also kiss-proof and transfer-proof, so no worries about making your next hookup look like a murder scene or wasting newly applied lipstick on your Starbucks straw. With this game-changer, you’re free to indulge in drunk pizza without needing to reapply, which is obviously the only thing I can ever ask for in this life of sin.
Say goodbye to bare eyelids, pale pink lips, and tirelessly trying to perfect the bare minimum I-just-woke-up-like-this look. It’s almost fall, which means it’s time to start darkening our beauty routine, just like we do for our wardrobe. Now, the true me will emerge from hibernation this summer so I can wear my lack of heart on my sleeve again. Although it’s still a learning process for many, we’re prepared to hide our hangover lack of sleep with a good ol’ smokey eye. We’ve already got our first fall manicure picked out, so now it’s time for our guilty pleasure: lipstick. We all get weak in the knees for a lipstick that’s yet another nude you’ll insist is different (it’s not), or a really intense vampy red. The darker, the better—fucking duh. Even if you’re the type to settle with your fucked up coffee order rather than complain for the barista to make it again, it’s at least fun to pretend you’re intimidating af with the right shade of lipstick. Whether you’re a true lipstick guru or recently turned Kylie fanatic, you’ve come to the right place for the best lipstick shades to get you psyched for next season.
1. MAC Lipstick Matte in Diva
Cherry red lips are always a basic look for fall since we’re turning away from true reds and looking for something deeper in color. MAC’s best-selling lipsticks are v creamy, highly pigmented, and dry matte. The wine lip goes hand-in-hand with dark eyeshadow for that trending vampy look you’ll soon be seeing everywhere. Why this Twilight thing is a fad next season, I couldn’t fucking tell you.
2. Charlotte Tilbury K.I.S.S.I.N.G Lipstick in Nude Kate
A classy elegant nude never goes out of style which is why I’ve saved my nude pics from back when I was skinny in college and with all the dull colors you’ll be dressing head to toe in, you’ll need a simple nude to go with them. This shade is the most ideal and won’t wash you out or make your lips look pasty or diseased. Like, summer is just finishing, we need to make some of your racial ambiguity lasts, damn it. The modern collection is full of pinks and reds made for every skin tone. Each lipstick protects against cancer-causing rays, leaves them hella moisturized, and contains brightening pigments so both you and your lips stay looking ~lit~ all night long.
3. Smashbox Be Legendary Lipstick in Femme Fatale Matte
NGL, any dark lip color makes me think you’re channeling my spirit animal an inner homicidal Wednesday Addams, but in girl world, the fighting has to be sneaky this silky-smooth plum shade is considered a v trendy twist. Bruised/borderline hypothermia-looking lips look cool as temps begin to drop because like, fashion, and the color def pops in all your Instas. If you’re too hungover to do any other makeup, just swipe on a bold lip and no one will ever question it. It’s literally the best last-minute accessory.
4. Urban Decay Vice Lipstick in Interrogate
Since pale pink is already sooo last season, swap the basic betch shade for a slightly darker replacement like a peachy rose. It’s not too pink or too light, so go for a shade that’s more on the orangey side for a luscious combo that looks something like peach and rosé. Yeah, I’m also going to need that in a bottle like, pronto. When your lipstick matches the color of your drink, you know it’s going to be a good fucking night.
5. Anastasia Beverly Hills Matte Lipstick in Cool Brown
Finding a brown for every skin tone can be tricky because we’re not trying to walk around with something that resembles shit on our lips, so be sure to go for one that’s on the warm beige-y side like this warm tan shade… even though it’s called Cold Brown. IDK, I don’t make the rules here. The color cools down your look for an effortlessly chic style that doesn’t have a totally nude lip but gives a subtle enough pop where you’re not getting stared at on the street. This lipstick literally has the most smooth application ever, so it’s def non-drying and is guaranteed to stay on for multiple rounds of shots.
6. NARS Lipstick in Heat Wave
Fall is all about going darker (fucking obviously if you haven’t caught on by now) so if you can’t let go of a bright red, at least don’t go for the firetruck red. Try not to be basic for like, two seconds and find a color that’s more on the orange-red side. The orange pigment will really warm up the rest of your face, regardless of skin tone. Pair with a deep pink blush to make yourself look so much tanner, even if your equivalent of spending time in the sun this summer was walking to work. This lipstick is only semi-matte so if mummy lips aren’t your thing, no stress. It still glides on super soft and leaves a sheer finish for a duckface-worthy Snapchat to your Bumble boy. Priorities.
